Max had his arms around the brunette, he spoke to her, but she shook her head, her expression one of frustration. A spasm of pain pierced my chest and spread like a flood at the intimate scene.
Max looked up. His gaze locked on me.
I pivoted and shoved through the dancers. I hurried to our table, grabbed my purse and coat. “Ray,” I touched my sister’s shoulder, pulling her attention away from her friends. “I’m leaving.”
“Why? What happened?” Her eyes widened in worry, and then they narrowed in ire. “Did Ryder do something?”
Helpless to summon a smile to reassure her, I simply shook my head. “No, he didn’t. I made a mistake letting Ryder accompany us. I’m going home.”
Tears blurring my sight and feeling as if the walls were closing in on me, I pushed my way through the masses to the exit. And rushed out into the cool night, breathing hard. Nothing helped. I swiped at my damp eyes and hailed a cab. A hand grasped my wrist.
I wheeled around, and my heart crashed against my ribs. Max. His expression shuttered, mouth in a tight line. Without a word, he pulled me along with him.
My protest died in my throat. What would be the point? Because I could no longer bear this—whateverthiswas that left me feeling as if I were bleeding inside.
He headed into the dimly lit alley. Stopping near his SUV, he let me go and folded his arms. “What exactly did you hope to prove by being with that asshole who was mauling you?”
“You’re one to talk—” I tried to breathe through my hurt. “What about that bimbo who was plastered to you?”
He cut me a brooding look. “She’s Jack’smarriedsister, who’s going through a difficult time. She wanted to dance, so I did. It was the only way I could keep from punching that dickhead you were with.”
Realizing what I’d revealed in my hurt, I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hold myself together. I couldn’t pretend whatever this was between us didn’t exist any longer. “Max, you and me, we can’t—Ican’t.”
“Why? What is so wrong with us being together? Why do you fight it?”
“Because I’m scared. Because I know it’s the chase you want, the thrill of the catch. When you have it and realize it’s not as exhilarating as you thought, you’ll be off to someone new. Someone more exciting.”
For a second, Max stared at me as if I’d sprouted another head. “You think I’d do that?” Disbelief laced his tone.
“Men do. It takes a rare kind of man to stay faithful. Sadly, in this day and age, they are an extinct species, no matter what facade they present.”
His gaze drifted over my face, his eyes narrowed in understanding. “What did your ex do to you, Logan?”
Exhaustion weighing me down, I shook my head and turned away. “It doesn’t matter. I need to go.”
Max snagged my wrist, stopping me. “It matters to me. Tell me.”
Why was he making this so hard? Wanting me to open up and share painful memories? Men like my ex and Ryder only confirmed my beliefs. And Max? He had years to go before he even reached the point where I was—hell, what point?Ino longer had any hope, or believed in love. Devyn had killed everything—every belief, every dream I ever had. He’d left me broken.
“Dammit, Logan, talk to me.”
“You want to know?” I snapped, giving him a pained glare. “Fine. The man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with showed me what an idealistic world I lived in when I caught him fucking someone else, on the desk I bought for him—is that reason enough?”
He stilled for a second then his jaw hardened. “So you think I’ll cheat?”
“I don’t know whatyou’lldo,” I whispered, feeling as if a huge hand were squeezing my chest as I relived my nightmare of that night.
I looked away so I could tell the sordid tale without breaking down. “I-I canceled another date because of a deadline at work. He was furious. Wracked with guilt, I decided to surprise him. Instead, I was the one surprised. I found him—them—going at it right in his study.”
“He’s a prick who didn’t deserve you,” Max said quietly. “I’m sorry you got hurt. But not every guy’s like him.”
My wet gaze met his. “Don’t you get it? You’re twenty-one—”
“It’s just a damn number.”
I ignored that. “I was sixteen, a freshman when I met Devyn. He was a senior and captain of the swim team. Attractive, popular, he was the guy every girl wanted to date. But he came after me—the quiet, shy girl who’d rather paint or read—in single-minded pursuit. I fell hard. It seems I lived in a fool’s world, thinking we’d be together forever. But I wasn’t enough, wasn’t exciting or adventurous enough in bed”—the bitter words fell out of me—“but then what did I know about sex? He was my only lover.” I pulled in a deep, pained breath and said what I had to. “You’re young, Max. If we let this thing happen, a few months from now, you’ll grow bored and go looking for someone new to shake up your world.”
“Like that cheating prick?” His jaw hardened. “So you won’t even give me a chance?”
