Page 40 of Tempt Her

“That. And I jizzed on your belly, so that’ll kill a guy’s game too.”

She stares at me momentarily, unfazed by that last part, as sincerity softens her face. “I never forgot our first kiss. It was the sweetest, hottest kiss I’ve ever had, and I didn’t have another one for years because I knew it wouldn’t compare.”

Her compliment? My chest feels light. My head too. “Who was your next kiss?”

I’m assuming some high-school quarterback or her prom date.

Misery drops her tone. “Him,” she says, and misery takes her eyes too.

It makes me pause, remembering our place in the world because men like Gentry Evans won’t let you forget it. “If you’re in danger, I’ll get you out.”

“He doesn’t hit me.”

“He doesn’t need to,” I tell her. “Look. We run in different circles, and the ones I’m in, the rumors I hear; your husband is dangerous.”

She sits up, her eyes begging. “Mateo, what have you heard?”

“Shit I don’t want to believe. But if it’s true. Hell, it doesn’t need to be true, Stacey. I see what a dick he is to you. With only five words said, I heard it too. You don’t deserve to be treated like that. No one does.”

“I know.”

“Then why don’t you leave him?”

“I’m going to. I just have to wait.”

“Wait for what?”

My phone pings with a text from Ford. I check it real quick.

It’s five o’clock and getting obvious. Get the fuck out of there

“Listen,” I tell Stacey, shoving it back into my pocket. “We have to go. If we stay any later, he—”

“I know,” she says.

“That number on our invoice for our answering service; I’ll have all calls sent directly to my phone over the holiday. If you need anything, call, and I’ll answer.”

“Okay.” She doesn’t look desperate. She looks used to this.Way too used to this.

“Stacey—” When she glances up at me, it grabs my heart. She was so sweet to me, and I was a fool to push her away. “In my heart,”—I gesture around us—“we’re still those kids in a little room. You got my back then, so I got yours now. I promise.”

I pivot to leave, but she calls out, “Mateo,” so I turn back as she says, “You were more than my seven minutes of heaven. I liked youbeforethat kiss. I always noticed you at school, so I got my friends to play that game because I secretly liked you. And after that kiss, I know we were young, but you were like… my first love.”

“I….” She stammers my breath. “I thought I was just lucky.”

She shakes her head. “I was the lucky one.”

“I was an asshole for ignoring you afterward. I’m sorry.”

“I understand. I have regrets too.”

Fuck, I don’t want to leave her. Like when she took my hand, I want to take hers and give her more than seven minutes of heaven. I want to get her out of this hell. She’s married to the devil.

She has to know. “I’m worried about you. I have a big family, lots of brothers and sisters, and I’m used to fighting for them. If someone is fucking with them, it’s on, and I’ll do it for—”

“I can’t let you do that. I won’t let you get hurt over me. This is my mess to clean up.”

She won’t stop doing it, taking the high road.

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