“I don’t want to brag, but I know a thing or two about how to woo a woman.” His words came back to haunt her.
Had this all just been a ploy to get her into his bed? No. It couldn’t have been. Could it? Was it all a lie?
After she’d dried and gotten dressed for the day, she headed downstairs.
TJ looked up from his book. “Hey, just made some coffee.”
“Thanks.” She forced a smile.
“Are you and Bently, uh . . . okay?” TJ asked cautiously.
Belle turned to pour herself a cup, afraid he’d see the pain in her eyes.
“I’m in this, Angel.” But he’d never clarified what “this” was. He’d always been vague. She was surprised TJ had waited this long to say something.
“Why do you ask?”
TJ sighed. “He won’t respond to my texts and he hasn’t shown up to the courts in weeks.”
Right. TJ was losing a friend too. A man he looked up to.
Anger boiled inside her. Bently had been just like the men of her past—using her brother to get to her. Rage curled in her belly as she grit her teeth. “I’ll talk to him and find out what’s going on. I know he was busy with work.”
Even if he was a coward, TJ looked up to the man. Her brother deserved better.
***
Belle waited until the evening. She pulled her car across the street from his house, glancing at the driveway. His truck was all clean of the blood. It had been erased, like the vandalism had never happened. Just like us. She inhaled long and deep, bolstering courage for what she needed to do. As she exited the car, she left it unlocked. If she was in a hurry to leave, it would make for a faster getaway.
Her steps were determined, but her knees wobbled and her belly flipped with a mixture of anxiety and nerves. She held up one shaky hand to knock on Bently’s door. Feminine laughter drifted from behind it. Her stomach lurched as her chest squeezed tight. Was he with another woman? The blood drained from her face as she forced a cold breath into her lungs. Her heartbeat hammered against her chest as she forced herself to knock.
The door opened, and warm green eyes met hers. Jasmine. “Hey, Belle. How are you?” she asked, smiling.
“I told you not to answer the—oh. Belle.” Bently halted. He had dark circles under his eyes, and looked as if he hadn’t shaved since the last time she’d seen him. An unkempt beard only highlighted his perfect jawline. Her inner muscles clenched. That scruff had felt like heaven between her thighs . . .
No. She was angry at this man.
“I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute,” Belle pressed.
“Good luck with this asshole. I was just heading out anyways. Remy has Zoey for the afternoon while I run some errands. Just wanted to make sure this guy was still alive. Now that you’re here, I’m sure he’ll get in a better mood.” She winked.
Belle swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. He’d obviously not shared anything with his sister.
“Bye, big brother. Don’t be a stranger. Zoey might forget what you look like.” Jasmine zipped up her coat and waved to Belle before she shut the door behind her, leaving them in deafening silence.
Bently swiped the curtain over and peeked outside, watching his sister get into her car, no doubt. Ever the protector. Except when it comes to my heart.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as though his throat was full of gravel. He turned to face her, still keeping his distance.
“Are you okay?”
“You came to check in on me? What a good friend.” His tone was sarcastic.
She furrowed her brow. “Still trying to push everyone away I see. I’m not here because of us, Bently. If you want to live in fear and let your ghosts win, that’s your choice. I’ll move on.” I’ll survive you, because that’s what I do.
His gaze darkened, blue fire blazing in those eyes locked on her. He was holding so much back. A prisoner in a jail of his own making. The irony was that he was the only one with the key. It wasn’t any good unless he chose to use it.
“It was just sex.” He winced as though his words were assaulting him at the same time as thousands of tiny arrows pierced her already battered heart.
“That’s all it ever is.” She shook her head. “Look, I came here to tell you that no matter what happened between us, my brother looks up to you. You need to man up and stop being a coward. Tell him to his face that you don’t want to hang out with him, that you were using him to get to me, or continue playing ball with him and responding to his texts like nothing is different. I don’t care which you pick. But don’t punish him to avoid me, or we will have a problem.”
Bently’s shoulders slumped as his eyes shifted to the ground. He nodded.
She opened the door, the burst of December air not even making her shiver—she was already numb inside. And nothing and no one would ever persuade her to open up to a man again. This time, she was surely broken for good.
Bently had told the truth. He’d said he would destroy her, and that was one promise he didn’t break.
Chapter 36
Bently
“You look like shit,” Mikel said, staring across Bently’s desk at him.
“I feel like it too,” Bently confessed. He was too exhausted to put up a front. He was barely holding it together.
“What did you do to mess things up with Belle?” Mikel asked, going right for his sore spot.
“What I always do,” he deadpanned and scratched his overgrown beard.
“You cheated on her!” Mikel growled, jolting forward.
“No! I’ve never cheated on a woman in my life, asshole.” Bently frowned.
“Because you’ve never been in a relationship before.” Mikel eased back into his seat.
“We weren’t .
