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I played with her hair, feeling the silkiness between my fingers. “You might as well tell me now.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. Let’s talk about the bastard.”
“We were in the same residency program. That’s how we met,” she explained. “And eventually we moved in together, but kind of like a roommate thing. And then roommates led to us being together. At least, I thought we were together until I came home and he was screwing someone else.”
“Shit,” I whispered.
“Yeah, shit.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “It’s the reason I took the job at San Antonio Mission. I wanted to get out of D.C. Away from him. Away from the humiliation. I wanted to start over where there were no lies.”
I felt the knife twist in my gut. Things were coming together. Why she was so adamant about the honesty between us. Why she was willing to give herself to me in the beginning so freely, but needed to know I could be monogamous. Hell, I’d never been monogamous and agreed to it without thinking it through. But holding her like this, knowing what she had been through, I didn’t want another woman. I wanted this one.
But there was a lie between us. My hand. The one thing that had brought us together was the lie I couldn’t tell her.
“What if Ben presses charges? What if those pictures go viral? It’s my fault. You could be fined or suspended.” The sobbing started all over again.
She had a point, but I wasn’t thinking about those things when Ben approached our table. All I could think about was protecting Lennon. I’d protect her from anyone and anything. I’d use my money, influence, power, and body to keep her from getting hurt.
“Give me Ben’s number.”
She sniffed. “What?”
“Give me his number. I’m going to call him and get this taken care of.”
She walked over to her clutch and pulled out her phone. “Here.”
I hit send and waited for the fucker to pick up.
He answered quickly. “You can’t seriously date that monster, Lennon.”
“This is the monster,” I responded.
“You could have broken my jaw, asshole.”
“Yeah, and a lot more.” I had to tone it down. This wasn’t the way out of a scandal. “Look, I’m calling to apologize. And to see how I can assist with your recovery.”
“You mean pay me off?” Ben jeered.
“If that helps your jaw.”
My pockets were deep. Neither Lennon nor I wanted this story getting out. I’d pay whatever the bastard wanted.
“Maybe we should meet again,” he suggested.
“Be in my hotel lobby in fifteen minutes. I’ll text you the address.” I hung up and handed the phone back to Lennon.
“You’re going to see him again? Oh God, don’t break anything. He’s not worth it.”
I kissed her on the forehead. “I’m not going to punch him. But he deserves it for what he said. And for what he did to you.” I stroked the side of her cheek. “I’m not glad he cheated on you. He’s a fucking idiot. But I’m glad you walked away. Because now you’re mine. All mine.” I kissed her fiercely, loving the sounds that she made when my tongue slid against hers.
“Should I go with you?” she offered.
I shook my head. “No. I’ll handle it. Why don’t you break in that huge Jacuzzi tub? After today, you need to relax.”
“It was the worst day.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I wanted to be here for you. To support you. But I’ve screwed it up. You’ve got the play off game tomorrow, Wes. And now you’re paying off my ex and worried about your dad and me and all of this stupid drama…”
I kneeled in front of her. “No offense, baby, but I’ve been training for this my whole life. One shitty night isn’t going to knock me off my game.” I tilted her chin toward me. “You didn’t screw up anything. I’ve got this handled.”
