Page 19 of The Best Man

If what Marcus says is true, the whole reason he came into this bedroom was to get a condom for Joey to use to cheat on me.

I look up into his hypnotic brown eyes as he cradles my chin. I know what he wants me to say, and it also happens to be the truth.

I wouldn’t have sought out what happened to me here tonight, but I did enjoy it. It’s an experience I never would have consented to, but it was… incredible to be used and played with that way.

So, once more, I shake my head.

No. I won’t tell them that. I’ll never tell them that, no matter what Joey says.

Marcus smiles, and his approval makes my heart warm up a little more. “Good girl,” he says, caressing my jaw and giving me a conspiratorial little wink.

My heart flutters and I offer him a small smile back.

I want to be his good girl.

“She’s in shock,” Joey says, shaking his head in disbelief. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying. She’s probably traumatized. Her head is full of your fucking deceptions.” Eyes bulging, Joey glares at me. “He fucking raped you, Jessa. He convinced every goddamn man in my family to rape you tonight, and you’re going to defend him?”

“That’s enough,” Marcus says, turning back to face his brother.

“Don’t tellmewhen enough is enough. She’smyfucking fiancée, not yours.”

“Yeah?” Marcus says, cocking a dark eyebrow in disbelief. “You still want to marry her? Now that you know I’ve had my cock in her more tonight than you probably have this whole fucking month? We all came inside her, too. Is she on birth control? I blew a few loads deep in that perfect pussy. You wanna raise my baby, little brother?”

“You son of a bitch.” Joey swings on him again, but this time Marcus just stands there, allowing the clumsy punch to connect.

“I deserved that one,” Marcus says, rubbing his tight jaw before glaring at his brother. “But you don’t get another. Swing at me again and I’ll swing back. AndIwon’t fucking miss,” he assures him.

Joey vibrates with rage, breathing hard, his skin so hot he looks like he may combust.

Finally, he turns back to look at me on the bed.

I’m embarrassed by the degrading, disgusted way his gaze rakes over me. It makes me want to cry, so I try to squeeze my thighs together to at least hide some part of me from him, but the dress is riding up too high.

Joey looks at me then, as if seeing me for the first time. His loveless gaze travels down my body, taking in my exposed skin, my ruined dress, my swollen lips, my still-damp pussy. I can see my value dropping in his eyes, lower and lower with every place he looks.

I could look him over with just as much disgust if I wanted to. His collar is open, his shirt half unbuttoned and stretched out in a way that would ordinarily horrify him. Tacky pink lipstick that presumably belongs to the stripper is smeared down the side of his neck. His belt is gone, his pants wrinkled anddisheveled since they were probably around his ankles while he fucked her.

The reality that everything I thought I had was a lie hits me hard, and then he gives his solemn answer.

Slowly, he shakes his head. “No. I can’t marry you. Not now.”

The rejection still hurts, even if we’re on the same page.

It’s not fair that he gets to be the one to reject me.

I never set out to cheat on him tonight.

He clearly did set out to cheat on me.

And, according to Marcus, not for the first time.

His tone is flat and lifeless when he tells his brother, “Get her out of my house.”

Thatreally fucking stings.

Five seconds ago he was hurling rape accusations at him. Now he’s telling him to get me the hell out of here.

Obviously, his concern was genuine,I think sarcastically.

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