Page 51 of The C Agreement

“I suppose that speaks to how bad it really was. Em didn’t want to relive the horror by thinking about it again.”

My brother howled with laughter, and Em covered her mouth to semi-hide how hard she was cracking up.

Cade’s eyes were narrowed, and his mouth was hard as his fingers dug into my skin, and I felt a little bad.

I was about to apologize when he talked first.

“I’ll have you know, the woman I am seeing for the month loves my dick and is always satisfied.”

He spoke to all three of us, but I knew his words were meant for me.

“Maybe she’s faking it,” Em offered.

“Nah. You can’t fake a soaked pussy.” He smirked. “Or the way it milks my cock when she comes.” He looked at me and smiled. “Right, Rayne?”

My brother frowned in my direction. “‘Right, Rayne?’”

Our mom walked into the dining room before Beau could read too much into Cade’s words.

“I forgot dessert. Is anyone in the mood for some?”

Beau finally took his eyes off me. “What did you make?”

“Nothing.” Mom smiled. “But I bought your favorite pie from the store.”

I frowned at her words. Why would she have bought Beau’s favorite pie for dinner with my parents’ friends?

“I’ll just go get it,” she said, spun around, and went back to the kitchen.

Everyone looked at me, like they were waiting for something.

“She forgot to invite me again, didn’t she?”

Cade’s parting words to me earlier that afternoon now made sense.

Beau shook his head, but Em looked like a statue.

“Yes,” Cade admitted in a low voice.

“Thanks for telling me the truth,” I told him.

Shaking off his hand, I turned in my chair and stood. “Don’t tell Mom I figured it out.”

“Don’t go,” Em said.

“I think it’s best.” I already felt like shit from what I’d found out about Cade and Em. My mom forgetting about me was icing on the fucking cake.

I didn’t bother to message Cade that I wasn’t coming over. I just went home and curled up in my bed to cry.

TWENTY

RAYNE

When my alarmwent off in the morning, I wanted to pull the covers over my head and go back to sleep. Even though I had been out like a light all night, I felt like I hadn’t slept a wink, and my body and mind were sluggish.

I was emotionally exhausted.

Last night, after I’d left my parents, my mom had tried to call me a couple of times, but I hadn’t answered. I didn’t want to hear her excuses for why she had forgotten to invite me to dinner for the five hundredth time if someone had let it spill that I had found out. And if she didn’t know, I didn’t want to pretend to be okay or lie about why I had left early.

---