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As she entered Dane’s office and tossed the file onto his perpetually messy desk, a paper fluttered to the floor. She bent to retrieve it when a word at the top caught her attention. Kinks. Lydia took hold of the paper with shaky fingers. She quickly scanned it and realized it was an electric bill and it was on Dane’s desk. As if she’d conjured them, Dane, Trent and Mac walked in. She looked at each man in turn, then looked back at the paper in her hand. “No,” she breathed out, “it can’t be, it simply can’t be.”
“Lydia?”
Her gaze shot to Dane’s hair. That curl. Oh, God, she should have recognized that curl of his. He was Apollo. It was so clear now. She looked over at Trent and recognized the blue eyes as Poseidon’s. She didn’t even have to look at Mac to know he was Zeus. She should have picked up on the accent. She would have probably had they not kept her in a perpetual state of arousal, which had continued throughout the weekend.
She held up the paper, her body trembling as the truth sank in. “You really should learn to clean your desk, Apollo.”
Dane stepped forward, concern etched into his features. “We can explain, baby.”
“Don’t even try it.” Lydia wadded the bill into a ball and threw it at him. It hit him in the chest then fell to the floor. Dane’s gaze trapped hers. She started for the door, her legs shaking so badly she thought she might fall at any moment. As Dane stepped into her path, she stiffened, determined to get out of there before she broke down. She’d be damned if she’d let them see her cry. “Move, now.” Her voice quivered as misery engulfed her.
Dane’s jaw hardened. “Not when you’re so upset. You aren’t driving in this condition.”
Trent moved up beside Dane, his eyes imploring. “It’s not like you’re imagining. We didn’t set out to trick you, Lydia. It wasn’t like that, I swear it.”
She couldn’t hear their explanations or she really would lose it. “Let me go!” she shouted, her nerves shot.
“I’m sorry,” Dane muttered, his soft tone nearly tearing her apart.
He stepped out of her way and she fled the room, barely remembering to grab her purse as she reached her desk. When she saw the flowers sitting on the edge, tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision. She tripped over her own feet but kept her balance. It took her three tries to get the door open. She heard someone calling her name, but it didn’t stop her haphazard flight from the office building. As she reached her car, opened the door and threw herself inside, a floodgate opened. Her world crumbling down around her, Lydia remembered her mother preaching to her about the road to hell. Was this her punishment? Was this the penalty for enjoying their touch?
9
“Son of a bitch!” Dane shouted. He turned and put his fist through the wall. There’d be pain later, he knew, for now all he could see was Lydia’s ashen face and shaking fingers as she’d held that bill up for him to see. What had he done?
“Mac, follow her home,” Trent ordered. “Make sure she makes it there safe.”
“Yeah,” Mac muttered. He shot Dane an angry glare before leaving the office.
Dane bent and picked up the wadded-up bill. “She’ll never forgive us. Never.”
Trent went to the desk and pulled out a drawer. He took out two glasses and poured a shot of whiskey in each, then handed one to him. Dane grabbed it and downed the fiery liquid in one gulp. Trent followed suit. He poured them each another shot. “She’s hurting right now. We need to give her time.”
Dane pointed to the door. “Did you see her face? She’s completely crushed, Trent!”
“I saw her, but I have a question for you.”
“What?” he gritted out as he sat down and looked at the paper in his fist. Christ, he deserved to be shot for what he’d done to her.
“Do you love her?”
Dane’s gaze shot to Trent’s. “What?”
Trent crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at him. “You heard me.”
“We all care about Lydia. She’s been a part of our lives for two years. The other night with her has us all panting after her like little lost dogs.” Even as the words fell out of his mouth, he knew they were lies. His feelings for Lydia went deeper than lust. He’d always known that if he ever had her beneath him, he wouldn’t want to let her go. Sharing something so personal with Trent wasn’t an option though.
“Mac and I care about Lydia, that’s true. We’ve even fancied the idea of having her again. But for you, it’s different. You love her, don’t you?”
Dane suddenly felt like cinder blocks were sitting on his damned shoulders. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings for Lydia. He damn sure didn’t want Trent and Mac fantasizing about her either. If another man touched her now, he’d cut their damn hands off. Would she ever forgive him? The thought of hurting her tore at his gut. “My feelings are none of your damn business. All that matters is fixing this. I hurt her. I deserve to be drawn and quartered.”
Trent shook his head. “We all participated. It’s not your burden alone.” He downed the second shot and put the glass back on the desk. “Give her some time. Let her think on it.”
Yeah, let her think about what a shit he was, great plan. “And then what?” Dane growled.
Trent smiled. “And then you beg her forgiveness and you do it on your knees.”
“You think that’s really going to work? This isn’t like forgetting to buy her a gift for her birthday!” Dane could still see the pai
