Page 70 of Tangled with the Tight End

He cups my hip, rolls me over, and settles me against his side. “Not good enough.” He adjusts me until I’m half-sprawled across him. “That’s better,” he says into my hair.

And it is. I close my eyes and inhale his musky scent. Of us. Life can’t get any better than this.

The door smashes against the wall, and I shoot upright on the bed. Gabriel’s bed with the comforter kicked off the edge and the white sheet wrapped around our legs.

A blonde woman with a pinched face stands in the doorway, and the faint sunlight from the window bathes her in light. “Well, look what we have here. My husband has managed to find himself a cleat chasing ski bunny to screw while his wife cries alone waiting for him to return her call.”

I yank at the sheet, trying to cover my breasts, but Gabriel’s weight still holds it down as he blinks awake and sits up. My heart thunders in my chest. I’ve never been the other woman. I’ve never been cornered by a scorned lover.

My stomach rolls as horror floods through me. When Sloane was on the other side of the country, it was easy to pretend she wasn’t real. But now, she’s here, and I’ve spent the entire night fucking a man that isn’t mine. What was I thinking? I yank harder and fall back as the sheet comes loose.

“Sloane,” Gabriel growls, but it doesn’t discourage his wife.

She stomps into the room while slapping her hands onto her hips and glaring at me with disgust. “My son is in the other room, and you’re naked in my husband’s bed. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

She shifts her attention to Gabriel. “And you need to apologize for taking up with another woman so we can return to normal.” She clasps her hands together in front of her. Her red suit jacket and skirt fit perfectly, even though they’re way too skimpy for Evergreen Lake in the middle of winter. “I miss you, and we owe it to Gino to work things out. He deserves a mother and a father. Together.” Her eyes flash over me. “A biological mother and father, not some two-bit–”

“Sloane!” Gabriel’s voice is sharp as he rises from the bed. He doesn’t bother pulling on anything as I cower in the bed calculating the distance to the door. “You say another word about Norah, and you won’t see Gino again. Or my money.”

Her lower lips pop out. “Don’t be like that, baby,” she purrs as her eyes rake over him. “You look good.”

His jaw flexes as he glares at her, and I scramble off the bed. “I need to go.”

“Good.” Sloane smirks. “Go. My husband and I need to talk.”

Gabriel’s chest rises as he inhales. “Yes, we do. We need to have a long talk.” He strides to the dresser and slips on a pair of shorts.

My stomach churns for not only the realization that I’m the most horrible woman in the world but also that he wants to talk to her. I fight the curling of my shoulders. They’re married. They have a son together. Surely, it wasn’t as bad as he said.

If they talk, they can work things out. I swallow over the lump in my throat. I clutch the sheet around me, take a step toward the door, and stop. Sloane laughs, the sound is shrill and catty.

Don’t. You’re the slut that eagerly spread her legs for a married man. Heat creeps over me from head to toe. She has every right to be angry. Maybe even a little unhinged.

“Norah,” Gabriel’s voice is low.

Rather than look at him, I rush past Sloane, jog down the stairs, and have my clothes in my hand before Gabriel can reach the door. I blink hard to keep the tears at bay, gasping for air and hating myself with each step.

“Norah,” Gabriel calls from the top step.

“Don’t.” I raise my hand to ward him off. “You need to work things out with Sloane.”

I don’t stop when he calls to me again, dragging on my clothes as I walk and leaving the sheet in a pile on the floor. This time, I make it to the door and jerk it open. The hallway is eerily quiet in the pale morning light. My head pounds with each heartbeat.

Shit. I’m at the lodge without a vehicle. Eden is on this side of town. I ring her number and wait. Seconds later, her groggy voice answers.

“Can you come get me at the lodge?”

“What?” She clears her throat. “Never mind. I’ll be there.”

The phone clicks in my ear, and the first tear slides down my cheek. Go. Go now before you unravel. I rush to the elevator and slump inside as it descends to the bottom floor.

Before the doors open, I scrub my face and slap on a ridiculously fake smile. The last thing I need is for the person at the front desk to realize I’m a fucking cheap whore. I slide past the front desk and drop into a chair while waiting for Eden to arrive.

It feels good that my best friend is willing to drop everything to save me. No questions asked. At least there’s one thing right in my life. Except…. A ball of tears closes my throat. Except, Eden is Gabriel’s sister-in-law.

I should’ve stayed away from him. Another tear slides down my cheek. Why didn’t I stay away? Now, I stand to lose my best friend also.

Fifteen minutes later, my phone dings.

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