Perfectly Inappropriate

He stared at her deeply, intensely, and soon, she was squirming under that intrusive examination, feeling like he was looking into places she didn’t want him to see. “Are you feeling bad for me?” she suddenly blurted out. “Because if you are, please don’t. The last thing I want is pity.”

Noah slowly shook his head, placing his hand over both of hers and squeezing. “I don’t feel bad for you, Olivia. I am, however, impressed with your strength.”

She nearly barked a laugh. She hadn’t felt strong lately. She felt like she was avoiding everything and hiding away…until SiR, of course. “How in all of what I said did I come out looking strong?”

“Because you should hate the world right now and you don’t. You still see the beauty in things.”

She swallowed back the emotion climbing up her throat. “Cameron and Lacie did this to me. No one else. Why would I punish anyone else for what they did?”

“They deserve that hate,” he declared, stroking a thumb over her hands. “In fact, they deserve much worse.”

“Believe me,” she said softly. “They got it.”

In the loaded silence in the bedroom, Lacie gasped and reached for the duvet. “I need to get out of here.”

Not on Olivia’s goddamn life. She charged into the room and grabbed the bedding, ripping it away from Lacie, glaring at the best friend she’d had since they were six years old. “I’m sorry, is being naked in front of me uncomfortable for you?” she snapped.

Lacie’s cheeks reddened. She gave Cameron a quick glance, obviously looking for help. When he failed to man up, Lacie bowed her head and sniffled.

Standing in front of the hope chest at the foot of the bed, Olivia released the duvet, letting it fall to the ground along with all her hopes and dreams. She parted her lips to say something, but the words were stuck in her throat.

Was that normal when faced with this type of thing?

Cameron was sliding off the mattress when Olivia noticed his semi-hard, bare cock glistening against the light, showing off Lacie’s arousal. Olivia drew in a long, deep breath, inhaling the musky aroma of their sex. The coldness that had invaded her when she walked into the bedroom began to vanish, replaced by something hot and uncontrollable. “You’re not using a condom,” she choked out. “You put me at risk. How fucking could you?”

“Olivia,” Cameron began.

Somewhere in the crevasses of her mind she knew being angry at him for not wearing a condom didn’t make total sense, but for whatever reason that’s where her anger began. There was no off switch. Violent thoughts rushed through her head as she reached for a vase. She parted her lips to scream, but she silently chucked the vase in their direction.

Lacie screeched, leaping out of the bed.

The vase blasted against Cameron’s shoulder then smacked into the bedside table before shattering to pieces on the floor. The glass shards a harsh mirror of her heart.

Without barely even looking, Olivia reached for the jewelry box that Cameron’s mother had given her for Christmas last year. With her heart pounding in her ears, she watched Lacie reach for her clothes. To hurt the two people she loved and trusted, she whipped the box at Lacie.

Cameron lurched forward, snatching Lacie’s arm, yanking her back out of the way. Lacie fell on her bare butt then scrambled to her feet again, as the jewelry box crashed to the ground, sending the necklaces and bracelets that Cameron had bought her over the years scattering around them.

All. Fucking. Lies. Of. Love.

Olivia growled—a nonhuman sound even to her ears—and reached for the stone statue of a couple kissing. Right as she went to throw it, Cameron charged, locking his arms around her.

“Go, Lacie,” he yelled.

A bare-assed Lacie ran from the room. Olivia used the self-defense training she’d learned in high school and elbowed Cameron in the gut. A groan spilled out around her as his arms released.

“Olivia.” He held up his hands, backing toward the door. His soft cock flopping between his legs. “Calm down.”

Olivia held the statue up and finally the scream broke free. It sounded as raw as she felt.

She obviously looked like she was on the verge of committing murder, since Cameron spun on heels and roared, “Lacie, run!”

His naked body was all that Olivia saw as he raced down the stairs. She’d bought this house. With her savings. For them. And he was fucking someone else. Her best friend.

Betrayal burned at the back of her throat as Olivia charged after them, statue in her hand. Lacie ran out the front door first, followed by Cameron. Screaming as loud as she could, Olivia reached the door a second later, slamming it shut and twisting the deadbolt.

“Help!” Lacie shrieked. “She’s gonna kill us.”

Another voice Olivia recognized as their next-door neighbor yelled, “Get them blankets.”