Ethan froze. It was the first time I’d ever talked about my divorce; it just slipped out.
“You had an Audi?”
I cringed a little and then nodded. “A white TT. Bryce bought it for me.”
His mouth formed a grimacing line. “Of course he did.”
Yeah, Ethan didn’t like Bryce one bit.
“I’ll save up and get a car eventually. Don’t worry about me.” I went to move past him, but he snaked out and grabbed my arm gently.
The mere gentle touch of his fingers on my wrist sent heat traveling down my spine. Looking up, we locked eyes.
“I do worry.”
I do worry. For some reason those words had emotions forming a bump in my throat.
I’d never had someone who worried about me. Not in a long time. Bryce was possessive but never worried about my safety or my health, he just wanted to control my schedule. This was different.
I kept his gaze. “I’m fine. I promise.”
He sighed, releasing my wrist.
“I’ve got studying to do,” I mumbled, and ran upstairs with my backpack slung around my shoulder. Living with Ethan was making it harder and harder to resist him. But I’d just gotten out of a toxic and abusive long relationship; I wasn’t ready to start anew. And I didn’t want to fuck up my one shot with Ethan King by bringing all of my baggage on board. Bryce was the first and only guy I’d ever slept with. The third guy I’d kissed. And my everything, every day, for the past seven years. I didn’t even know how to flirt or what kissing another guy would be like.
Maybe I needed a trial run on some loser from Mickey’s before trying to dive in with the perfect and delectable Ethan. What if I went to kiss a guy and had some traumatic flashback and started to cry or something fucked up? That would ruin anything Ethan and I had been building towards. He would run for the hills. Broken goods, do not purchase.
Fuck.
I had tonight off…
Picking up my phone, I shot Angela a text before I got the nerve to back out.
I want to go out dancing tonight, get hammered and make out with some random guy.
Her reply was instant.Bitch it’s on. I’ll get a sitter.
I grinned. This was just what I needed. Some fling to get my rusty pipes moving and make sure I wasn’t going to fall to pieces if another man touched me. Tonight was guinea pig night.
Flipping open my laptop, I scrolled my messages and an email popped up, sending my heart jumping into my throat.
(Subject: Visa-Thank you for your payment.)
It was from my credit card, the one with the mondo balance that I’d used to pay for my divorce and escape Bryce. The one which I didn’t pay for another two weeks. Dread seeped into my gut as I opened the message.
Paid in full.
Current open line of credit $7,000.
No.He didn’t?He couldn’t have found out about my secret card, could he? But who else would pay it? That motherfucker went radio silent for a month and then he paid off my card?! He was trying to buy me back. It’s the same thing his parents did with him and the only way he knew how to deal with love.
With shaking hands, I dialed the credit card company. Maybe this was a misunderstanding. After putting in my card number and screaming, “Human being, sales representative!” to the robot bitch, I got a human.
“Hello and thank you—”
“I need you to tell me who paid off my balance,” I said in a rush.
“Okay, I just need to let you know that this call is recorded and—”
