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“Do you really have to guess? You couldn’t wait to tell him how late I was. I’d been holding him off with vague answers, trying not to worry him until there was something to worry about. But you basically goaded him into demanding I take a pregnancy test. When I refused, we stumbled onto the topic of Thanksgiving...and now everything is a fucking mess. Don’t be surprised if he packs up and leaves.” At the thought of never being with Liam again, tears spilled like acid from her tired eyes. “And then I’ll be to blame for both coming between you and your best friend, and driving away one of the kindest men I’ve ever met.”
Raine stood, her chair scraping the tile floor. She tried to dart past Hammer. Since he sat between her and the door, he merely leaned back and grabbed her wrist. He stood, his heavy brows slashing down with…what? Anger? Concern?
“If you’re unhappy with me, take a number.” She swiped at the hot tears on her cheeks. “I should have left, you know. That night we fought. If I had just walked out, you and Liam would still be pals. You’d both be happier. And I wouldn’t be around to fuck everything up.”
“Sit down, Raine, and stop beating yourself up.” Hammer exhaled, his stare heavy. He waited until she complied, then sat again. “Now talk to me.”
God, she didn’t want to spill her guts. Just the thought of this conversation made her stomach roll. And Liam would be furious if she opened up to another man, especially Hammer.
Shaking her head, Raine blinked back more tears. “I can’t.”
“Okay, then listen. You didn’t come between Liam and me. I don’t want you carrying that weight on your narrow shoulders, girl. This isn’t the first time we’ve butted heads, and I can pretty much guarantee it won’t be the last. We may not have fought this seriously before, and I might be pissed as hell at him now, but I still love him like a brother.”
He tried to smile, but she could see it was strained at best. Another avalanche of guilt pressed down on her.
“Why did Liam punish you?” he asked again. “If it’s because you haven’t started your period yet, I’ll kill him.”
She shook her head. “That’s not why, and you can’t. What happened yesterday between Liam and me is our business. But you’re smart. You can read between the lines. Put yourself in his shoes and imagine why you’d be deeply disappointed. You won’t be far off the mark.”
“Yes, I can read between the lines, but I want you to explain it to me. Let me hear your interpretation.”
“Why do you do this to me? Stop trying to pry me apart. It’s over. It’s done. The lesson for me is that I suck at relationships.”
Hammer slammed his fist on the table, rattling the plate of muffins and her nerves. “Tell me.”
“Apparently, he didn’t like the way I tried to spare him the pregnancy scare. I hate dumping my crap on him. Or on you. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“Answer the fucking question.”
“I did!” she insisted. “God, you’re like a damn dog with a bone. Let it go.”
Hammer leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his wide chest, and flattened his mouth into a tight line. His pissed-off Dom face.
This wasn’t good…
“Let me rephrase,” he growled. “Tell me what submissive rule you broke.”
“Probably all of them. Why do you give a shit?”
Without a word, Hammer stood and walked to the counter. He grabbed a clean wooden spoon and returned to the table, hovering over her and clutching it in a white-knuckled grip. “What lesson was Liam teaching you? You either tell me now or I’m going to bend you over the table and beat your ass with this.”
Raine hunkered down in her seat and rolled her eyes. “You would.”
Damn, she hated sounding like a pouty teenager. She needed to get her shit together.
“In a fucking heartbeat,” Hammer tossed back.
“Do I need to remind you again that I’m not yours to punish?”
“I care about your needs more than I care about Liam throwing a hissy. And frankly, I think if he’d seen the way you behaved this morning, he’d agree with me. Now talk or I’m going to enjoy every fucking whack.”
Ugh, talk! She hated that word. But at least being angry with Hammer was better than being the guest of honor at her own pity party. “Communication, all right? I wasn’t totally honest, I guess. And he thinks I don’t trust him. God, do you have to badger me?”
“Obviously I do.” He set the spoon down gently and sat again. “And I suggest you stop provoking me to change the direction of the conversation.”
Yeah, she’d kind of figured he was onto her.
“You’re afraid Liam is going to leave you? Well, if you behave with him the way you just did with me, I guarantee he’ll walk out that door and not look back. A Dom thrives on total surrender. You’re not letting go. You’ll have to, Raine, in order to receive.”
