Page 7 of Fierce Secrets

I guess she was spot on.

The water lapped at my skin as I slid deeper, letting it cover my shoulders.

It hurt. It hurt too damn much. What was I to do now? We had joint accounts ever since we'd gotten engaged and I'd moved in with him. I paid my share of everything, even more when he'd been between jobs a year ago.

At least it was Friday, so I didn't have to worry about work until Monday. I had all weekend to wrap my head around this hell.

The music continued to play as I soaked, trying to remember the breathing exercises my therapist had taught me years ago. In for four, hold for four, out for four.

I was safe here. I was not alone. I would survive this.

As much as I didn't want to cry, I found myself sobbing until the pain and sadness morphed to numbness, the water having cooled down as my tears dried on my cheeks.

Through the bathroom door, I heard the distinct sound of the penthouse elevator dinging. Leo was back.

I should have felt strange, being naked in a virtual stranger's bathroom. But Grayson was right – Leo was family, even if we'dnever been close. And right now, in this moment of broken trust and shattered dreams, family was exactly what I needed.

Even if he was a big, scary six-foot-three millionaire feared by the city.

I'd done my research on him at times when I was curious, but things were sketchy around him and his family. Reports of organized crime in his family, but whenever I asked Gray, he'd wave it off.

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, dressed in Leo's clothes that smelled of expensive laundry service and him, Leo had dinner set across the black marble-topped table, sipping on another glass of whiskey. He'd changed into a different shirt, and I glanced at the food on offer as I strode out.

"I hope you like Thai," he said as he set his glass down.

His sleeves were rolled up to reveal more of his tattoos – and what looked like split knuckles on his right hand now that I looked.

I hesitated in the doorway, swimming in his clothes that somehow made me feel both vulnerable and protected at the same time. The drawstring was done up tighter to keep the sweatpants on.

"Sit." He gestured to the chair across from him. "You need to eat."

I slid into the chair across from him, glancing over the array of food. Who was he feeding? A family of five?

"Thai right? Nothing is too?—"

"Nothing spicy," he cut me off, already knowing what I was going to say. I'd never been one for spicy foods. I liked to taste my food, not have my mouth on fire and have me shitting for days.

"How are you feeling?" His voice was controlled, but there was something in his eyes when they met mine.

"Like shit," I admitted, picking up my fork as I took in my plate. He'd loaded it with an assortment of Thai dishes, and my stomach grumbled. I'd been planning to get takeout with Logan tonight after spending some quality time with him.

Too bad he'd spent that with someone else.

Leo nodded and picked up his own fork. "I know you don't drink much, so I got you eggnog ice-cream, the same one you used to love from that place Downtown, with the little old lady."

"You remembered," I whispered, a lump forming in my throat, touched.

Those bi-yearly Christmas dinners with just the three of us had become something of a tradition. Grayson would host, insisting on having his sister and best friend together at least once every few years. It was the only time I ever saw Leo let his guard down, even slightly. Last year, he'd actually worn a Santa hat, though his expression remained stoic. And then there was that gift card…

"A thousand dollars, Leo," I'd protested when he'd handed it over. "It's too much."

He'd just shrugged, adjusting that ridiculous hat. "Buy yourself something nice."

Logan had been livid when he found out, demanding to know what I'd done to earn it, implying I'd done something heinous or unfaithful to obtain it. He'd given me the cold shoulder for days and made me sleep on the couch.

I'd ended up spending most of it on Logan, buying him the expensive watch he'd been eyeing, trying to prove there was nothing inappropriate between Leo and me.

"Some things are worth remembering," Leo said now, his voice pulling me from the memory. "Eat your dinner first."

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