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It all swirls through my head like a tempest. I feel like such an idiot for the way he played me.
“It was never a random call, was it?” I blink back the tears that threaten to spill down my cheeks.
He throws off the covers and jumps naked from the bed, cutting a path directly to me. When he hunkers down, I scramble backward, popping to my feet to keep a safe distance between us. It’s only when my hand shoots out that he grinds to a halt.
Color drains from his face. “Just give me a chance to explain.” His voice drops as he pleads, “I promise it’s not as bad as it looks.”
Laughter bubbles up in my throat as I give my head a few violent shakes. “There’s nothing you could say to make this right.” My fingers tighten around his phone before I throw it at him. “Nothing.”
It hits him square in the chest before he lifts his hands and fumbles with the device. Not once does his gaze deviate from mine as he tosses it to the bed.
“Was this all some kind of sick joke?” Another thought slams into me, knocking the air from my lungs. Barely can I force out the question. “Was it a game you and Andrew concocted to fuck with me?” The idea of them plotting to hurt me has nausea exploding in the pit of my belly. I want to wrap my arms around my waist and double over with the pain of it before curling into a tight ball.
“What?” His eyes widen. “No, of course not.”
“Of course not?” I repeat, voice rising until it sounds more like a screech. “Of course not?”
He winces.
My voice reaches such a high octave that I’m almost surprised when the window doesn’t shatter into a million pieces.
“Brooke.” His tongue darts out to moisten his lips as a thick waver threads its way through his voice. It’s as if he’s trying to calm someone standing on a ledge, threatening to jump. “Please, let’s sit down and talk this out.”
“What rational explanation is there for what you did?”
When he remains silent, I continue, “You called and pretended to be someone else to gain my trust.” My eyes narrow. “Do you think I would have told you anything about my life if I’d known I was actually texting and talking with Crosby Rhodes?”
“No.” He drags a hand through his already disheveled hair.
“Nope,” I agree. “I wouldn’t have. So, as you can surmise, we have nothing further to discuss.” I stab a finger toward the door and try to keep my voice from wobbling with all the emotion rushing through me. “You need to leave.”
When he remains frozen in place, gaze locked on me, I scream, “Now! Get out now! I don’t want to see you again!”
When he swallows, the muscles in his throat constrict, and his expression turns pained. “I never set out to trick you.”
“And yet, that’s exactly what happened,” I whisper harshly through stiff lips.
His broad shoulders slump under the weight of my accusation.
When he remains silent, I say, “You could have come clean at any time, and you didn’t.” I point to the phone on my bed. “When I asked for your number the first time, you could have told me what was going on at that point, and you chose not to.”
“I tried.”
With a glare, I carefully inch my way toward the dresser. I can’t stand here naked in front of him for another moment.
“Not hard enough.” There’s a pause before I bite out, “You didn’t try hard enough.”
“I was afraid—”
“That it would all seem like a terrible game meant to humiliate me?” I bark out a hoarse laugh.
“It was never a game. I swear it wasn’t.”
“I don’t believe you.”
With my attention fastened on him, I slide open the drawer and grab the first thing my fingers come in contact with before whipping the T-shirt over my head. Now that my body is shielded from his view, I don’t feel quite so vulnerable.
When he takes a tentative step in my direction, I bare my teeth and he grinds to a halt.
“Please, just give me ten minutes, and if you still want me to leave, I will. You’ll never hear from me again.”
“You used everything I told you against me.” Another punch of queasiness hits my belly. “You knew exactly how to play me. For fuck’s sake, I practically gave you a step-by-step guide to seduce me.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“You keep telling me that, and yet, there’s all this evidence that claims otherwise. I told you exactly how I liked to be touched and what I needed from a guy.” Hurt flares to life inside me. “And that’s exactly what you gave me.”
“Brooke,” he whispers.
I shake my head, unable to listen to any more lies as memories flood my brain, making me feel like even more of a dumbass for thinking he could be trusted.
