Page 15 of Perfect Satisfaction

He yanks back causing his cock to drag out of me. Not even a hesitation, just, “How did you find out?”

I slap my fingers over my mouth, a moan escaping. “No!”

He flinches.

Shakily, I jab a finger in his direction. “Please, tell me you’re not the reason this happened to her.”Tell me I didn’t fall in love with the man who exposed my best friend to a media shit storm that sent her running for her life.

Arek meets my eyes evenly, not dismissing my accusation. Worse yet, not denying it.

“I was the reason she was hurt in the first place!”

“You know that’s not true, Sula.”

“How dare you say that? You can’t know the kind of war she’s waging. After all, you’ve just heard me talk about it but haven’t really seen it for yourself.” Before he can jump in, I sneer, “Oh, that’s right. Courtesy of you, now the whole world’s doing that too.”

Still, nothing. No flicker of remorse.

Another part of my heart dies inside.

I whisper, “How little I know of the real you.”

He surges toward me, pinning my body back against the wall. “You know me. You know the man I am—the man who loves you.”

“Do I?” I’ve been obsessed with Arek since that transcontinental flight. Since the night Brendan played after his show. The music was hot, the place was packed, and the man who dragged me out of there before fucking me over the Vegas strip more than anyone else in my life. Ever.

From the first moment I stared into Arek Ronan’s eyes, I was captivated. No, entranced. Now, I just wonder if I was just so enthralled by his mesmerizing good looks I was blind to the person beneath.

It suddenly becomes clear I’m bound to someone I can’t trust.I wonder bitterly,Is it something I inherited—from both my parents?

The naked man pressed against me, still coated in my wetness, isn’t one I ever imagined could cold heartedly sell out someone else’s pain to make a profit.And you almost shared your secret with him,the voice inside me hisses. The thought of that flames my devastation higher. I lash out, “She was ambushed. She almost lost herself. Twice.”

Arek flinches, but that’s his only reaction. He doesn’t make any excuses.

I realize I can’t stay here with a man whose simple concept of humanity doesn’t include appreciating someone else’s pain.

I shove him back before gathering my clothes haphazardly strewn around the room before rushing into them. As I dress, I fling out, “She walked out of the hearing into flashes so bright they blinded her. She was hurt because I wasn’t there like I promised I would be.”

“You might not always be able to protect the people you care for, Ursula.”

Incredulous, I stare at the man I gave the gift of my heart to. “That’s what you have to say about this, Arek? Not an ‘It wasn’t supposed to be this way.’ Or even an ‘I’m sorry’? Just I might not be able to protect the people I care for?”

He steps forward and wraps his arms around me. His forehead falls against mine. “Both of those things. But, Sula, it’s my job.”

Right now, I’m not sure which of us I despise more—Arek or myself. The fact my body reacts instinctively to mold against the lean muscles of his runner’s build—nipples puckering against the light dusting of hair as they find the place they know is theirs right against his heart—makes me want to vomit.

Then again, so does the fact he sold out my best friend for money. I wrench away from him. “Thanks to vultures like you, she’ll be known as the woman who accused the son of the chairman of XMedia of sexual assault for the rest of her life.”

His brow wings upward superiorly. “Or you’ll make certain she feels like that—a victim instead of a fighter.”

I don’t even realize my hand is flying through the air until I hear thecrackas it connects with his cheek.

For long moments, time freezes. The very air between us stills. Not even our breath can be felt. Then suddenly it’s on fast forward as I grab whatever I see in the vicinity I know is mine. Snatching my phone off the floor, I race for the door.

Arek’s arms slaps against it, bracketing me between the door and his body. His arm wraps around me from behind. “Ursula. I’m sorry. What I said was completely uncalled for.” His breath, something that normally makes me shiver in delight makes me shudder in agony.

“But not what you did.”

“I did what I had to.”