I walk into Four Fathers, a little star struck. This office is amazing. Top notch, to say the least. I dressed up, though I have no idea why. There was no one I wanted to impress. Or maybe give a final eat shit, you could have had this send off. My black fitted dress hangs just above my knees and accentuates my boobs perfectly.

Devin laughed the entire morning while watching me pace, knowing I was speaking lies when I said this was the only thing I had to wear. But it was. This or the fifteen pairs of shorts and tank tops I brought.

Beside the point.

I walk up to the front desk, but I’m greeted by no one. I ring the bell, but no one comes out. I walk a little farther into the office, and—

“You’re late.” I practically jump out of my panties at his voice. I turn to see him standing a short distance from me, his bulky arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, well, I got stuck in bed.” My comment is in regard to my issues with mornings, but the fire in his eyes tell me he took that another way.

God, he looks so good. There’s no doubt I still want him. Like, bad, want him. My heart wants me to just forget why he really showed interest in me and pretend I didn’t figure out his plan. My vagina seconds that plan, because she really, really misses his cock.

But my emotional stability tells me I need to let go. I got played. Again.

I’m going to choose not to ease his mind. He can think whatever he wants. I drop the sly act and put on my game face. “Can we just get this over with? I have things to do.” Like cry.

“Follow me,” he instructs, then turns, walking down a long hallway, leading us into a large conference room. A woman is already sitting at the massive table. She stands, and I recognize her voice as the realtor.

“Hello, you must be Lucy.”

“Hi, that’s me.” I reach over and shake her hand. I go to take the seat next to her, but Trevor stops me.

“No need to sit. This won’t take that long.”

“Seriously?” I stare him down, wanting to punch him. How can someone go from being so amazing to such a prick? “You know what, you’re right. This won’t take long. Where do I sign?” I turn away from him, addressing Clara.

“If you can just sign here on the new contract.”

Bending over, I grab the pen and scribble my signature on each page of a mountain of paperwork. When I scrawl my name on the last page, I slam the pen down. “Great. Now that that’s out of the way…” I stand straight, turning back to Trevor. “Where’s my letter?”

“I’ll hand it over once the paperwork is filed through the courthouse. I have no doubt you may pull another fast one on me. Is that even your real signature?”

My jaw drops. The nerve. “Pull a fast one on you? Are you kidding me?” I’m seeing red. “You mean you using me and pretending you liked me just to get me to sell my grandmother’s house early!” I lift my hands and push at his chest.

“Don’t insult me.” He steps into me, trying to scare me with his dominance, but I’m not afraid of him.

“Oh, come on. We don’t need to play dumb here. Your buddy sold you out. You don’t need to act like you ever cared. Just give me back my let—”

“What do you mean my buddy told you? Making up lies now I see?”

“Oh, I had the pleasure of meeting who I suspect to be your douchebag of a partner. The same time he told me how you were wooing me just to get the closing moved up, you asshole!” I go to push him again, but his hands wrap around my wrist.

“You’re lying.”

“Fuck you! I have no reason to lie.” I fight against his hold, but he only squeezes tighter.

Clara tries to step in. “Um, maybe I should—”

“Clara, leave,” he barks.

“No! Clara stays,” I snap. “What, afraid someone might figure out what a bastard you really are?” I make another effort, tugging at my wrists, to no avail. My chest rises and falls. I may have a heart attack. All the anger that’s been simmering inside is finally getting its stage time.

“Mr. Blackstone, maybe we should take a short—”

“GET OUT, CLARA! GET THE FUCK OUT!” Trevor snaps. Clara jumps out of her chair, stumbling over her own two feet as she tries to get out of the room fast enough.

“What, get rid of any witnesses when you try to strangle—”

My words are cut off as he whips me around, aggressively stepping toward me until my back presses against the wall. “I never said that to Eric.”

“Bullshit. As if I would believe you now.”

“I never spoke to Eric about you. He knew nothing about you.”

Oh, that’s even better. Guess I was nothing to brag about. Not even his best friend knew about me. It all hurts just the same. “Well, great. No need to tell anyone about the poor little dimwit girl you were fucking.”

“Stop.”

“No, I get what I was to you.”

“I said stop! I never said that.”

“Who’s the one lying now? I got it. No need to save face with me—”

He slams his mouth onto mine, shutting me up. I’m stunned. I didn’t see that one coming. I’m stone still, unsure if this is my last kiss before he kills me. “What are you doing?” I ask, kissing him back. Dammit. I can’t resist his mouth.

“I’m proving to you I’m not lying.” He’s doing a good job of it. He kisses me hard, pushing himself into me. My knees tremble, about to buckle. He releases my wrists and grabs my ass, lifting me so my legs wrap around his waist. I should be stopping this—fighting him off and telling him I won’t be made a fool. Instead, I raise my hands and thread my fingers through his thick hair.

“I don’t believe you,” I whisper, increasing our kiss, missing the feel of his tongue overpowering my mouth. He presses his dick into me, and I moan.

“I think you do.”

Oh God, he grinds against me, hitting my special spot. “I do—I mean, I don’t! Wait, stop.” I remove my hands from his hair and push on his chest. “Trevor, stop.”

His hesitation is clear. He growls and lets me go, my feet falling to the ground. His eyes are dark. “Why’d you leave?”

“I wasn’t going to let you use me so you could get what you want.” He pulls away, giving me his back. He’s distraught. I hear the numbers. “Trevor.” I reach for him, but he shoves my hand off. He stops at the conference table, gripping the edge and bowing his head. “Don’t turn your back on—”

“Tell me what Eric said to you.”

“I already told you.”

“TELL ME AGAIN,” he roars, shaking the entire table.

I take a step back. “He came over when you were in the shower. He walked in and I didn’t even know who he was. He said he knew who I was and went off about how you had a plan for me and to make it easier for everyone, I should sign the contract so you can stop wasting your time with me. You needed to focus on work.”

There’s silence in the room. Until there’s not. With the strength of a bull, he takes the table and flips it. I jump back, alarmed at his aggressive behavior. “Trevor, what are you—”

“Eric wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Oh, so we’re back to me lying? Fine, you know what—”

He turns, his eyes ablaze, his breathing heavy. His lips are moving a mile a minute, but nothing is coming out. He’s counting. Bad. It kills me to see him this way. Such a strong man looking so broken.

I step up to him, chancing that he may throw me, and with both hands, I cup his face. He’s so lost in his thoughts, he doesn’t register me at first. I caress his cheek, and he brings his eyes to mine. “Hey, come back to me.” I wait for his eyes to dilate. His lips slowly stop.

“He wouldn’t hurt me like that.”

I don’t know how to respond to that. Because, apparently, he would. But Eric is all he’s had for so long. “I know.” I pull his head down so I can reach his lips. I press mine to his and keep them there until I feel his subtle surrender. I decide to change tactics. “I left because I didn’t think you wanted me.” A single tear runs down my cheek. “I wanted so much more, and to think you didn’t…hurt.”

Snapping out of his daze, he thrusts my hands away from his face and scoops me into his arms. “I thought you were playing me.” He coddles me. “You were my solace. My quiet.” He takes a seat in a chair, and I snuggle into the comfort of his large frame, but I can’t dismiss the feel of his heart beating hard against mine. He’s mumbling quietly and fast.

I can’t believe someone he cares for so much would do something so hateful to him. I feel just as angry as he does for what he caused. The past few weeks have been torture. To find out it was all lies…

“I’m going to kill him,” he mumbles.

“Me too. I’ll help bury the body,” I say, holding myself to him.

“I’m serious.” He pulls me off him and stands.

Oh shit. I wasn’t. “I was just kidding. I’m probably not even fit enough to dig a hole that deep.”

He bypasses my humor and picks up the phone on the floor and punches in a few numbers. “Is Eric in yet?” Getting his answer, he hangs up and turns back to me. “Go back to my place and wait there for me.”

“Yeah…that doesn’t sound like a good idea. Maybe I should just stay with you.”

He brings his hands around my shoulders. “I need you not to be here right now. I have so much more shit to say to you, but right now, I need you to leave and wait for me at my house.”

“Trev—”

“And don’t fucking leave this time.” He leans down, placing his lips to mine. I’m not feeling very good about this, but I do as I’m told.

I walk out of Four Fathers with a few thoughts in mind. He wasn’t using me. Life may be good again. And I also may be visiting him in jail soon.

* * *

I’ve been at Trevor’s for almost two hours. I’ve paced the entire downstairs a thousand times. Stretched just in case I do need to do some digging. Thought about all the things I was going to say to him before they carted him off in handcuffs. Debated on whether I could live the rest of my life in a foreign country where the law wouldn’t find us.

When I finally hear the door open, I gun it from the back deck to see Trevor walking in and slide to a complete stop in front of him.

“Geeeez. I’d hate to see the other guy,” I say, looking at his bruised and bloodied face. He walks up to me, pulling me into his arms. “Do we need to run?” I feel him shake his head. “Bury anyone?” A small chuckle followed by another headshake. “Will I be having to dig any holes? I’ve been stretching and feel a bit more confident on how much I can dig.”

He pulls me away. “No. Eric is very much alive. Barely breathing, but alive.”

God, that sounds good, but not so good at the same time. “What happened?”

“I made sure he knows never to meddle in my life again.” He bends down to kiss me, but groans when his cut lip brushes against mine.

“I’m sorry. I know he’s your partner and best friend—”

“Stop. Eric’s had that coming for years. It was something that would’ve happened sooner or later. We hashed it out. It’s done. Let’s just say he’s sorry.” He kisses me again. When he pulls away, I get a good look at him. Once I get past the cut lip, blood around his nose, and bruise possibly forming on his cheek, I capture his eyes.

“Are you okay, though?” I ask. “Like really okay?”

He leans in, kissing me. “No.”

His answer kills me.

I start to cry.

I feel such regret for jumping the gun. If I hadn’t been such a brat and left without confronting him, things would have been so different. Sudden remorse fills me. “The contract. I saw it in your coat pocket all ready to be signed,” I weep, wrapping my arms around him. “Oh, Trevor, that’s why I believed—”

He picks me up and carries me over to the gigantic leather couch. He sits, holding me tightly in his lap. “I had it, but the night I took you to dinner, I knew I wasn’t going to make you give up your Gran’s house. I knew I had other plans for you.”

I smile against his shoulder. “Oh yeah? And what were those?”

“Aside from fucking you senseless? Figuring out how to get you to stay.” He pulls away, cupping my cheeks. “I was going to ask you to stay that day. A friend of mine has an opening in the music department at the local school. I was going to coerce you into staying. You’ve been the best thing that’s come into my life. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt free. And I just can’t let that go. So, whatever it took. I was willing to play dirty to make that happen.”

“Well shit,” I say, the tears falling freely down my face. I bring my lips to his, kissing him with all my might. I don’t let him go until I’m fresh out of air and my lips become numb. Also, because I’m pretty sure I made his lip worse. When our eyes are on one another, I smile. “Well, why don’t you show me just how you were going to get me to stay, so I can tell you I would love to.”