Chapter One
July 12th, 12:15 a.m.
The willowy woman with short red hair stalked toward the entrance of The Hill and yanked the door open. Deep, sensual vocals from a local band filled the night air as the door of the restaurant-turned-nightclub opened. When it shut, the crickets and frogs took over singing. Neither calmed Paloma Wagner’s boiling anger.
She whirled back to the man she was in a situationship with and pointed over her shoulder to his pretty neighbor. “Are you sleeping with Lilith?”
Asher wasn’t her boyfriend, but Paloma had insisted at the start of their orgasm arrangement that they’d tell each other if they wanted more. Or less. And yes, lately, a tiny part of her had hoped he’d eventually want more. But above all, she wanted honesty.
“No.” His voice was firm, but he looked away as if guilt made her gaze too heavy to hold.
She was so damn tired of men lying to her.
Heat spread from her chest, down her arms, and to her fingers that curled into fists. The warmth had little to do with the muggy Michigannight, and all to do with blooming disappointment. She shook her head. “Then what the hell is going on?”
He crossed his arms. “Nothing. I’m just worried about my neighbor.”
“Because she’s with me?” A man snarled.
Paloma jolted, forgetting Asher’s friend Max was in the parking lot with them. He’d been leaving with Lilith. It seemed Lilith was in hot demand. Scorching jealousy flared in Paloma, but she smothered it, refusing to let it burn her.
“Fuck,” Asher sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Listen, man, I’m sorry. You know how I get with crowds, especially when there’s drinking. I saw her leave, and I panicked. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“No shit,” Max grumbled, but his tense stance fell away. “But listen, if it’ll ease your mind and she doesn’t mind, you give her a ride home instead of me.”
His acquiescence annoyed the shit out of Paloma. Asher shouldn’t get a free pass because his past made him an overprotective ass.
“It would, but swear, it’s nothing against you,” Asher said.
“Whatever, man. I’m going back inside.” Max turned, heading toward The Hill.
She’d always found him handsome with his broad shoulders and lean, ropey muscles, even better looking than Asher. But Max was a nice guy—like a real one, not the assholes who pretend to be decent men.
And true good guys always found her to be too much.
Her jaw clenched and her gaze snapped back to Asher, who was still avoiding eye contact. He wasn’t the love of her life, not even close, so it wasn’t that he might be interested in Lilith that truly bothered her. It was the lying that got under her skin.
She’d dealt with enough deception to last a lifetime. And here was Asher, a man she’d trusted enough to let into her bed, into her life, lying to her. Pretending he wasn’t into his neighbor when it was painfully obvious.
The anger that had been simmering now threatened to boil over. But beneath it was a sharp sting of hurt. Why couldn’t he just be honest with her? Did he think she was too fragile to handle the truth? Or did he simply not respect her enough to give it to her straight?
She took a deep breath, refusing to let him see how much this affected her. Instead, she focused on the lie. The betrayal of trust cut deeper than any potential attraction to another woman.
“This isn’t about your normal controlling tendencies—”
“I’m not controlling.” He had the nerve to sound offended.
“Fine. We’ll call it your hero complex. I see the way you watch her. You don’t look at her like she’s a friend.” She took a small step away from him. “Don’t be that guy who wants to fuck someone else but is too much of a ball sack to ‘fess up.”
“I swear that’s not what I’m doing.” He ran his fingers through his hair, pulled at the ends, then let his hands fall to his side. “But we should take a break.”
“And you’re telling me this has nothing to do with your neighbor?” she asked, relieved her voice didn’t shake.
“It has to do with you wanting more than I can give you,” Asher said.
Paloma crossed her arms, pressing against the gentle throbbing in her heart. She was an idiot. Asher wasn’t even her boyfriend. Hell, that’s why she’d first hit on him—because he didn’t have girlfriends. But of course, her dumb ass had to go and catch feelings for him. They might be small, but it still stung.
“Like I said before, I’m not in a position to be in a relationship,” he finished.
