With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men #4)

She lifted her gaze. Her eyes were so green and scared; my fingers rose to touch her cheek but she flinched, so I dropped them back to my side, ashamed that I’d scared her.

“I took advantage of you,” she whispered as if confessing a horrible sin. “You were drunk.”

An incredulous laugh left my lungs. Then it was my turn to shake my head. “If anything, I took advantage of you. I was the aggressor. I was the one with the experience. I knew where everything was heading.”

“But I...I wanted...I wanted it.”

When she bowed her head in shame, I moved in closer and lightly slid my hand down her arm. “I wanted it too.”

She looked up, her eyes hopeful. I probably would’ve kissed her then—my body was churning with arousal, being this close to her—but she took a step back and drew in a sharp breath. “Cora would kill me if she knew.”

Cora’s opinion wasn’t high on my priority list, but after her reaction to learning that I’d been with someone else, yeah, she probably would lose it if she found out that the someone else I’d been with was Zoey. She would not make things pleasant for Zoey. So, I nodded. “Yeah. She came to see me last night.”

Horror dawned in her eyes. She sank even further away from me. “So...she told you?”

I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Oh, she told me plenty.”

“Are you getting back together with her?”

The anxiety on her face, telling me she not only thought that was a possibility but a very likely one, shocked me. Why in the world would she believe I’d ever have anything to do with Cora again?

“No!” I think the force behind my answer startled her. She pulled back and blinked before shaking her head as if confused.

“I don’t...” She really was confused...which confounded me. Finally, she frowned. “What exactly did she tell you?”

I squinted as I watched her, wondering what she thought I’d been told. But then I shook my head. “Oh, just that you and I were more like sheep to her than people. Easily manipulated and controlled.” I shrugged. “Stuff like that.”

“Wait. What? But I thought...She told me she was going over there to get you back.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “She tried.”

Her mouth fell open. “By comparing you to sheep?”

“You too. That’s why she said she chose me as a boyfriend. Because I reminded her of you. She said we were both gullible and naive and would do whatever she wanted.”

Zoey’s eyes widened in disbelief. “She said that? In order to try to win you back?”

I nodded and lifted my eyebrows. “Basically, yeah.”

“Oh my good Lord.” Zoey ran her hands through hair and turned away before coming back to me. “I thought she was going to tell you—” She cut herself off abruptly and looked up into my eyes. “She wasn’t like this when I knew her a year ago. She wasn’t even like this through all our emails. She was—”

“Oh, trust me. I believe you. She wasn’t like this when I started dating her, either. The girl’s a freaking sociopath. As long as you give her what she wants, she’s going to be all nice and caring. But the minute you cross her...” I shook my head and laughed softly. “She didn’t bring you here because she likes you, Zoey. I don’t think she’s capable of liking anyone.” I moved in even closer to her. “She brought you here for a reason, because she wants something from you.”

Zoey’s eyes were big and lost as she whispered, “I know.”

I took her hands, worried for her. “Don’t give it to her. Don’t give in and let her have her way.”

She opened her mouth as if she was going to disagree with me. But then she closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”

I don’t know what had her so conflicted but I hated seeing her this way. I let go of one of her hands to skim the backs of my fingers down her cheek. I wanted to keep arguing with her, begging her to get away from Cora while she still could, but there were other bigger things to discuss. “You never answered my question.”

She leaned her cheek into my fingers and her lashes fluttered before she pulled away. “What question?”

“Are you okay?”

Her chin trembled, and I swear she was a microsecond from crying, but then she pulled her shoulders up tight and blurted out a small laugh. “I don’t...” Her gaze strayed away from me. “I’m about like you, I guess. Sorta freaking out about everything.”