Things We Never Said (Hart's Boardwalk 3)

“I couldn’t care less if you knew Gary was screwin’ around on me,” I said, voice lowered. “You know that’s not why I’m ignoring your calls.” I leaned in and hissed, “You know the reason.”

Rage flooded me as I grabbed my purse and shot out of the booth.

If I sat there any longer, I might punch him!

His confusion filled my name as he called out to me.

Confusion? Seriously!

I stormed out of the diner, hoping to catch my sister but she was already gone.

Then a strong hand grabbed my arm, hauling me around and into him. Michael’s heat and strength surrounded me, and I fought against it. “Let me go.”

“Calm down,” he bit out.

I lifted my eyes to meet his, all the heartbreak and pain flooding out of me. And I hated him for that too. “Let me go.”

His expression fell, and his exhalation sounded painful as he whispered, “Dahlia.”

“Why her?”

Michael’s grip on me tightened, and he pulled me closer. “I didn’t … I didn’t know about Gary. I didn’t know or I wouldn’t …”

Anger flooded me. “Wouldn’t have started dating my sister?” I ripped my arm away from his and pushed him away. “You should never have touched her in the first place!”

“What was I supposed to do?” he growled, his regret replaced quickly with his own anger. “Wait around and pine for something I couldn’t have?”

“No! I never asked you to do that, and we both know you never have.” I remembered all too well the girls he’d left parties with when Gary and I were dating. “But Dillon? Why would you do that? Why are you trying to hurt me?”

His eyes widened, and his features slackened. “Dahlia … I was never … I wouldn’t.” He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I didn’t think you’d care that way and she reminds me of you, I guess.”

Well, fuck if that didn’t hurt even worse. “So, she and I are interchangeable?”

Michael cut me a look. “You know that’s not true.”

“I don’t understand this.” I shook my head, angry at him and at the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. How dare he make me cry! I hadn’t even cried when Gary and I broke up! I retreated. “The Michael I knew would never have hurt me like this.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt you.” Michael reached for me, but I turned around and began walking away. There was nothing he could say that could change any of this.

I heard his footsteps behind me, but I didn’t expect to find myself hauled behind the diner and pushed up against the wall. He loomed over me, his hands braced above my head as his chest rose and fell in shallow, agitated breaths.

My heart raced.

“If we’re playing the blame game,” he snapped, “how about you? One, you never made it clear that you and I were even an option. And two, Dillon tells me that you’ve suspected Gary for months and that you’ve been thinking of breaking up with him all that time!”

“Never made it clear? Seriously! And how does that even equate to what you’ve done?”

“I didn’t know this would hurt you.”

“Bullshit!” I yelled in his face.

“Calm down,” he demanded, pressing his face so close, our noses almost touched. “Dahlin’, calm down.”

“Don’t call me that.” I pushed under his arm to leave, but he grabbed me by the waist. “Let go of me, Michael.”

Instead of letting me go, he pressed his forehead to my temple, and I froze.

Longing so deep and painful overwhelmed me, and fresh tears filled my eyes.