Down Fall (Fallen Duet 2)

The clicking of heels rang out, and then she appeared at the start of the hallway. Her gaze trailed over me, her lips quirking at the corners. “Come on in, Brody.” Her voice was soft and inviting, but I knew her better than anyone: it was all an act.

I didn’t want to go into the house that had once been mine, but she needed to be told what would happen if she didn’t leave Lola alone. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me, and when I turned back around, Cade was gone, leaving just me and Moira standing on opposite ends of the hallway.

“Come into the kitchen,” she said, waving her hand in the air.

I cringed, feeling like I was approaching a complete stranger in a land I knew nothing about. I pushed my hands into the pockets of my jeans and took a deep breath. This wouldn’t take more than a few minutes, and when it was over, I wouldn’t have to see her again. Not like this anyway.

She was standing at the breakfast counter, mixing herself a cocktail, and it was only then I noticed the long silk nightie she was wearing. It dipped low at the front, showing her cleavage, and the fabric didn’t hide her erect nipples in the slightest. There was a time I would have found that sexy as hell, but now I hated it.

I looked over her head, ground my teeth together, and finally said, “I want to talk about what you did at the diner—”

“Would you like a drink?” she interrupted, and my nostrils flared.

“No.” I glanced at her, our gazes clashing, but hers held none of the animosity they had the last time I’d seen her. “I want you to leave Lola the hell alone.”

She picked up her drink and took a step toward me, slowly lifting it to her lips. “What’s in it for me?”

I raised a brow and itched to take a step back, to further the distance between us, but I had to stand my ground. “In it for you?”

“Yeah.” She took another sip of her drink and ran her tongue over her lips. “I miss you.” She stepped even closer, her body only centimeters from mine. “I know y

ou miss my pussy.” Her palm connected with my chest, her nails scraping down the front of my T-shirt. “You’ll get bored of her. Nothing can compare to what we had.”

“Stop,” I ground out, my voice rough, but it wasn’t because of anything but frustration.

“Why?” She pressed closer to me, her body now flush with mine. “I want you, you want me. She doesn’t have to know.”

“Moira—”

She leaned up, her lips connecting with my jaw. “Come on, Brody—”

“No.” I gripped her biceps and pushed her away from me. The liquid in her glass toppled over the edge and splashed against her front, making the material even more see-through than it already was. I could see everything under there, and I hated it. “Stop it.”

“You did that on purpose.” She placed the glass on the counter and ran her palm over her chest, making the material stick to her even more. “You want to see it, don’t you? You want me now that you shouldn’t. Is that your thing? You crave the forbidden fruit?”

“It’s not.” I let go and took three steps away from her. “I don’t want you at all.” She sucked in a breath, but I kept going. “And what you’re doing right now isn’t going to change my mind.” I shook my head. “Stop acting desperate, it doesn’t suit you.”

“How dare you.”

“How dare you,” I repeated. “How dare you show up at Lola’s work and embarrass her—”

“Embarrass her?” She gripped her hair and widened her eyes. “I’m the one who is embarrassed, not her. All my friends know what you did with the Cresthill whore! They whisper behind my back, talking about how I can’t keep a man—”

“Would you just listen to yourself?” I asked, my voice raised. I hated it was escalating to this, but she wasn’t the same person who I’d met all those years ago. I understood we all changed, but she was someone completely different. “You’re embarrassed because your high-society ‘friends' are talking about you?”

“You don’t understand!”

“I understand just perfectly,” I told her, lowering my voice. “I understand that if you approach Lola once more, I’ll get a restraining order slapped on your ass within the hour. I’m warning you, Moira.”

“Warning me?” she pointed at her chest, her cheeks bright red. “You think you can warn me off your little whore?”

I took two steps closer to her. “I’m sorry for what I did to you.” I paused and kept my gaze trained on hers. “But I mean what I said. Stay the hell away from her.”

“Or what?” she taunted, her lips lifting on one side.

“Or you’ll find out the lengths I go to for the people I love.” I left her with those parting words and spun around, desperate to get away from her.

Chapter Twelve