Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
I wish it was that simple. I get a pit in my stomach when I think back to that day. I tried to break it off easily, but she wasn’t having it. She loved me, and I loved her. That’s why I did what I did. But no matter how much I knew that was true, it still guts me to think about how I treated her. “I told her that I didn’t want to be with her. I told her I was tired of being her bad boy just so she could rebel against her daddy. I told her that pussy like hers was a dime a dozen. I told her that I had fucked Rita Hayes the night before…” I huff out a breath, remembering the look on her face. I decimated her. “I don’t think there’s a way to come back from that.”
The more I say, the bigger Gabe’s eyes get. Yeah, he knew I broke it off with her, but I never told him how. Hell, I was so ashamed of myself I never wanted to think about what I said to her. I have lived with the pain and guilt from it ever since. “There’s no way you slept with Rita Hayes.”
I jut my chin at him. “How do you know?”
Again, he slams his fist on the table. “Because you were in love with Luciana, for fuck’s sake. There’s no way you’d go out on her. You would never have done anything to fuck that up, that’s how I knew you didn’t have a clue what Jamie was up to. You never would have—”
I hold my hand up to stop him. “This is all old news, and there’s no changing it. It is what it is, and now I have to deal with the aftermath.”
“But you can fix it. Now’s your chance.”
I shake my head, looking over at Lucy again. “There’s no fixing this. She hates me.”
As soon as I lay eyes on Lucy, I tense, causing Gabe to look too. All I can do is stare as I see Lucy smiling as she stands up and hugs Malcolm Bridges. He’s the owner and manager of the Whiskey Whistler. He’s a good guy, but right now, I want to rip his arms off.
They’re laughing and talking, and it takes everything I have to stay in my seat. I have no claims over Luciana, but I wish I did. I want to walk across the room, pull her into my arms, and kiss her so thoroughly that she forgets every man but me. But hell, I know if I tried it, she would probably slap the shit out of me.
All I can do is stare.
Gabe leans toward me. “Well, brother, I’m thinking you may want to figure your shit out real quick because it looks like Malcolm has no qualms about staking claims on her.”
I stand up. “Come on. Let’s go say hi.”
I’m across the bar in an instant, and I can see the exact moment that Lucy spots me coming toward her. Her eyebrows raise, and her body tenses. Hell, I hate getting that reaction from her. I approach the table with Gabe following behind, muttering something like “This oughta be good.”
I slap Malcolm on the back, effectively taking his attention off Lucy. “Hey, Malcolm. How’s it going? Business is picking up, huh?”
Malcolm looks at the bar. “Damn, yeah, we’re short a bartender tonight.” He turns to Lucy and hugs her again. “Lucy, it’s so good to see you again. Stop by tomorrow, and we can finish catching up.”
She nods her head, and she’s still smiling, but it’s lost some of its luster. Hell, did I do that? Does just being around me make her unhappy?
“I’ll do that. Thanks, Malcolm.”
As soon as he walks away, Lucy looks past me at Gabe. “Gabriel Gray, get over here and give me a hug. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
My brother, the traitor, moves past me and pulls Lucy into his arms. I barely contain a growl. What is it with all these men that think they have the right to touch and hold Lucy? Fuck, I won’t survive both of us being in the same town because I won’t be able to deal with this every day.
“Hey, Violet.” I nod with a wave.
The look of pity she gives me tells me she knows exactly what I’m feeling. “Hey, Dominic, how you doing?”
I look at Lucy, who is still talking to my brother and then back to Violet with a shrug. “I’m good.”
She nods in understanding as Lucy completely ignores me. My brother and I are standing next to the table, but I feel like an outsider as the three of them talk all around me. The only thing I get from Lucy is a dirty look every now and then. But even that doesn’t sway me. I can’t take my eyes off her. It’s like I want to commit everything about her to memory. Who knows how long she’ll be in town?