Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 181992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
“Mimi,” Grayden cut in, a plea in his eyes. “Don’t do this. Let’s you and me just walk on out of here.”
“Why?” she demanded, whirling on him. “Why should I have to stay quiet? Why would you want to leave when we both know you hate this situation as much as I do? You’d take her back in a fucking heartbeat if—”
“Enough,” Dax bit out, pinning her with a somewhat callous look. “Out. Both of you.”
Mimi turned back to him, clenching her fists. “But I—” She stopped speaking when he slashed an arm through the air.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Dax asserted. “I’m not interested in hearing what you have to say about anything. I have officially hit my limit where you’re concerned, and I want you gone from my life.”
Mimi blanched. “You don’t mean that,” she breathed.
“I gave you chances. Too many. It was my mistake, and you’ve been making Addison pay for that. No more. I’m done with you.”
She slowly shuffled back, her expression wounded. “How can you say that to me?”
“Very easily. You made it easy when you started fucking with my wife.”
“Like that ring she wears means anything,” Mimi scoffed, the words coated in pure scorn. “She’s nothing to you but a backup plan.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“Bullshit,” she sneered.
“No bullshit,” he said, his voice grave. “Pure truth.”
Mimi gave him a Come on look. “If she left you tomorrow, it wouldn’t even be a ping on your radar.”
“Addison isn’t going anywhere. Ever. I wouldn’t allow it.”
“Oh, please. It never bothers you in the slightest when women walk away. You might have married this one, but you didn’t do it because you care for her.”
Yeah, ow. Not that she was wrong, unfortunately.
“The only woman you have, and will ever, truly give a crap about is Gracie,” Mimi added, bitterness lacing each syllable. “No one will come close to mattering to you the way she did.”
“Once upon a time,” began Dax, “I would have agreed with you. But not now.”
I tensed. Whoa, back up.
For a few beats, Mimi only stared at him. “You … What’d you just say?”
That was my question.
Dax didn’t repeat himself. He held her gaze, his own sober and unblinking. The resoluteness in the depths of those eyes had my pulse quickening.
A weak, nervous chuckle fluttered out of her. “Right,” she drawled, all skepticism.
Again, he said not one word, letting his unwavering expression speak for him.
The faint amusement began to drain from her face. She forced a mocking smile, but it withered fast. “I won’t buy that she means anything to you.”
“You should,” he told her. “Fact is she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I all but gawked at him, my heart slamming so hard against my ribs I was surprised the bones weren’t creaking in protest.
Dismay settling into the lines of her face, Mimi took another step back. “No,” she rasped, emphatic. “I don’t believe it.”
He gave an uncaring shrug. “That won’t make it untrue.”
She gave her head a hard, fast shake. “You’re lying.” She slammed her manic gaze on me. “He’s just saying all this to hurt me, right?”
Uh … quite possibly, come to think of it. After all, she’d probably disappear for good if he could convince her of his claims. Dax didn’t exactly have an issue with being deceitful if it meant getting what he wanted.
“That’s all it is, isn’t it?” she pushed.
Digging my teeth into my lower lip, I cut my gaze to him. He wasn’t looking at me. Or her. His attention was on the object he was smoothly pulling out of his pocket.
He lifted it up for her to see. “Maybe this will answer your question.”
Chapter One
Six months earlier
“I don’t know why you keep giving me that look.” Sabrina sat across from me on a leather egg chair, idly picking at the silicone protector attached to the corner of my office desk. “I’m not saying anything that you wouldn’t say to me if the situation was reversed.”
Probably not, but admitting that out loud would only encourage her. Besides … “I’ve told you I’ll handle it just fine, and I will.”
“I don’t doubt that you can handle it, I just don’t want you to have to.”
“Which is sweet, and I adore you for it, but you have to understand why I didn’t do as you suggested.” I set my almost-empty coffee cup on my cute fox coaster. “I’m a professional. I do not let people down.”
“The couple would have understood.”
I frowned, closing my laptop. “Understood that I’d decided to pull out of organizing their wedding just because my ex is on their guest list? Not likely.”
“There’s no ‘just because.’ You two were super serious about each other. You loved him, Addie. And that dufus loved you—probably still does. What he did hurt you big time.”
“Yeah, half a year ago. It’s not like I’m hung up on him or anything.”