Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Anton’s lungs took a few seconds’ pause, barring any movement of air.
He could judge her for her actions. Label her deceitful and every other word used for people who cross the boundaries of their relationships. But he didn’t blame her. The torment was clear in the tremble of her voice and the tears spilling into her hair. She thought she was a horrible person because she’d cheated. On whom? A fake boyfriend? Goddamn you, Grey.
Christ. Some people were excellent at hiding their pain. The façade they showed society was watertight, airtight, nuclear-blast-proof, you name it. The only way to destroy it was from the inside out. A self-imposed implosion.
Pretense was a damn heavy thing.
“The week of the rodeo two years back, he disappeared for a couple of nights. I knew he was with another woman. I saw him leave with her. So, I found myself a cowboy from out of town. He invited me into his trailer. I got drunk and gave away my virginity.” Both hands came up to cover her face. “You’re the only person I’ve told. I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. Do you think badly of me now?”
That fucking asshole. Both the cowboy and his brother. His nostrils flared.
Anton pulled her shield away, needing her to see the sincerity in his eyes. “No. I think you’ve been hurting for a long time. And I’m sorry my brother is such a son of a bitch.”
“He wanted to do right by me. Everybody wanted to see us together, but we were never meant to be.”
Hell no, they weren’t. He’d known that for years.
Decades.
Anton sat up, leaning against the headboard. He hadn’t realized how much resentment he’d harbored for his brother. It pulsed in his temples and gripped him by the neck, a force holding him in place and boiling his blood.
He almost shook with the effort it took to calm himself down. It wasn’t doing him any good holding on to the hurt. He knew Grey thought he’d been doing the right thing. He hadn’t seen that Lory was sincere in her affections. Anton understood that Grey had a sense of responsibility towards Lory. He’d sworn to look after her when they were young, and he’d stuck to his promise. Until he was miserable. He’d twisted his life into a picture of what Papà and Mama wanted for him. The heir to the empire, set to marry the girl next door. The Carters and Agriolis joined in a merger of beef titans. Greyson hadn’t wanted any of it. He and Lory had both been trapped in an abstract version of somebody else’s family portrait.
It was time to paint a new picture. The realist version.
“Sweetheart, Grey can’t see past his own nose most of the time. You’re right about him wanting to fulfill expectations. He made himself sick with it. Until he got angry. Not at you. At himself for falling into the trap and dragging you with him. It’s time to let it go. We’ve got each other now.”
“I’m so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.” Her tears flowed in rivers now.
Anton jumped off the bed, yanking back the covers. He climbed in beside her and tucked her against his body.
“You’ve made me the happiest cowboy in Mississippi.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Ain’t no need to apologize for that.”
Cherry Pie With Cream
Lorelei
November
Lorelei stashed the picnic basket behind the shed, shooing Dodger away as he came to investigate. Sniffing around the wicker, he let out little yips and growls.
“Shh. You’re gonna give me away,” she whispered. He buried his snout in her hand before tossing his nose up, as if to say, ‘Pat me.’ She could never resist his advances and buried her fingers in his fur. The dog had her heart, well and truly.
Like all the Agriolis,
She could hear Antonio whistling behind the wall. Since their first night together, they’d hadn’t managed much more than a few stolen kisses in the spot where she stood now. The want had begun to gnaw at her insides.
She peeked around the corner. Antonio’s back was turned as he grabbed something from the shelf. Lory snuck up behind him and covered his eyes. He tensed, his hands grasping her forearms to pull them away before spinning to face her.
“Hi.” Her grin morphed into shock when she caught his look of hunger. “How are y—” He didn’t waste a second before locking lips with hers. She opened to him, letting the rush of passion take over. Thank God they were on the same page.
Her body was the match and he was the friction.
She’d never been kissed the way Toni kissed her. The touch of his lips infused her with some drug that wiped her brain cells. His arms clamped around her back before he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He responded by adjusting his hold, grabbing her ass.
She broke off the kiss, gasping for air. “Do you think your family will miss you if you don’t show up for lunch?”
His mouth landed on her collarbone, his tongue flicking out for a taste. “Don’t care.” Two big palms gripped her ass tighter as he pulled her center in to line up with his arousal. “What’d you have in mind?”
Heat bloomed in her core. She fought for breath. This man… oh, lordy
