AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It looks bad? It looks like you used my name to get a woman into bed. But you’d never do something that sleazy, would you?”
Eric swallowed and didn’t answer the question.
Jamie leaned forward and put his fists on the desk. His eyes blazed with fury. “Would you, Eric?”
“It was a mix-up,” he managed to answer, trying to control the fury rising up from his guilt.
“You fucking bastard,” Jamie growled.
“Listen, Jamie—”
“I’m not listening to shit. This is… Christ, I wouldn’t have expected this from anyone I know, much less you.”
Eric clenched his hands and pressed a fist to his forehead. He’d never been in this position before. He was the brother who did the lecturing. Who demanded answers. Who did the right thing for his family. He wasn’t the one who had to be ashamed.
Except that now he was, and Eric felt as if he’d explode
from the frustration. And the regret. “It wasn’t like that,” he tried again. “She called me by the wrong name, and I didn’t correct her. And then…I’d let it go too long. It seemed like it wouldn’t hurt anything to let it stand.”
“Jesus, are you kidding me? You can’t see what it would hurt to have a woman out there who thought she’d slept with me?”
Eric answered honestly, realizing it was a mistake even as he let it happen. “I didn’t think it would make much of a difference. You’ve slept with a lot of women.”
Jamie’s hand was a blur when it shot out and grabbed Eric’s shirt. “First of all, fuck you. Second, that woman is a stranger to me, so don’t let yourself think I’m honored she thinks I did her. Third, I have a girlfriend, in case you hadn’t noticed. You could have screwed up a lot of things for me.”
“It was months ago,” Eric said.
Jamie’s sneer let him know that wasn’t quite the point. “Have you done this before?”
“No!”
Eric sat back in his chair when Jamie let him go. He watched his brother pace the short distance to the door and then back again. “Why would you do this?”
“I didn’t use your name to trick her into anything. We…we had a connection. Chemistry. But she thought I was you. A carefree, easygoing bachelor. A guy who could offer no-strings-attached fun. So I used your reputation as…permission.”
“That’s so damn ironic it hurts.” His laugh certainly sounded as if it was jagged with pain. Eric cringed.
“You’ve spent your whole life telling me I was doing the wrong things. For years, you’ve basically said I was a no-good, irresponsible jackass.”
Eric pushed to his feet. “That’s not true. I—”
“And then you turn around and use my name to fuck around?”
“Jamie…” Eric’s thoughts had scattered. He didn’t know what to say. It had seemed harmless at the time. A little white lie.
Jamie pointed his finger at Eric as if it was a weapon. “If you ever, ever throw my past in my face again, I swear to God, I’ll make you sorry.”
He already was sorry. “Jamie—” But Jamie just turned and slammed out of the office, leaving Eric standing there, his lips still parted.
Jesus Christ. He lowered himself slowly to his chair, his chest tightening until he couldn’t draw a breath.
It had been only six months since that night with Beth, but it felt like a lifetime ago. It felt as if someone else had done those things.
Eric Donovan would never slide his hand between a woman’s legs in a public place. He’d never make a woman come after only knowing her for hours. He certainly wouldn’t rent a hotel room for the express purpose of one meaningless, animal encounter.
And he would never, ever lie to make that happen.
He wasn’t that person.
