Page 45 of Toxic

Dante's voice fills my mind."You're mine, Bridge. Every part of you is mine."

I shudder.

I'm not his.

I can't be.

I'm Sean's and only his.

A tear slips down my cheek, and I wipe it away. The last thing I need is to get involved with Dante Marino. I worked hard to get him out of my system years ago. There's nothing good that can come from what happened last night.

Why do I want to feel his arms around me again?

Why did I ever let Cara take me to that club?

The entire way out of the city and to my father's house, I beat myself up. I'm not in high school anymore. I'm raising teenagers. I don't have time for Dante's twisted games. The only matter I should be concentrating on is how to help my children stop hurting and love me again.

It didn't feel like he was playing a game.

That's what he does though. He uses women then throws them away when he's bored,I remind myself when my driver pulls through my father's gates.

I pull my phone out of my purse, glance at myself in the camera, then wince.

Smudged makeup from the previous night lines my eyes. My air-dried hair is a mess. My dress is wrinkled. I smell like pure, raw sex.

Please don't let me run into anyone,I repeatedly pray as I get out of the car and go into the house. I take off my shoes to eliminate the noise on the marble as I creep through the house. I make my way up the stairs and almost get to my bedroom when my father's voice hits my ears.

"Bridget."

I cringe, take a deep breath, and spin, all while cursing Dante Marino. I shouldn't feel like a teenager caught sneaking into her parents' house, but I do. I might remember asking him not to take me home, but everything about what we did is making me feel like I'm sixteen again.

I hate it.

Nothing good happened when I was sixteen. I spent too many seconds thinking about Dante. Now, I'm almost a forty-one-year-old woman, but somehow, he's made me feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.

My father's eyes darken into shallow slits as he assesses me. Whiskey sloshes in his tumbler from the tiny circles he makes. He lowers his voice, stepping in front of me. "Where have you been?"

"It's not your concern."

His jaw twitches and he releases a deep breath. "You can't hide from this."

"I don't need a lecture right now. Save it," I order and open my suite door.

He follows me inside and shuts the door.

"Dad, get out," I demand, tossing my shoes in the corner.

He paces while finishing his whiskey then sets the glass on the dresser.

"Leave. I'm going to sleep." I go into my closet and put on Sean's T-shirt I always sleep in. I step back out.

My father is still there. "You're a grown woman. I don't expect you to be alone the rest of your life, but that club—that's not a place for you."

My knees almost give out. I put my hand on the top of the armchair and turn toward the wall, wishing this would all go away.

How does he know?

My driver. Jesus, I'm stupid.

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