Page 164 of The Puck Stops Here

He gave a soft scoff. ‘And when you realised he wasn’t falling for it, you what, tried to use me to make him jealous? Only he wasn’t, was he? He was pushing us together.’ He laughed, the sound cutting right through her. ‘That must have really put a spanner in the works.’

‘No, it didn’t, it wasn’t – wasn’t like that.’

‘Of course it fucking was. But to sleep with me several times over…’ his voice cracked. ‘You even had mebelievingall this stuff, you made feel good enough, worthy of… I’m such a fucking idiot.’

‘Don’t say that!’ She reached out and he reared back.

‘Don’t. Don’t touch me. Tell me you weren’t trying to lure Aiden in. Tell me you weren’t trying to break him like he broke Sienna.’

She couldn’t. It hurt like hell, but she refused to lie to him.

And then his head snapped up, eyes wide. ‘You messed with his tan, didn’t you? That was no accident or misapplication, you fucked with it. Just like your friends fucked with…’ He shook his head as her face gave her guilt away. ‘You could have cost us the game!’

‘I didn’t know it would go to his head as bad as all that, that he’d…’

‘Freak out?’

‘You were laughing and goading him just as much as all the rest…’

‘Fuck, I was.’ He gave a cold laugh. ‘You must have loved that. A dim-witted accomplice yet again.’

‘No, it really wasn’t like that. You have?—’

‘It wasexactlylike that, and more fool me for falling for it.’ He punched the steering wheel, angry at himself now too. ‘Get out of the truck.’

‘Blake,please, let me explain. It’s how it all started out, yes, but it’s?—’

‘I’m done with your stories, Astrid. You can keep your fabricated article, too.’

‘The article is real, I’m not lying about it.’

‘No, you just lied about everything else.’

‘I didn’t, Blake. Everything I’ve told you since the day I met you is the truth. I just…’

‘You just?’

‘I just never told you about this. But I was going to. I just needed to speak to Sissi. I needed her to understand what I was doing first. I wanted to tell her about you, about us. I wanted to tell her that Aiden was a good man, that leaving her wasn’t his fault, th?—’

‘No,’ he scoffed. ‘It was mine.’

‘It wasn’t your fault either.’

‘Save the act, Astrid.’ He leaned across her, his arm hot against her front as he shoved open her door. ‘We’re done here.’

‘Blake,please…’

‘You can tell Sienna that you got what you came for. She wanted to break the man responsible for her heartbreak. Well, she got him. Aiden left because of me. Sienna was hurt because of me. Karma complete. Now get out of the truck before I have to lift you out.’

Karma complete? What was he saying? She couldn’t break his heart, because to break his heart he’d have to…

‘If you’re worried about your flight home, don’t be. Just keep your distance and we’ll be fine. But tonight, I don’t want to breathe the same air as you.’

Pain tore through her. No, he didn’t love her, he loathed her. Just like she’d loathed Chase, only worse. So much worse.

‘Your partner in crime can put you up and make sure you get back to the hotel safe. I want nothing more to do with you.’

‘Blake, please…’ It was inaudible, her body lacking the strength for sound. It hurt to think, to breathe, to move?—

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