With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men #4)

“Damn. What kind of fucked-up monster would do this?” The surprise in Asher’s voice made me turn just in time to watch Cora straighten her shoulders in self-righteous indignation.

“Well, what do you expect a girl to do when her boyfriend and roommate betray her?”

“You...bitch.” I started toward her without thinking. My hands raised to wrap around her throat, and she backed herself against a wall before I’d even realized what was happening. I stopped myself before making contact though. My rage scared me so much it made my hands shake as I balled them into fists and dropped them at my sides. I’d almost touched a woman...in anger.

My God, what was happening to me?

“Why!” I growled into her face. “How could you do this to her? She was here to save your worthless life!”

Though I’d already stopped myself, I still must’ve scared my friends. Hands grabbed me by the shoulders and yanked me back.

I let them pull me away, glad to know they would’ve stopped me, and then ashamed that they almost had to. Cora whimpered and started crying as she sank to the floor and covered her mouth with shaking hands. I wanted to snort at her innocent, abused act, but guilt and fear assailed me for going as far as I had. I dug my hands into my hair, breathing hard.

“She deserved it,” Cora cried out. “You were mine. How dare she touch what was mine?”

And here returned my rage. “No, I wasn’t. We were over, not that I was ever really yours anyway, not when you had so many other guys on the side.”

“But you bought me a ring. You wanted to marry me.”

“You what?” Ten spat incredulously.

I ignored him. Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. “Why did you throw out those proposal hints in the first place, when you weren’t faithful, when you never planned on being faithful?”

From the floor, Cora looked up at me, but her wet eyes were filled with more hatred than fear. “Why do you think? I can tell you already know the truth. Precious friend that she is, Zoey told you she was here to save my life, so you already know I’m dying. I just wanted to experience everything I could. I wanted the wild, party college life as much as I wanted to know what it’d be like to plan my own perfect wedding.”

I shook my head. Wow. She was completely serious. “And you really thought you could just have it both ways?”

She lifted one shoulder and slid up the wall, regaining her feet. “Why not? I have a right to live my life to the fullest while I still can.”

“No,” I disagreed. “Not when it hurts others the way you have.”

“I guess that just shows how different you and I are. When I want something, I go after it.”

“Actually, it just shows how lucky I was to break free of you.”

She shook her head. “If you think Zoey could ever satisfy you as much as I did, you’re delusional.”

“Yeah, uh huh. I’m the delusional one. Whatever.” I was so ready to be finished talking to her.

I turned away to find that my friends had already boxed up some of Zoey’s ruined things. They were carrying them from her room, which made my chest ease a little. I was so glad they were here to keep me from losing my temper, to keep me on track with my mission.

I took the box Asher handed me and turned down the hall, striding past a red-faced, sputtering Cora, who couldn’t seem to believe I was ignoring her.

Tucking the box under one arm, I reached for the front door and pulled it open, only to skid to a stop when I nearly barreled into a guy standing there with his hand raised to knock. In his mid to later forties, the sandy and gray-headed man was taller and slimmer, and he had green, green eyes…just like—

“Dude, is that Zoey’s dad?” Asher asked from directly behind me.

I blinked. He did look a lot like Zoey. The shape of his chin, color of his eyes, even the slope of his cheekbones.

What kind of providence was this? My blood was bubbling with the need to hurt, to maim, and here arrived the man who had tormented Zoey her entire life? It was destiny.

I glanced back at a wide-eyed Cora, who was hugging herself as if cold…or as if she knew all her lies were about to come back and bite her in the ass.

“Is he?” I asked.

But the visitor repeated, “Zoey?” as if in shock. He glanced around me until he spotted Cora. “Cora, what is he talking about?” His face immediately molted red with rage. “Oh God. Tell me you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” I asked, utterly confused. Who was this guy?