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I swallowed and freed my thumbnail from my teeth to offer him a response. “Thank you for the truth.” I nodded. “And for punching him,” I added with a half-cry, half-laugh.
Ryan reached for me, holding one arm, and lightly squeezed. “You always deserved better. You know that, right?”
I felt a runaway tear on my cheek and quickly discarded it. I didn’t want to cry. Not in front of Ryan. And not over his asshole brother, Anthony. I did my best to suck it up and change the subject. “Well then. How about no more questions for today?”
“Just one.” He startled me by caressing my cheek with the back of his hand. “What do you say we go to the range and do a little target practice?” He smiled. “Not sure about you, but I sure as hell feel like shooting something.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
NATALIA
“Thank you for ditching work early and coming with me tonight. I needed this.” Maria grabbed the bottle of tequila she’d ordered and poured two shots. Casamigos—a good one, at least. Much better for sipping, though.
She’d reserved a VIP booth at a trendy lounge that turned into a club on the weekends. I didn’t want to know how much it would all cost, but I knew she’d pull out Thomas’s black American Express card for the evening. And since I assumed Thomas was why she’d snatched me from the restaurant at nine tonight, pleading to join her in the city, I wasn’t going to turn down drinks on his dime.
After dropping Chiara off at our parents’ place, she’d shown up in a tight red dress with black slingback pumps, holding an armful of my sexiest dresses. Noticing her eye makeup was smudged, as if she’d been fighting tears on the drive over, I gave her a squeeze and agreed to go out.
“Maria.” I cupped her arm, drawing her focus, hoping to stop her from tossing back the shot. “Will you please tell me what’s wrong? I’m worried.”
Maria peered toward the dance floor of the nightclub. The room was dark aside from flashing lights bouncing around and the multiple crystal chandeliers shimmering overhead.
It was around eleven thirty, so it was starting to get crowded. I felt too old to be there.
Maria pulled her arm free from my grasp and took the shot, closing her eyes as she swallowed.
“What’d Thomas do?” I cut to the point, because after dancing for the last thirty minutes, she’d yet to share the urgent nature of her “need to dance now” request.
Maria opened her eyes, and when she realized I had no intention of shooting tequila, reached for my shot glass. After spending the day trying to shake off my hangover, I was far from in the mood to drink. And from the looks of it, I’d be driving her Mercedes home.
My thoughts switched to Ryan as I waited for her to answer, thinking about the day we’d spent together. Those memories had my body heating, and I was already hot from the club. I needed something to drink, but definitely not tequila.
After we’d gone shooting at the range, and he’d been one hell of an instructor, we took a walk on a nature trail before he’d returned me back home so I could get ready for work. And take my second shower of the day.
As far as non-dates went, it’d been . . . amazing. Even in light of the Anthony-cheated news. I’d always had a feeling he hadn’t been faithful, but since my heart never really belonged to him, the information didn’t hurt as much as it probably should have. I knew in my gut I never would’ve walked down the aisle with him. He didn’t need to end things. I would have.
“You have to answer me at some point,” I said, returning my attention to my sister, who had my stomach in knots with worry.
“I think Thomas is going to leave me,” Maria confided as she refilled both shot glasses. I reached out to try and stop her, but she was stubborn.
“Did he say that?” I frowned, not sure how to feel about that. On one hand, I hated her husband. But I didn’t want to see my sister go through a divorce, either.
“No.” She hiccupped. “But he pocket dialed me while having sex with another woman, so . . .”
My back slammed against the seat at her words, my heart breaking for her. “How can you be sure?”
Maria took another shot, winced less this time, which was a bad sign, then pivoted to look at me. “Hmm. Because I heard a woman saying, ‘Yes, yes. That’s the spot.’ And then he hissed, ‘Your pussy tastes so good.’”
I covered my mouth, growing ill.
“I ended the call after that.” Annnd she took another shot. I didn’t blame her now. “So, yeah, if he doesn’t leave me for this woman . . . well, I’ll be ending things.”
I scooted closer and tugged her to my side. She resisted at first—stubborn—but then gave in and let me wrap my arms around her.
She refused to cry. Good. That asshole didn’t deserve her tears.
I was glad I hadn’t told her about the Anthony-cheating news. Of all days . . .
“I hate him,” she said against my chest, then pulled away and patted her cheeks with the backs of her hands, searching for tears that weren’t there.
