Page 19 of Mine to Love

And she lives on the side of more often. With multiple partners. “I don’t sleep with women who have boyfriends.”

Camilla’s laugh carries through the open window as does a deep laugh that isn’t from my brothers or father.

“Let me get you a sweater and blanket before going outside. I don’t want you to get cold,” Camilla says. “You can borrow one from my dad. He won’t mind.”

I’m not petty. I’m not disrespectful to women. But with Reese, there are no lines, so I cross what should have been one.

“Your Johnny sounds real manly. A little cold weather too much for his fragile body? He gonna wither away from a little breeze?”

Reese sucks in a breath and has the audacity to look offended.

“Better keep an eye on your Johnny.” I force a wicked grin and lift my chin toward the house. “Before you know it, he’ll be kicking you to the curb and sleeping with other women. Unless he’s too weak for all that action.”

Being cruel to Reese doesn’t turn me on. It doesn’t make me feel more of a man. I don’t understand how men got off on belittling women. It makes me sick to the stomach. Just because she wounded my ego doesn’t mean I need to be an asshole.

“I don’t mix business with pleasure either.” Reese steps up to me and gives me a sly smile. “But I’d like to just one more time.”

I open my mouth to respond but before any words can come out, the palm of her hand smashes into my cheek, the tip of her fingernail scraping under my eye.

“Shit.” I cover my burning cheek with my hand.

“That was pleasure.” She scowls at me before spinning on her heel and running down the deck stairs and onto the beach.

I stand alone on the deck as I feel a warm trickle down the side of my face. I swipe it away with and rub the trace of blood between the pads of my fingers. Maybe I went too far.

Hurting Reese hadn’t been my intention. At least it wasn’t until Johnny came into play. I should have known a woman as gorgeous as Reese would be rough around the edges. I watch her slow her pace and come to a stop by an outcropping of rocks.

“Where’d Reese go?” Emerson asks, looking around. When she sees my face, she gasps. “What happened? Let me get you a washcloth.”

Holden comes out as she runs inside. His response is much the same, but with less care. “You run into a wall or something?”

“Or something.” I swipe away the blood on my cheek.

“What’s going on?” Nick joins us, Gabriella anchored on his hip. She scrunches her nose and points at my face.

“Logan has boo-boo.”

“Here you go.” Emerson dabs at my cheek.

“I hope it leaves a scar.” Nick laughs. “You could use a little badassery.”

“Bassry,” Gabriella repeats.

“Nicholas,” Skylar scolds.

“Here comes the life of the party,” Camilla calls behind me, followed by a male voice I don’t recognize.

“I don’t know about that.”

I fold my hands into fists by my thighs and turn to meet the man I betrayed by having sex with his girlfriend.

Camilla has her armed draped around a man old enough to be our father. He’s on the frail side, making him appear much older than he probably is, but his smile is bright, and his eyes are young and full of life.

“I haven’t met you yet. You must be Logan. I’m Johnny, Reese’s father.”

The man holds up his hand and I slowly unclench my fists, accepting the man’s hand, giving it a gentle shake.

“I expected a hot shot executive like yourself to have a firmer handshake than that. Go ahead. I won’t break.” He lets out a hearty laugh, as do my family while I give Johnny a real shake.

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