He was kind of an ass.At least she could trust her fatherto take her side.“You do that.”
A hush descended over the cab as he continued toward theoffice.
He’d been so sweet the night before, but she should knowbetter.She wasn’t a naïve child.Men could be perfectly nice when they wantedto get into a woman’s thong and then jerks when they’d had what they wanted.Orthey could seem nice because they meant to auction you off to some dude inMalaysia.
“I heard you were at the club last night.Did you have fun?”Nate asked.
Fun?She wouldn’t call it fun.She would call it lifechanging.A revelation.She could still feel this man’s hands on her.She’d satup in Cooper’s bed waiting for the sound of Nate coming home.It had takeneverything she had not to be sitting in the living room, ready to confess whatshe’d done and how she wanted to do it again.“I stayed in the locker room.”
“Really?I thought you were a member.Aidan mentioned it,though he did say you never seemed interested in playing.He said it was moreof a social club for you.”Nate’s eyes stayed on the road.
It gave her a chance to study the hard line of his jaw.Hewas such a gorgeous man.“I wouldn’t say I’m not interested.I enjoy thelifestyle.”Why was she talking about this?It wasn’t any of his business.Shewasn’t about to whine and cry about the fact that the only Dom she wanted toplay with was the one she couldn’t have.Well, not the only one since none ofthem seemed interested.“So you went to the party?Did you have fun?”
“It was all right,” he said.
Wow.That hurt.She turned away from him.Had she been thisstupid again?Thank the universe she hadn’t confessed to anyone.Not even Carysknew what she’d done.She hadn’t had a chance to talk to her this morningbecause Nate had been sitting there.
She wasn’t going to cry.“Well, maybe you’ll have more funnext time.”
How long before she could get out of the truck?Would heinsist on walking her all the way up or could she ditch him in the lobby?Maybein a few weeks she would be able to not want to cry when she saw him, but todayshe was a mess.
She had to get it together or her da would know somethingwas wrong and she would end up in a session with Aunt Eve.
“I met someone.I thought we made a connection, but it wasall one way,” he said quietly.
Daisy felt her heart soften.“I can’t believe that.I’m sureyou misunderstood her.She’s probably going through some things.”
“Well, she left me sleeping after blowing my bloody mind,”he admitted.“She didn’t leave a number, so I have to figure it meant way moreto me than to her.”
Of all the scenarios she’d gone through, she hadn’t thoughtabout this one.Where he got hurt.She hadn’t meant to hurt him.No wonder hewas acting like a wounded bear this morning.His heart was bruised.“I’m sureshe had something else she had to do.”
He stopped at a red light.“After midnight?”
She could see the MT building up ahead.Only a couple moreminutes and they would be safely in the building, and she could run away asfast as her kitten heels would carry her.All she had to do was keep her mouthshut.“Maybe she had an early call at work.”
Keeping her mouth shut wasn’t one of her talents.
“She could have left a note or given me a real name.I tookmy mask off, told her real things about myself.Nah, she used me.Not how Iwanted to start this whole new life thing off,” he said as he eased up when thelight changed, but they were stuck behind a sedan trying to turn left withoutan arrow.“But you know, live and learn.”
Okay, this was worse than being hurt herself.Her heartactually ached.
“I came here hoping to start over again.”He turned her wayand gave her a halfhearted smile.“I’ve been kind of lost since I left themilitary, like I don’t know where my place in the world is.Last night I guessI felt alive again.But it wasn’t real.”
Her gut twisted.“It was real.”
“It was real for me.Not for her.”
She turned Nate’s way.Why the hell was she doing this?Shewas literally one block from freedom, but the stupid traffic was killing her.They were at a dead standstill for some reason.
She didn’t have to say anything.Not a damn thing.Shedidn’t owe him.It wasn’t like telling him would help him.He would realizehe’d screwed his best friend’s sister, who he thought was useless and selfish.
So she didn’t have to confess to save his delicate masculinesensibilities.Nope.
“It was me.”
He turned her way, his eyes narrowing, and then reached outand hauled her down, shoving her torso over as the bullets began to fly.
* * * *
