I stilled, fury pulsing through me.Did he—had he really just declared that he loved me? My heart was pounding, at war with my head. His words were like an arrow straight to my heart, but considering the circumstances, it felt more like a dagger being twisted in my back. I spun on him, my eyes, veins, heart full of fire.
“No.” I jabbed a finger into his chest. “You don’t get to say that. Not now. Not ever.”
“I can’t lie about how I feel anymore.” His blue-gray eyes were warm, hopeful, pleading. But I remained unmoved.
I clenched my fists. “It seems like you’ve been lying about a hell of a lot more than just your feelings.”
“That’s…” he huffed, but glanced away.
He’d cheated on me. The bastard had fucked another woman and was planning to fly to New York to see her and their baby. How convenient—having two women on opposite sides of the country.
“Did you see her at New Year’s?” I’d never considered myself a masochist until this moment. Until those words left my mouth.
He hesitated too long, and I knew the answer without him saying it. “Yes.”
I closed my eyes and swallowed. Blood rushed in my ears, and my heartbeat sounded so loud, so close. I took a deep breath and reopened them.
“But—”
“Shut up, Hunter. Just shut the fuck up.” My voice rose with every word. This was exactly why I didn’t do relationships. Feelings. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want to hear any of it.”
“If you’ll just let me explain—”
“No.” I shook my head, stopping to meet his eyes. “There’s nothing to explain. Words lie. Actions don’t.” I headed for the door, determination marking my strides. Determination and anger pulsating through me.
“What about the handcuffs?” he asked, raising his arms in the air.
I turned and glanced over my shoulder, my gaze hard. “You’ll figure a way out of it.”
I might have the keys to his handcuffs, but I’d given him the key to my heart. After guarding it so carefully, I’d handed it over to the one man I shouldn’t have trusted. He wasn’t the first man to break my heart—that honor went to my father. But I vowed that he would be the last.
