Exposed - Part Three (The Exposed Series, #3)

by Deborah Bladon

  "It does." He stares into my eyes. I can't read what he's feeling. There's too much pain to see past.

  "Then I hope you can find what you need with her." I drop my hand from his face and stand. "Just go. Please."

  "Just like that?" he spits the question at me. "We can't have anything?"

  I smile as I shake my head slightly. "What can we have?" Do you want to be friends? Is that it?"

  "I want us to be what we were a week ago." He doesn't move. "I want to make love to you right now."

  "Wow." I pull the robe tighter around my body. "You think we're going to sleep together even though you're marrying Christina?"

  "The way you say it, it sounds wrong." He rubs his hands over his face.

  "The way I say it? It's the truth. You want to cheat on your soon-to-be wife with me." I spit the words out so quickly they're hard for even me to decipher.

  "It's not cheating." His tone is dead serious. "It's not like that."

  "It is," I say pointedly. "You are going to vow to love her forever. We are never fucking each other again."

  "You don't want to understand." He frowns. "You're being close minded."

  "I don't sleep with men who are engaged to other women." I pull the words carefully across my lips. "If that means I'm close minded, so be it. To me it means I'm decent."

  He drops his hands and stares directly into my eyes. "Not everything in life is so black and white or cut and dry, Sadie."

  "This is." I move towards the door. "You're marrying her. You chose her. We are done."

  "We're not done, sunshine," he barks. "I didn't choose her."

  "You're just splitting hairs." I exhale deeply. "We circle the same thing over and over again. You're marrying Christina. I don't really give a fuck who chose who. All I know is you didn't choose me so I'm going to go find someone who will." I realize how juvenile my words sound. It's as if I'm talking to a high school boyfriend who has asked someone else to prom.

  "That's never happening." He jumps to his feet, moving with fluid grace. He wraps his hands around me, pushing me into the back of the hotel room door. "I won't let another man touch you."

  "It's not up to you." I push back with little strength. I don't want him to pull away. I'm already aroused just by the scent of his body and the sheer weight of his chest against mine. He's marrying Christina. I can't forget that. I can't want him. He's not mine to have anymore.

  "I can't breathe if I think of another man with you," he whispers into my neck. I feel how hard he is. I want to close off my mind, reach down and guide him into me.

  "You're with her." I bite my lip to hold back a moan as I feel his hand caressing my thigh. "You're going to leave here and fuck her."

  "You're wrong." His lips skirt my neck. His tongue traces a path towards my ear. "I don't want her."

  "She wants you," I murmur. "She said she loved you at your engagement party."

  "She loves my money." His hand is moving higher. My body is betraying me. He's going to feel how wet I am. How much my body is craving his.

  "You can't fuck me." The words hold little meaning as I wrap my hands around his neck before his lips crush into mine.

  He pulls me greedily into him. His hand deftly rips open my robe before he pushes it off my shoulders. I shudder at the burst of cool air that grazes my nipples.

  "I have to fuck you." I hear the faint sound of the zipper on his slacks being pulled down.

  "No," I say without any conviction. I want him so badly. How can I still want him when he's done nothing but lie to me? He's marrying someone else. He's sharing his bed with her. I have to stop this.

  "My cock is so hard. Only for you, Sadie." He groans as he runs the lush tip across my now drenched cleft. I'm so wet. I've never been so ready for him. My entire body is aching in anticipation. I'm going to come the moment his cock is inside me.

  He pulls my right leg up, bending it before pushing me against the door. I'm so ready. So open. I just need to clear my mind and take this from him.

  "I can't stop." He reaches down, pulling his cock over my swollen clit. I shudder at the touch.

  "Stop," I whisper into his mouth. "Please, just stop." My voice is unfamiliar and distant.

  "You want me so much." He's so close now. I can feel the tip between my folds.

  "Stop," I repeat, this time with more volume. "You have to stop."

  His body stalls and I lunge my hips forward just a touch. My mouth is telling him to stop but my body wants him so badly.

  "Say it again." He reaches to grab my chin in his hand. His eyes bore deep within me. "Say it."

  "Stop." I lean my head back against the door as I feel his body retract from mine.

  He takes a step back, his cock still reaching for me. I glance at it quickly before looking back at his face.

  "I know that you want me," he hisses the words through his perfect lips. "Your kiss was screaming for me. You're so wet."

  I shake my head as if that will ward off the truth. He's right. I want him. I want to drop to my knees and take his magnificent cock between my lips until he empties himself within me. I want him to push me back against the door and fuck me so hard I can't feel anything but him within me.

  "I won't be your whore." I pull the robe around my body. "I can't."

  His eyes are glued to my face as he zips his pants back up, adjusts his suit jacket and then walks out of the room.

  Chapter 13

  "You can't go to Manhattan again." Alexa is rummaging through one of my dresser drawers. "All hell breaks loose when you're in that city."

  I know she's trying to lighten my spirits but she's right. I can't go back there. The last three trips I've taken there have all ended in disaster. Since I got home yesterday, I've tried to push the memory of Hunter's face as he left my hotel room out of my mind.

  "Do you seriously think he's marrying her out of guilt?" She pulls a light blue shirt out of the drawer before holding it in front of her.

  "I think so." I scrunch my nose when she looks at me. "That's not your color."

  "You're right." She tosses it thoughtlessly over her head so it lands next to the others she's thrown on the floor. "That's fucked, don't you think?"

  "That blue isn't your color?" I tease. "You'll get over it."

  She pulls her hand to her hip and cocks her head to the side. "Not funny. It's fucked that he's so full of guilt that he's throwing his life away for that bitch."

  "That is fucked," I whisper. "The whole situation is fucked. I wish I'd never met him."

  "You don't mean that." She swiftly undoes the buttons on her blouse revealing a sheer black bra. "You're in love with him."

  "It doesn't matter." I point to a black sweater that is sitting on top of my bed. "Try that."

  "Why doesn't it matter?" She pulls it over her head and I'm instantly reminded of how much better my clothes fit her than me.

  "You should wear that." I nod at her reflection in the mirror.

  "Don't avoid the subject." She pulls the fabric taut, which only accentuates her breasts even more. "Why doesn't it matter that you love him?"

  "Alexa." I move behind her, pulling her blond hair back from her shoulders. "He's marrying another woman. I have to stop loving him and let him go."

  "It's not that easy." She pats my hand with hers. "Love doesn't disappear like that."

  "You don't know that," I pull a thin grin over my lips. "You've never been in love."

  "I will be after next Friday." She turns so she's facing me directly. "I'm going out with an older man."

  "How much older?" I grimace at the question. I'm always slightly worried about my best friend's choices in dates. I don’t want her getting involved with someone too old.

  "He's thirty." She winks at me. "Didn't he tell you that?"

  I feel my stomach drop. "Who?" I cringe as I ask the question.

  "Who do you think?" she cocks her head to the side. "Clive."

  I run my fingers across my eyebrows as I let out a heavy sigh. "
Alexa. No. Why would you do that?"

  "Why would I go out with a hot as fuck guy?" She pulls her tongue across her lips. "Let's see. Let me count the ways."

  "Don't." I throw my hand up in protest. I don't want to hear about what she's planning on doing with Coral's older brother.

  "He's almost a decade older than you." I whine. "You don't think that's too big of an age gap." I want to be diplomatic but during the brief time I spent with Clive in New York, he didn't strike me as the type of man who chased after girls our age.

  "He thinks I'm twenty-five." She smirks.

  "He what?" I almost scream the words at her. "You can't lie like that."

  "Sadie." She grabs hold of both my shoulders and gives me a slight shake. "I'm not marrying him. I'm going to fuck him."

  "You said you were going to fall in love with him," I shoot back.

  "With his big, beautiful, thirty-year-old cock maybe." She laughs. "He's got to have more experience than any of the boys I've been with."

  "He's going to be Hunter's brother-in-law." I protest. The thought of her in bed with anyone related to Coral is making me queasy.

  "He's going to be my fuck buddy for now." She reaches behind me to retrieve the shirt she pulled off earlier. "Don't get all bunched up about it. It's not a big deal."

  It's not a big deal. Maybe it's not a big deal to her. It's all a big deal to me. It's my life.

  Chapter 14

  "We need to talk." My father's voice startles me. I didn't hear him come into the kitchen. I'd been sitting there in solace eating my cereal and thinking about Hunter, just as I did every other moment of the day.

  "About what?" I push the empty bowl away from me and pull a napkin across my lips. "I need to be at work in an hour."

  He leisurely pours himself a cup of coffee before he takes a seat next to me. "About Zander Reynolds."

  The last thing I want to do today is talk about him. Now that I know the lengths my father has gone to in order to keep Hunter away from me, I'm ready to pounce at the mere mention of his name. "About how you had him arrested?"

  "He told you about that?" His voice doesn't convey any surprise at all. He must have known that Hunter would share the history he shared with my father.

  "He did." I nod as I trace a diamond pattern over the linen napkin with my finger. "He told me you refused to let him talk to me." I feel a pang of disappointment at the words. Maybe if my father would have given Hunter a chance, things would be different today. He would have fallen in love with me sooner and he wouldn't be on the brink of marrying Christina.

  "He's a spoiled brat whose reckless behavior killed someone."

  The words carry loathing. Obviously, my father holds the same view about Hunter as Coral's family does. What the hell is wrong with all of them? It was an accident.

  "That's harsh." I spit out. "Do you even know him?"

  "I know enough." He takes a small sip of his coffee.

  "You know nothing." I shake my head as I chuckle. "You're no better than Coral's family."

  He slams the mug down so hard that coffee spills over the brim. "What do you know about them? Just what he's told you."

  "I've met them." I arch my brow. "I met all of them."

  "You what?" I can see confusion cloud his expression. My mother didn't tell him that I was going to see them. She must have been hurt so hurt that he didn't tell her about Coral years ago that she kept this from him now.

  "I had dinner with them in Manhattan." I toss out.

  He freezes and I can tell that he's working to hold his composure. "Why am I only hearing about this now?" The steely grain to his voice cuts through me.

  "The very same reason I only heard about Hunter's desire to meet me a few days ago." I throw back knowing that it's something he won't be able to counter.

  "This isn't a game, Sadie." He stands. "You're playing with fire."

  I follow his lead and rise to my feet too. "You're all playing with my life, pops," I say sarcastically. "You have been for years."

  ***

  "Do you want to go apartment hunting with me next week?" I ask Alexa as she squeezes whip cream on top of an iced coffee.

  She licks her lips before she hands it to the waiting customer. "Why don't you move in with me?"

  "I want my own place." I answer swiftly. Truth be told I've stayed with Alexa from time-to-time and her more than active sex life has left me with deep memories of the sounds of noises I shouldn't have heard in the first place.

  "I've got Wednesday off. You should trade with someone and we can do it then," she suggests before taking the order of another of the dozens waiting in line on this very humid afternoon.

  "I'll check the schedule before I leave." I reach for a pitcher of tea to prepare the next drink when I spot him standing by the counter.

  He's dressed in a pale blue dress shirt and navy slacks. The arms of the shirt are rolled up and the way he's pushed his hair back from his forehead indicates that he's hot. Of course he's hot. He's sweating which makes him look that much hotter. Maybe if I keep my eyes downcast he'll think I haven't noticed him.

  "Sadie. Heads up at three o'clock." Alexa shouts loud enough that everyone at the back of the line can hear her.

  I pull my gaze up slowly and he bows his head in response. He points at his watch. "When's break time?"

  "I don't have one today," I call back knowing how ludicrous that sounds. If I'm going to lie to him, I need better excuses than that.

  He cocks a brow and points at his watch again. "I just need a few minutes."

  "Go," Alexa barks at me. "I've got this."

  I watch her expertly take orders and then hand the cups to one of the other girls working with us today. I realize if I do go now, I can use the lingering line of people waiting to my advantage. He can't expect me to sit and visit with him endlessly when we're swamped like this.

  He nods as I walk around the counter towards him. "There's no place in here for us to talk. Come out to my car."

  I hesitate. I don't want to be in a confined space with him. I don't even want to talk to him. What's he going to tell me now? Unless he's here to announce that his engagement is off, there's absolutely nothing I want to hear.

  "We can talk here." I stop as soon as we exit the bistro. "Whatever you need to say, you can say here."

  He searches the parking lot, his eyes settling on the countless people milling about. "This isn't private."

  "Are you still engaged?" I turn away after I ask the question. I don't want to see the pity in his eyes when he answers.

  "Yes." He grabs my arm. "I didn't come here to talk about that."

  "Are you here to tell me why you lied about owning all those restaurants?"

  He stops and raises his brow. "I don't own them. My father does."

  "Are you going to explain why you're nothing but a liar?" I spit the words out harshly.

  He doesn't respond. He only shakes his head slightly from side-to-side.

  "Then I don't want to hear it." I reach for the bistro's door. "Please don't bother me again."

  "I have an emergency in New York and I won't be here for a few days." It's as if he didn't absorb anything I just said to him.

  "Christina broke a nail?" I ask facetiously. Why do I always revert back to acting like a rejected teenager whenever he's around?

  "Someone I care about is very ill." He gazes over my head. His breath hitches as he continues, "I have to be there. I don't want to leave Boston though. Even when you're not talking to me, I feel close to you when I'm here."

  "Who is sick?" I shoot back. I know so little about his life other than his never-ending drive to make everything right in Coral's family's life.

  "I don't know when I'll be back." He ignores the question so effortlessly. It's another lie of omission. He won't let me in. He's never let me in.

  "I hope they'll be okay." I offer.

  He nods. "I heard you talking to Alexa. If you want to stay at my place for a few days, I can give you back your
key."

  "I want nothing to do with you." I stifle the harshness of my response. Even though I'm livid with him over everything that's happened the past few weeks I can't recall a time when he looked so haggard and worried.

  "We'll talk about that when I'm back." He reaches to kiss me on the forehead.

  Chapter 15

  "Did you like the one on Preston?" I pop a cherry tomato into my mouth.

  "It was really small." Alexa shrugs her shoulders. "You don't want a roommate?"

  I shake my head slightly. "I'm looking forward to living alone."

  "In that case, it was the best deal and close to campus." She pushes the spoon in her hand around the rim of the bowl of soup she ordered.

  "I'll send an application for that one when I get home." I smile. As much as I was dreading apartment hunting today, it's turned into a fun adventure. Watching Alexa work her magic on all the prospective male landlords we met is the distraction I was longing for. It's been four days since Hunter showed up at the bistro and I haven't heard a word since. I'm beginning to believe that his story about a sick friend is real.

  "What's going on with you and Hunter?" She laughs at her own joke.

  "That's a horrible nickname." I bite my lip to hold back a giggle.

  "He left a few days ago because of a sick friend." I pull air quotes around 'sick friend.' "It might be a rouse because he's getting married right now."

  "He's not getting married." She scoops some soup into her mouth before letting it dribble back into the bowl. "It's cold."

  "He might be," I counter. "It's not as if he's good at telling the truth."

  "Cory is really sick," she mumbles.

  "Cory?" I wince at how close the name is to Coral. Who is Cory? Yet another of Coral's vindictive relatives?

  She silently reaches for her purse that is perched on the chair between us. I watch as she scrolls quickly through it before holding it up for me to view.

  It's a text message from Clive: Rain check? Cory is sick. Pray for us. xx

  "Who is Cory?" I pull my eyes from the phone to her face.

  She places it down carefully on the table before she looks at me. "I don't know. I thought you'd know."