Page 54 of Virtue & Vengeance

“Aren’t you going to answer me?”

“No.” The word was final, and his tone dared me to keep going, but that’s precisely what I did.

“Well, that’s too damn bad because you’re going to answer me and you’re going to answer me now.”

He paused, turning to look at me. His brow lifted at my audacity to speak to him that way, and then he said, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You brought it up. You wouldn’t have said anything unless you trusted me. You told me your secret because you wanted me to know.”

“The hell I did!”

“Then why did you even say anything?”

He stormed toward me; his movements were angry and jerky. “To get you to shut up,” he growled.

He shoved my things into my chest and then took a step back. His breathing was accelerated, and when his eyes finally found mine, he sighed, raking his fingers through his hair.

“Fuck, Eden. I…” He lifted his hand in the air and then let it drop to his side. “I told you I wasn’t a good guy. I told you I didn’t want anything more than this with you, but you didn’t listen.”

He was right.

He had told me he wasn’t a good guy, but I knew differently. I had to follow my gut, so I hadn’t listened to him. But seeing his expression and the way he looked at me, I couldn’t help but listen to him now.

And what I was hearing was he would never be able to give me more than a good fuck.

His words.

Not mine.

It didn’t matter if I’d stupidly fallen in love with Zander because the fact was, he was never going to love me back.

Gripping my clothes to my chest, I turned away from him before he could see how much he was hurting me, and then I left the room and walked to the guest bathroom. There was no need to return to the master bathroom because I was just that … a guest in his home. I would never be anything more.

I refused to cry inside Zander’s bathroom like a pathetic lovesick schoolgirl, though. I still had my pride left, and I was going to hold on tight to it with greedy hands.

I got dressed, splashed some cold water on my face, and opened the door. It hadn’t taken me long to get dressed, but during the time I was in the bathroom gathering myself, Zander had managed to change his clothes. He was waiting for me in his gourmet kitchen when I came out.

“I’m taking you home,” he said.

He made sure I knew there was no arguing with him, but he didn’t need to worry. I had no more fight in me when it came to Zander. I finally understood what he had been trying to tell me all this time.

I meant nothing to him.

I was just an employee stupid enough to sleep with him

Another reason for him to have to change his sheets.

Oh, and I was also Kennedy’s niece, which he made sure to remind me of every chance he got.

We rode the elevator down to the back entrance in silence. He was on one side of the elevator, and I was on the other. The tiny space felt cold, yet the air was humid and thick, making me feel like I couldn’t breathe. I took a deep breath when we finally stepped off.

Thankfully, we didn’t pass anyone during my walk of shame from Empire Sevens to his car. And I was glad he hadn’t called a valet to get his car for us. The fewer people who knew about my embarrassment, the better.

I got into his car, and he closed the door behind me. Not once did we make eye contact with each other. It was as if the night before had never happened.

The glitzy ballroom.

The amazing dress and the words he had whispered to me as we danced.

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