With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men #4)

I turned, but it was Cora. I started away again but did a double take at the last second. She had the beginnings of a black eye, and I swear her nose was swollen. “What happened to you?” I kind of wanted to high five the person who’d done that do her.

She fluttered her lashes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

When she reached out to draw on my chest with her finger, I pushed her hand away. Then I shook my head and rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it’s not going to work. I know you took my phone and changed out her number for your own.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Wow. I’m impressed. I didn’t realize you’d be so clever.” Her eyes heated as she glanced down my chest. “My big, clever man.” She reached for my shirt again. This time, I grabbed her wrist and held it hard.

“Where’s Zoey?”

Drawing up into a huff, she glared at me and ripped her arm out of my grip. “You mean my whore roommate who betrayed me with my boyfriend?”

“I mean the beautiful, amazing girl I moved on with after you and I broke up. The only betrayal was yours, Cora. You may be in denial, but that’s how it happened.”

“Well, don’t you sound all self-righteous? Tell me, how were you so pure, and innocent, and honest when you hooked up with her the very night you threw me away? Hmm? You can’t tell me you didn’t even think about her when we were still together.”

Guilt crowded my throat. I guess I hadn’t been all that faithful if she thought of it that way. I’d started developing feelings for Zoey long before Cora and I were over. I may have never strayed physically, and I never would’ve, but my grandmother had taught me that sinning in my heart was still sinning. And in my heart, I had been unfaithful to Cora, because I’d fallen for Zoey long before that first night we were together.

Looking smug, Cora began to laugh in my face. “You must really be a better teacher at sex than a student.”

Frowning, I glared at her. “What’re you talking about?”

She shrugged. “Oh, just that me showing you everything about pleasing a woman really wasn’t that much fun. But apparently, Zoey liked the lessons you gave her. She’d been trying to get on every cock willing to take her since she arrived at this party tonight. So you must’ve taught her to appreciate something.”

I snorted, not even believing her for a second. “Whatever. Just tell me where she is.”

“Oh, honey. I don’t need to tell you. I’ll gladly show you. She went into that room, right over there.” Leaning in closer, she whispered, “And you’ll never guess who she was with.”

Finally. An answer. Needing to see Zoey for myself, I started that way, but the door opened before I could reach it. Zoey stepped out. Her hair was a complete mess, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were as swollen as they got whenever I’d been kissing her for too long. And her clothes…her clothes were in a complete disarray with the neckline ripped, showing off her creamy, beautiful shoulder.

Her dazed-looking green eyes found mine just as some guy slipped out of the room behind her. Too busy pulling his shirt on, Ten didn’t see me. But I saw him. I saw him and Zoey together, leaving that room and looking as if they’d just fucked.

The blood drained from my face.

For the longest moment, I just stood there, afraid I was going to pass out. But Zoey? Zoey and Ten?

I shook my head. Not Zoey. Just…no. I stumbled a step back, and Zoey’s eyes flashed wide. She shook her head madly and reached out in my direction as she stumbled toward me. I shook my head harder and spun away, tripping over a laughing Cora in my haste to escape.

I hadn’t heard from Quinn since leaving him Friday morning in art class. He’d sent me a longing glance and mouthed the word, “Bye,” before he’d started for his history class and I went to biology. But that was it.

I’d texted a few times but never received an answer back. When I tried to call, it went straight to voice mail. I knew he had to work that night, and I was tempted to stop by Forbidden, but I was worried that would look too clingy. We hadn’t been together long enough for me to be sure if it was okay that I wanted to see him, like, all the time.

So, I stayed away. Frankly, I was too paranoid to leave the apartment. An unrecognizable number kept leaving messages and texts for me all day. Afraid my father had found me, I was too scared to even read them. So, I deleted them and blocked the number. On Saturday, Cora woke me early, a little too perkily happy for my taste.