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When they arrived at his apartment building, Silas got out and opened the door to help Evangeline. Drake emerged behind her and slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“Thank you for everything, Silas,” she said in a quiet voice. “At least I looked the part tonight, thanks to you.”
Silas reached out and cupped her chin in his palm. “You are every bit the part, Evangeline. You have more class in your little finger than that skank in the bathroom will ever dream of having.”
She flushed red and moved her head away from Silas’s grasp. “Good night, Maddox,” she called back as she started toward the entrance.
Drake quickly caught up to her and once more took her hand as they got on the elevator. Once inside, Drake pulled her into a hug and rested his chin atop her head.
“What happened tonight, Angel?”
She tensed against him and burrowed her face into his chest. He allowed her to dodge the question for the elevator ride. They would talk about it once they were inside the apartment, and hopefully he would be able to undo whatever damage had been done.
When the elevator opened, Evangeline tried to break away from Drake’s hold and walk into the apartment, but Drake held tight to her hand and led her into the living room, where he gently pushed her down to sit on the couch before taking the seat next to her, angling so they faced each other.
“What did the bitch in the bathroom say to you, Evangeline?”
He knew he sounded harsh, but he wasn’t about to let Evangeline worm her way out of telling him what the conniving little bitch had done.
Evangeline looked mortified and refused to meet his gaze. He was having none of that either. He put a finger to the side of her cheek and directed her gaze forward until finally she was looking at him.
He sighed. “Angel, you know there were women before you,” he said gently. “I’ve never claimed to be a saint, but I can tell you that there have been no other women since I met you. I haven’t even looked at another woman. How could I? You’re the only woman I want.”
And astonishingly it was true. From the moment Evangeline had barreled into his life, other women had simply ceased to exist for him.
Evangeline averted her eyes, looking down where she was twisting her fingers together in agitation. “It wasn’t that,” she said softly.
“Then what was it?”
“It was what she said,” Evangeline choked out. “She said . . .” She closed her eyes and he was alarmed to see a hint of tears just before she’d slammed her eyelids shut.
In that moment Drake wanted to track down the damn woman and verbally cut her to ribbons just as she’d apparently done to Evangeline. Whatever she’d said had gotten into his angel’s head. Had made her doubt herself and had dealt a blow to her self-confidence. Fuck that.
“She told me to enjoy it while it lasted. That you never kept a woman for long.”
When Drake would have spoken, she cut him off with a wave of her hand.
“It wasn’t that. I mean I may be sweet, naïve and too trusting, as I’m reminded at every turn, but I know a jealous, catty woman when I see—and hear—one.”
Bitterness tinged her words and Drake was reminded of the Evangeline he’d met that first night in the club. The Evangeline unsure of her place in the world. Unsure of her own self-worth. He wanted to put his fist through the wall.
“She knew about Manuel,” Evangeline said painfully. “She asked me if you’d invited Manuel over and went on about what a good time it was and how the two of you knew how to treat a woman. And for once I had a cutting remark. For once I stood up for myself and I put her in her place.”
Drake’s brows drew together in confusion. “Then what . . . ?”
Tears shimmered in Evangeline’s eyes, brighter now, threatening to spill over.
“I’m not proud of what I said, but I won’t lie and say that at the time it didn’t feel a little bit good because for once I wasn’t a doormat and a victim. But . . .”
“But what?” he prompted gently.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “It was a lie. All of it was a lie and it hurts.”
Drake was becoming more frustrated by the moment. “What was a lie?”
“I told her that evidently she didn’t know you as well as she thought she did because you would never share anything you considered yours, and the fact that you had shared her should tell her what you didn’t consider her. Then I told her that knowing what she knows about you, she should also realize that you never appear in public with a woman on your arm and that I was on your arm at a very public event so what does that tell her?”
