Page 57 of Reckless King

She studies me again, her mouth twisting a little. I expect her to brush me off, but maybe because the wine we’re drinking is quite strong—or because she’s finally relaxing around me—she doesn’t. “No, it’s okay.” She takes a sip from her glass. "We met at a community event in Augusta. I was hosting an information booth for the non-profit I was working for, and Eric was there with his uncle's political campaign."

“His uncle’s in politics?”

She nods. “Yes. Senator Rawlins. Eric is his fundraising manager. Or he was when we were dating anyway. Though he was angling to be the finance manager. I guess he might have worked his way into that position by now.”

Well that answers the question about whether they’re still in touch. I didn’t think so, but now I know.

Violet gives her head a little shake, as if she’s gotten distracted. “Anyway, he was good-looking and charming, andwhen he came past our information booth and started flirting, I was flattered. So when he asked me out, I said yes.”

I’m already irritated by this guy. The thought of Violet being so impressed by him that shewantedto date him when she was so reluctant to even give me the time of day has an unfamiliar emotion eating at me.

“We dated for a couple of months,” she continues, her thumb rubbing over the rim of her wine glass as she speaks. “But I realized something just didn’t feel right. I’d been debating breaking it off. But then…” Her voice catches and she blinks a couple of times. “Then Dad died.”

I brush tendrils of hair away from her face and stroke my thumb over her cheek. “You okay, butterfly?”

For a heartbeat, her lashes flutter shut and she leans into my touch. That small act triggers a tightness in my chest.

“I just miss him,” she says. “And I hate that I was so far away when he died.”

I slide my hand under the silky fall of her hair and cup the back of her neck, squeezing lightly until her eyes, glossy with unshed tears, meet mine. “I saw you and your dad together when you came to Mark’s graduation, and it was obvious how close you were—how much you loved him. That knowledge would have been with him at the end, even if you couldn’t be.”

I hold her gaze until she gives me a nod, then I lean back, waiting for her to continue.

“When I got back after the funeral, I was a mess.” Her laugh doesn’t hold much humor. “Dad had always been my anchor—him and Mark. I felt… untethered. I should have moved back home to be with Mark, but… I struggled with the idea of being here when Dad wasn’t. Being back in Maine didn’t feel right either. Everything felt wrong. Including Eric. I tried to break it off with him, but he refused to accept it. He kept coming around, bringing me gifts, ordering in food on days when I’d barelyeaten. On the surface, he became the perfect doting boyfriend. But in hindsight, he was ignoring my wishes and already trying to control me. I fell for the act though. I ignored that little niggling voice of doubt because it was better than feeling so alone.” She inhales shakily.

There’s a pressure growing behind my ribs as she talks, and I flex my hands to loosen them, only realizing then that they’ve been clenched. “It’s not always easy to see past the masks people show us.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes, as if she doesn’t quite believe me.

“Tell me what he did, Violet.”

“It started small. So small I didn’t notice. Little criticisms. The shade of lipstick I was wearing was too bright, or my dress didn’t fit quite right. All said in a way that made it sound like he was just trying to help me. And I listened.” She shakes her head. “Every time I did something he didn’t like, he’d let me know in subtle ways that I’d let him down. When we went out, he’d get jealous. Accuse me of flirting with any single man who spoke to me. And instead of realizing what was going on and leaving him, I just tried harder to appease him. And if I did question his reactions, he’d twist it all around. Make me doubt my own mind.” She glances at me before quickly looking away. “It makes me feel so stupid when I say it out loud.”

“Hey.” I turn her chin, so she’s forced to meet my gaze. “You aren’t stupid. You were alone and grieving, and he took advantage of that. He caught you when you were vulnerable and knew exactly what to say to make you believe he was on your side—so you’d trust him. But you figured him out. That’s why you’re here now, working hard, bringing True Brew back to life. You walked away from him.”

Her eyes close as she lets out a sigh. “Yes, but only after I found him balls deep in one of his interns.” The laugh thatescapes her is tinged with bitterness. “He used to accuse me of flirting with just about every man who looked in my direction, but he was the one screwing around on me. And considering all his interns were young and pretty, I’m sure she wasn’t the only one.”

Anger simmers hot beneath the surface of my skin. I want to track this Eric asshole down and punish him for not treating her the way she deserves to be treated—for making her doubt herself. “What did he do when you ended it?” I ask. From what she’s revealed about him, I can’t imagine he’d let her go easily once he sank his claws into her. I’ve met plenty of people like him in the business world, and in my social circle. Narcissistic manipulators who don’t care about anyone but themselves.

“He called, but I didn’t answer. So he left messages. At first, he apologized and asked for another chance, then he started blaming me. Told me it was my fault that he cheated. That’s when I blocked?—”

“Wait,” I growl. “He blamedyou?”

Her gaze darts to mine and she pinches her bottom lip between her teeth. “He said he wouldn’t have had to turn to someone else if I’d been able to… to satisfy him.”

My shoulders tense with the need to take some kind of physical action. To find a way to hurt this guy the way he hurt her. I have to pull in a deep breath to calm myself down. Then I cup her cheek so she can’t look away. “Tell me you know that isn’t true, Violet. Tell me you know he was just trying to cover up his own inadequacies.”

She stares up at me, eyes shadowed by residual hurt, and lets out a ragged breath. “I do. I do know that. I may have let it—lethim—get in my head for a while. But I got past it. With Anna’s help of course.” She gives me a lopsided smile.

It’s not enough though. I need to make sure. “Just the small taste I got of you at Onyx had me wanting so much more. There’s no way being with you wouldn’t satisfy any man.”

“Tate,” she whispers.

I realize my mistake. She doesn’t want me talking about that night. She doesn’t want to remember what I did to her—regardless of how much she enjoyed it. It makes sense to me now why she was there—what she was looking for—consciously or not. I’m glad I was able to give that to her. Even if she wishes it had been someone else.

Just that thought alone—of another man being the one to give her what she needed—has my jaw clenching.

I force myself to let her go. There’s something I know about myself now that I didn’t before. I don’t like seeing those shadows in Violet’s pretty blue eyes. I like when they’re flashing fire at me, I like when they’re shining with happiness, or when they’re hazy with arousal. I don’t fucking like when they’re filled with pain. I think I would do a lot to make sure I don’t see them that way again.

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