The news had the expected effect. Matt’s face paled, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth dropped open. “But we used—”
“No. Not every time. Not the first time. The first time we forgot all about contraception.”
His brow came down into the signature Lyndon frown, and every muscle in his body tensed. Something hard and ugly burned behind his gaze. “I can’t believe it. Dammit. I’m an idiot.”
“No. We were both idiots. And I just want you to know—”
“If you think you can trap me into something, you are out of your mind. What was it? My name? My trust fund? What?” He jumped to his feet and pointed a finger at her. “I should have taken that joke about the sperm bank seriously.”
“Matt, come on. This is me you’re talking to. Not Allison Chapman. I didn’t set out to trap you into anything. I set out to take you down a peg or two, but instead…” Her throat knotted up again, and it became impossible to say anything else. Matt didn’t trust her, and she had only herself to blame.
“What do you know about Allison Chapman?”
“I know she’s a bitch. I have a feeling she took you for a ride.”
“How do you know that? I never told you.”
“You didn’t need to tell me. Allison did.”
“She what? I don’t believe you.”
“You can believe me or not. But Allison implied that she tried to trap you into a marriage. And to be honest, she suggested that I do the same. In my book, that made her a—”
“I can’t believe this.” Matt’s voice swelled with anger, and Courtney took a step back, her stomach suddenly roiling. “Here’s the truth: Allison befriended me back when I was an idiot about women. And the only reason she ever paid any attention to me was because she wanted to screw my brother. But when Daniel told her to get lost, she decided she’d settle for me. She seduced me. I know it’s hard to believe, but I fell for her BS hook, line, and sinker, especially when she played the ‘I’m pregnant’ card. But I’m sadder and wiser now, so—”
“Matt, please, I’m—”
“What was it? Did you two get together just to yank my chain? How many times do I have to apologize for taking Brandon’s bet?”
“Brandon’s bet? I don’t—”
“Don’t pull that wide-eyed innocent look on me, Courtney. I may have fallen for it once. But not now. This has all been about Brandon’s stupid bet, hasn’t it? You decided you’d take me down just to prove a point. Well, get this. I’m still standing.”
Matt’s fury knew no bounds. He ran from Courtney’s apartment and slammed his apartment door before he exploded with a stream of profanity, scaring Dr. Doom, who’d been waiting for him to come home.
The cat slunk down the hall to the bedroom, and Matt felt a small inkling of regret. But not enough to counter the rage running through him.
Allison Chapman had played him like a fine violin. He’d fallen head over heels in love with her, and he’d convinced himself that she loved him back. When she’d announced her pregnancy, he’d been overjoyed. He got right down on one knee and asked her to be his bride. He might even have quoted Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He’d been all of twenty years old.
She’d wanted to elope, of course. She’d given him some mumbo jumbo about her parents pressuring her into an abortion, about how they would be opposed to a shotgun wedding.
But he hadn’t wanted to run away. He’d wanted to be honest with his parents and his large family. And fool that he’d been, he’d wanted to celebrate his love and the arrival of a child. Besides, Grandma would have disapproved of a secret Vegas wedding. Grandma had passed away the year before his spectacular miscalculation over Allison.
So he’d gone to his parents with the news. They hadn’t reacted with joy. In fact, Dad had immediately interceded, calling Judge Chapman for a father-to-father chat. Twenty-four hours later, Allison Chapman confessed that she was not pregnant. And four years later, either Allison or her father had exacted a small revenge by sabotaging his chair during moot court competition. Such an immature thing for them to do. But then, Dad had humiliated both of them.
No, wait, it hadn’t been Dad. All of it, from beginning to end, had been Matt’s fault. For being so stupid and so gullible. He’d promised himself never to be played again.
He roared and punched the newly painted wall in his living room. The Sheetrock dented, and pain knifed through his hand and up his arm. Damn. Damn. Damn. How could he make the same mistake twice?
He cradled his bruised hand and paced. Bill Cummins would use this against him. He could see the headlines. Suddenly the crusader would turn into the womanizer. It was practically inevitable. And when he lost the election, he could imagine the disappointment.
Damn. He needed to head this off at the pass. But how? He certainly wasn’t going to Dad with this. Dad would call him an idiot, the way he always did. Matt was an idiot, but he didn’t need Dad to rub his nose in it. Why couldn’t he fall in love with an ordinary woman?
He threw himself onto the new leather and chrome couch in his living room and rested his head in his hands. He’d been fighting his emotions for a solid week. How many times had he stopped himself from making that journey across the hallway?
Dozens. More. Courtney had changed his life. If she hadn’t encouraged him to take his research to Linda and the press, Bill Cummins would continue to rip people off. If she hadn’t talked to Jeff, he’d be without a job or purpose in life, and the tenants at Dogwood Estates would be scrambling to find new homes. For a week, he’d been trying to convince himself that he could still trust her, and all the while she’d been sitting across the way plotting her next move
