Page 59 of A Little Broken

My heart thrums faster, and I fist the sheets in my palms. Her observation shouldn’t affect me. Shouldn’t make my stomach flip-flop or my heart flutter like a lovesick hummingbird.Get with the program, body.You don’t care about Pax or his potential interest in you. You don’t care about him at all.You don’t care about anything. The thought is like a whisper, winding its way through me and leaving me…raw.

“Maybe you missed it because you were a little distracted,” Rory offers.

By Cowboy. Right.

Why do I keep forgetting about him, again?

“Exactly,” I argue. “Cowboy’s cute.”

“And Pax isn’t drop-dead gorgeous?” she counters. “He’s even schmexy when he’s pissed. You should’ve seen his face when he realized you were at the party. It’s like he was walking a love/hate tightrope or something.”

I scoff. “He doesn’t love me.”

“But hate’s on the table?” she counters. “I thought your little evening together ended…amicably.”

“Amicably.” I snort. “I mean, we screwed each other’s brains out, so yeah. I’d say it was amicable.”

Or at least, it was until I told him I was engaged, I silently add.

“Oh, shut up. You know what I mean,” Rory pushes. “From what little you’ve told me, you guys had a pretty mind-blowing night together. Then you run into him years later and he looks at you like you stepped on his birthday cake.”

“Rory!” My nose wrinkles. “That’s a little harsh.”

“You know what I mean. And then you disappear with the guy? What happened?”

“Disappear?”

“I saw you walk away with him,” she points out. “Yeah, I didn’t miss how you left that part out, by the way.”

“Are you saying you were testing me, and I failed?”

“Yup,” she answers, unashamed of her mind game performance.

“I think I’m rubbing off on you too much,” I grumble.

“Probably,” she agrees. “Now, spill. What happened?”

Fiddling with my gold ring, I replay my encounter with Pax. Both of them. I’m not some innocent little virgin. I’ve spent time with guys. Some good experiences. A lot of bad ones. But my night with Pax always stood out. Haunting me. Comfortingme. He was…he was really sweet. And the sex? Yeah, it was incredible. But there was a reason I left afterward, and it’s best I remember it.

“He wanted to…talk,” I lie. “So, I went with him to find some privacy, then told him I’m only visiting and not interested and that’s that. I’m not interested.”

“Who isn’t interested in a face like his, though?” she argues.

“Me,” I decide. “We both know I don’t backslide, Rore.”

Except I totally backslid.

“Or, you know, you could give him a chance, see how it goes and play it by ear,” she offers. “That is, if you’re notmarriedanymore.” She emphasizes married while giving me a look that screams,I’m not mad. I’m disappointedwith a sprinkle ofWhat the hell, Tate?

To be fair, I’ve earned it. Her silent reprimand. Hell, I deserve a lot worse for keeping this from her.

I grimace, refusing to cower no matter how much I want to. Even so, it doesn’t stop the guilt from swelling inside of me because yeah. When she says it out loud, it sounds a hell of a lot worse than I initially intended it to be.

“He told you, huh?” I mumble.

“Uh, yeah. The question is, why did you lie to him in the first place? And married to Archer? Seriously?”

My shame topples over me as soon her brother’s name slips out of her. “Okay, that part was messed up,” I concede.

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