Christian
Rage boiled through me.
Not simply because of what had occurred and the insanity of watching Vanessa being marked as some goddamn gold-digger when I’d been the one to blackmail her into submission, but also because I was an inept moron.
Plain and simple.
I had every opportunity to tell her how I felt about her, yet I’d froze like some deer in the headlights. What the hell was wrong with me? I knew part of the reason.
It had become painfully clear I’d fuck up her life if I hadn’t done so already. I’d been careless in thinking that if the news broke, she wouldn’t be hurt in the aftermath.
My mistake.
She refused to answer my calls and it took every ounce of strength not to go to her house or her business demanding I seeher. I could act as if I was being a sensitive guy by giving her the time she’d requested.
But the real reason was staring me in the face every time I glanced into the rearview mirror.
I had no business feeling the way I did.
So I allowed the anger to wrap around me, needing someone to blame.
The person likely responsible for leaking the information was my obvious choice. I’d deal with my father’s demands later.
Since I knew my brother was home, I pounded on the door loud enough there was no chance he didn’t hear me. I’d followed him from some luncheon he’d had, forced to keep from attacking him in the parking lot.
Now I wasn’t waiting any longer.
The moment the door was opened, I pushed him hard into the hall. I couldn’t care less about being sued. I couldn’t give a shit this was my brother.
He tumbled backward, hitting the wall hard. As he slid down, he stared at me with unblinking eyes.
I slammed the door behind me.
“What the fuck?” he demanded.
“That’s what I’m here to find out. Why the hell did you do it?”
“Do what?” He struggled to stand, fisting his hands as he prepared to fight back.
“You know exactly what you did.”
He took a deep breath, staring me in the eyes. “You mean the fake marriage? And the fact you’re hiding her brother in a rehab facility?”
“That you labeled a psychiatric ward.”
After rubbing his jaw, he stood straight. “If I’d wanted to hurt the woman you’re marrying and you, I would have told the truth. Unlike you. I told you before that I’d wanted to warn her, not destroy her. You on the other hand…”
I lunged at him again, but her voice and her words penetrated the back of my mind. I hit the wall instead, creating a huge dent in the wallboard.
“Jesus, Chris. You really care about her.”
“Yes, I do. She’s an amazing person. Brilliant and beautiful, so fucking professional I could learn a few things. She’s witty and drives me crazy with arguing about everything. She’s…”
His smirk stopped me midsentence. “Yeah, you really like her. Let me guess. You haven’t told her.”
I spun away, hating myself for what I’d just done. “No. I can’t.”
“Why?”
