Page 4 of Coup De Grâce
“It doesn’t have to be like that.”
“Doesn’t it?” I huffed out a laugh, taking another sip of my drink. “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. That’s what I did. I fell for a man who could never really love me as much as I wanted. And in return, I got crushed.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
“But I should have,” I retorted, feeling a mixture of anger and grief. Tears welled in my eyes again as I felt the betrayal cut deep. “I should have known something else was going on. In fact, I was there helping him every step of the way. I had faith that one day, he would put his trust in me.” I swallowed hard at thetruth in my words. “It turns out, there was never a moment of honesty between us.”
“That can’t be true. There has to be something he confided in you about.”
My lips quirked in a smile, but not for the reasons he thought. Did he really think I was that stupid? God, men could be so ignorant sometimes.
“I had hoped so.” I took another sip of my drink and turned to face him, putting a bright smile on my face. “You never introduced yourself.”
“Brett,” he said, holding out his hand.
I slid my hand into his, letting my body react to his firm grip and the chemistry that zinged between us. If I thought about it really hard, I could imagine my thighs spread as his broad shoulders shoved between them, giving me pleasure with his sharp tongue.
“Well, Brett. If you know me, what can I do for you?”
“Who says you can do something for me?”
“Well, you didn’t come over here and drop the hint that you know who I am for no reason at all. You need something from me.”
“Actually, I just saw how sad you were.”
Again, traitorous tears stung my eyes because it was true. I was so fucking sad. All the time. It never ended, and as much as I loved Rafe, I wanted it all to end. I wished I had a time machine that would send me back a decade and wipe his memory from my brain. Because if I didn’t, I was destined to be miserable for the rest of my life, wondering what could have been if he had only trusted me.
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
“It’s pretty damn clear that you’re hurting. Every guy in this place is following the twenty-foot rule of thumb.”
“And what’s that?”
“You’re damaged goods, but not the kind they want. You’re sad, and that won’t be fixed by a night of fun. They can’t ply you with enough alcohol to make you forget what that man did to you. So, they’re giving you a wide berth, ensuring they won’t get caught in the web they’ll undoubtedly fall into, leaving them hurt while you walk away just as destroyed as before.”
“Don’t pull any punches,” I smiled, finishing off my drink.
Brett ordered another for me while I twirled the glass between my fingers. Yes, I was damaged goods. I was pretty sure I would be for the rest of my life. That was no great revelation, but to hear a man point it out, to know it was so obvious to others around me, felt horrible.
“So, if it’s so clear that I’m damaged, why are you here?”
Against my better judgment, I locked eyes with him, sucking in a harsh breath at the intensity I saw simmering. I bit down hard on my lip, trying not to let my body betray me.
“Because I love a damaged woman. I love helping her break completely and then helping her mold into a new specimen.”
His words were…icky. But I could play into that. “And you think you can do that to me?”
“I know I can. Care to find out if I’m that good?”
The second drink was set down in front of me, and I immediately picked it up and swallowed the contents. Was I really going to go through with this?
If I wanted to find out what this man wanted, then yes. I would have to.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
Shadows playedoff the walls of the hotel room, reminding me of my childhood and all the nights I laid awake, dreaming of fairiesand phantoms. A light snore emanated from the man beside me, and I rolled my head to see if he was finally asleep.
Holding my hand over his face, I felt for the small huff of air that would escape his lips. The slight rise and fall of his chest couldn’t be faked. He was finally asleep. As carefully as possible, I slid from the bed and tiptoed over to his clothes, pulling out his wallet.
