"I know."
"And now I don't know if I can believe anything you say."
He didn't respond. Couldn't, maybe. The silence stretched between us.
I turned toward the door, needing distance from him, from this conversation, from the way my heart kept pulling toward him despite everything.
I just wanted to work, to keep myself busy, to deal with all of this later.
His hand caught my arm.
"Ivy, wait. Please."
I was so sick of being grabbed by men tonight who thought they could tell me what to do.
12
ERIC
The slap cracked across my cheek, sharp and sudden. The sting was nothing compared to the look in her eyes. Betrayal mixed with fury that cut deeper than any slap.
"You're not who I thought you were at all," she said. "And you've explained enough."
My jaw tightened, but I couldn't let her walk away. Not like this. "No. I need you to know I wanted to be honest with you this time around. I had no intention of keeping secrets."
"Really? That's handy to say now, isn't it? You had plenty of times to tell me. You were a coward, Eric. Too scared to tell me the truth, too scared I'd leave you."
The accusation hit home because it was partially true. I had been scared, terrified of seeing this exact look on her face. "I was going to tell you everything after this meeting." My grip on her arm remained firm but careful. "I was going to lay it all out and hope you'd still accept me. Give what we have a proper chance. And yes, maybe I was a little scared."
Something shifted in her expression. Surprise, maybe even understanding, before her walls slammed back up.
"You're a liar. I can never trust you."
In one movement, I backed her against the brick wall, needing her to hear me, to understand. My hands braced on either side of her head, caging her in without touching. I watched her pupils dilate, felt the subtle change in her breathing, and hated myself for the satisfaction that coursed through me at her body's response.
"You can trust me with your life," I said, meaning every word.
"I'd have to if your life involves the criminal underworld." Her chin lifted in that defiant way that made my chest ache. "But I don't trust you. You left me. Now you've lied to me. Got me into bed under false pretenses."
"I didn't." The sigh escaped before I could stop it. "I meant everything I said to you."
"How could you?" Her voice cracked, and I wanted to pull her against me, to comfort her the way I had no right to anymore. "I'm nobody to you. Just a woman you fucked and maybe liked once upon a time. For all I know, you were using me to get closer to the Donatis."
The accusation was like ice water. Using her? How?
"Why the hell would I think sleeping with one of their servers would be ideal for getting close to them?"
She studied my face, searching for deception. "Maybe you figured out I had connections."
"What connections?" Genuine confusion must have shown because something in her expression shifted. "You're a waitress at their club. That's it."
I watched her internal struggle, the way she was trying to decide whether to trust me or protect herself.
"Are you lying?" she asked quietly. "Do you truly not know?"
"Know what?"
"About Elena being Meredith's sister."
