He raised his brow. “Creeps you out? Never heard that one before.”
“Please get out of my way.”
When he reached for me, I wrenched away and, in the process, dropped my framed photos. The glass of two of the four shattered on the wood floor.
My stupid eyes filled with tears when I bent down to pick them up, and he pushed my hands away.
“Let me do this. I don’t want you to cut yourself.”
“They’re mine.”
He sat back on his haunches. “I know they are. I’m just trying to help you.”
“But…” Fuck. Goddammit. If I said another word, I wouldn’t be able to stop from crying.
Edge grasped my wrists and pulled me up and away from the broken glass. Once I was on my feet, he picked me up and carried me out to the family room.
He set me on the sofa and then sat next to me. “What’s going on, Rebel?”
I looked up at the ceiling, trying to keep my tears from sliding down my cheeks. When I failed, he reached out and brushed them away.
“Tell me why you’re upset.”
“Why didn’t you tell me Casper was your girlfriend?”
His eyebrows rose. “What’s this, then?”
“I saw you embracing her.”
This time he nodded. “I see. So you assumed she was my…girlfriend?”
“Lover? Does that define your relationshi
p more accurately?”
“Is that why you wanted to meet her? You’re jealous?”
“Wrong. I’m annoyed. You lied to me.”
“When did I lie?”
I repeated his words verbatim. “What you said earlier, ‘Rebel, about my treating other women the way I’m treating you tonight: I haven’t. Not ever.’”
“Do you want to know the true nature of my relationship with Casper?”
I tried to get up, but he pinned me to the sofa by putting an arm on each side of me. “Hell, no.”
“You’d rather continue believing falsehoods so you have a reason to stay angry with me?”
“I’m not interested in a play-by-play. Thanks, but no thanks.”
“I want you to wait here while I clean up the glass.”
“I can do it myself.”
He took a deep breath. “Rebel, I said to wait here.”
I was furious with him, but when he used that tone of voice, I couldn’t help but fall into line. I hated it as much as I loved it.