Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
I swallow. I want to tell myself that she’s misreading me, but I do feel guilty—whether that’s rational or not. I feel guilty for sleeping with Sabrina to begin with, guilty for not making Teagan talk to me before I left tonight, and guilty for the lies I’m about to tell a woman I had in my bed less than a month ago. What can I do but continue to play the part of the boyfriend, even if it makes me look like a jackass?
“Did you know I was her cousin when you slept with me?” she asks.
I drag a hand through my hair. “No. You didn’t mention it, and your last name isn’t Chopra. It’s . . .” Fuck. I have no idea. Did she even tell me her last name? No wonder Jake read me the riot act. I don’t even know who that asshole was.
Sabrina lets out a small squeak. “Cruise.”
Right. Sabrina Cruise. I remember her byline under the damn article she published. “I didn’t know you were related.”
“Does she know you were sleeping around?” When I open my mouth, she holds up a hand. “Do you two have an . . . agreement or something? I’m not judging. I just need to know what kind of mess I’ve walked into.”
Her question makes me think of that weird conversation I had with Rich in the dining room this morning. What was it he said? That Teagan made sure she did what she needed to stay satisfied?
What happened in her old life to give these people an impression of her that is so completely different than the woman I know?
“It’s not like that,” I say. I don’t think Teagan would ask me to play the part of her boyfriend and then have me tell her family we have an open relationship.
Sabrina grips her little red purse in both hands, her knuckles white. “So she doesn’t know?”
“I don’t want to hurt her.” As soon as the words are out, I realize they’re true. Teagan would be hurt if she knew I slept with Sabrina. I’m afraid I’ll lose her completely if I tell her the truth about Sabrina before I figure out what scared her off this afternoon.
“And I don’t want her to hurt you.”
I frown. This seems like an odd time for her to worry about my heart, given that she thinks I betrayed Teagan.
Sabrina sighs. “What a mess.”
“I’m really sorry. That night with you . . .” Telling a woman I took home that she was a mistake feels like a jackass thing to do, even if it’s true, so I don’t let myself finish that sentence. “I’m sorry.”
She blows out a breath. “No big deal. I mean, you two can’t be too serious, right? So we keep it under wraps, and in a week or two it won’t matter.”
“Teagan’s my girlfriend.” And I’m fucking praying I’ll still be able to say that next week.
Sabrina snorts. “Sure. For now.”
The words are worse than a knee to my nuts. “I’ll tell her about what happened with us, but let me . . .” I turn away, watching as my brother Ethan pushes out of the bar with his wife Nic. Arm in arm, they look so damn happy. I want that, and I know exactly who I want it with. I’ve known since that day I pulled her into my arms at the lake. I take a step into the shadows so they can’t see me, waiting until they pass before I speak again. “Let me find the right time to tell her. She has enough going on this weekend, and I don’t want to ruin it.”
“So you know she’s meeting Rich tonight?”
My stomach sinks. “Why? Did he need something?”
Sabrina laughs, a low, sardonic chuckle. “Oh, bless your heart, Carter. Didn’t you wonder why Rich didn’t join the guys? And Teagan conveniently had a ‘stomachache’ when Saanvi and the others left for the martini bar. If you really think Rich and Teagan are alone in that big mansion together and not banging each other’s brains out, then you don’t know her nearly as well as you think you do.”
What the fuck with all of her family thinking they belong together? “Sabrina, listen, I think you’re hurt and maybe a little jealous, and throwing around some pretty gross assumptions.”
“Oh, hell yes, I’m jealous. I’m always jealous of Teagan because she gets everything she wants and then she throws it away.” She blows out a breath. “I know what I’m talking about when it comes to Tea and Rich. I know better than anyone.” She laughs again. “I’m guessing she didn’t tell you all the details about their history, did she?”
I stiffen. I don’t like this conversation, but worse is this dread crawling up my throat. Teagan wouldn’t meet my eyes tonight, and she was trying to get rid of me. I thought she wanted some distance after an intense night and morning together. Is she really meeting with him? “I know they were together again after Heath died. She told me.”