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A snarl twisted his face, and he clenched her wrist tighter. She stopped breathing, a cold sweat dotting the curve of her back.
Maybe she’d miscalculated. A dozen worst-case scenarios shuffled through her head. Nathan breaking her wrist. Breaking her arm. Forcing himself inside her.
Should she scream? Run?
Before she could even form a plan in her head, he blanked his expression, then let her go. “You know me better than that.” He gave her his back and moved languidly toward his bedroom. “I’m headed to bed. Don’t forget to leave the dress.”
She didn’t breathe until he left the room. Shaking all over, she kicked off the heels still binding her feet, then slid the dress off completely and draped it over Nathan’s jacket. It wasn’t hers to take home, just a rental he’d made for the night.
Gulping in lungfuls of air, she unzipped the small duffel bag on the counter. She shoved her head into the soft T-shirt, her arms getting caught for a moment before she could cover herself completely. She couldn’t get her sweatpants and shoes on fast enough. The idea of being naked and vulnerable with him so nearby made her stomach turn.
God, she hated this place. Hated the man who lived here.
And hated her father for putting her in this fucking mess to begin with.
Closing the door gently behind her, she speed-walked the hall to the elevator from Nathan’s penthouse. Her tennis shoes squeaked on the marble floor.
The doorman nodded politely and called the valet for her car. If he noticed the moisture in her eyes or the darkening skin at her wrists, he studiously ignored it.
Nathan had only tried to get her in bed once before, and at the time, he’d accepted her demure rejection with a profession of old fashion values. It fit with his image, even if his southern charm was nothing more than lip service.
Her own condo beckoned from just a few miles away, and though the traffic in Atlanta was usually insufferable, it would be an easy drive this late at night.
She caught sight of a shooting star as she slipped into the driver’s seat, and misery thumped harder against her chest.
Her life hadn’t always been like this.
There was a time she knew what it was to be loved.
It was a mistake thinking about it. Knowing how much better it could be, knowing she’d never have it again, only made a bad situation worse.
***
13 years ago
July
“Deny it all you want, Mandy, but I know you’re only wearing that tiny little dress to drive me crazy.”
Kane’s dark eyes gleamed as he dragged his gaze over her body. Stalking toward her in long strides, he approached from the parking lot where his brother had dropped him off. His fingers flexed, as though he wanted to touch her, but he held back.
Her blood heated with his regard, and giddy laughter bubbled with the nickname he’d given her. “I’m not denying anything.” Tilting her head, she fluttered her lashes. “What other reason could there be?”
She gestured for him to step closer to the grass next to the fountain. She’d arrived at Grant Park a full fifteen minutes ahead of their date so she’d have time to set the scene, though the lush clearing and the water feature provided almost ready-made romance. Her heart beat double-time as he closed the remaining distance between them.
Hello, gorgeous.
Kane Hale had nothing in common with the buttoned-up snobs her father always picked out for her, which was probably part of the attraction. Frays peeked from the hem of his worn jeans, and his Green Day T-shirt hugged his wiry frame.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground before fitting his mouth against hers. Even after three months together, his kisses heated her blood.
Butterflies danced a riot in her stomach as she ran her hand over his damp close-cropped brown hair, then gripped his broad shoulders. He smelled faintly of shaving cream, and her fingertips fluttered over the smooth skin of his cheek.
His tongue swept the seam of her mouth, and she opened eagerly with a small sigh.
She could have forgotten they were in the middle of a popular park if a small dog hadn’t started yapping at her feet. Her eyes flew open as a gray-haired woman pulled on the animal’s leash and harrumphed, presumably at their very enthusiastic, very public display of affection.
Kane chuckled and took a step back. “See what you did? That old lady was practically scandalized.” Laughter danced in his eyes, and her heart swelled fuller than ever.
