With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

I shrugged. It seemed like something Ten would do at a time like this, and I could certainly do with a little bit of Ten’s attitude right about now.

“Oh my fucking God,” she roared. “I cannot believe this. You stuck your dick in another woman. You fucking bastard.”

When she curled her fingers, claws extended, and went for my face, I caught her wrists again, stopping her. Then I propelled her away from me. She must’ve realized I wasn’t going to let her hurt me, because her next strategy was to grasp her waist and double over as if in extreme pain before she burst into hiccupping sobs.

The weeping was so extreme, I arched an eyebrow because it was so obviously fake.

In the past, tears had always melted me. I absolutely could not stand watching a woman cry. But Cora’s put-on tears enraged me. And the crude way she’d described what Zoey and I had done sent me right over the edge.

I leaned forward. “Imagine how I felt yesterda

y, finding out you’d let other men stick their dicks in you.”

When she looked at me as if I’d betrayed her, I shook my head. “Are you forgetting which one of us was faithful?” I jabbed a finger at her. “You cheated on me, Cora. You betrayed me and slept with I don’t know how many other men while we were together. So I moved on. How dare you stroll in here, without a single apology, and just expect me to...I don’t know, thank you because you’re willing to give us another try? Well, no. It...is...over. It was over the minute I read that text. And whatever I’ve done with anyone else since that moment is none of your damn business.”

“But...you’re mine.” She stomped her foot, the pinch in her eyebrows a pathetic glare. “I created you. I—”

“You what? You created me?” My mouth fell open, wondering what the heck that was all about.

“Yes.” She hissed at me. “You were nothing. A pathetic little naive, gullible nobody. So malleable and easy to control. Just like Zoey.”

“Zoey?” I croaked. I didn’t like hearing her name come from this woman’s mouth, this woman I thought loved me and loved being with me, this woman who’d lied to me and broken my trust. “What does Zoey have to do with this?”

“Nothing.” Cora shrugged. “You just reminded me of her. That’s why I chose you.”

I shook my head, more confused than ever. “Excuse me? Did you say you chose me?” She made it sound like she’d taken a trip to the pet shop to pick out her next lapdog.

A sick nausea churned in me when I realized that’s exactly how she’d always treated me. Like a lapdog, someone to fetch her slippers, rub her feet, make her breakfast, lick her pussy.

She sent me a proud, triumphant grin. “The night of the auction, I did choose you. Like a shy, lost little puppy. It reminded me of how Zoey had always been. So I knew I could do to you what I’d always done to her.”

I clenched my teeth as my stomach tightened with dread. “And what exactly did you always do to her?”

Her grin turned sly and mischievous. “Whatever I wanted. You see, timid, lonely people like you two are starved for a little attention. All I needed to do was feed you both a couple compliments, and you were devoted to me for life. Zoey will do anything for me, because I’m like, I don’t know, her god, I guess. She worships the ground I walk on.”

I tipped my head to the side, more curious than anything. I probably should’ve been mad to learn she thought so little of us. I should’ve felt hurt and incredulous. Well, okay, I was incredulous. And mad and hurt. I couldn’t believe she’d always been this way. I guess I’d just been too stupid and naive and gullible to see it. And okay, maybe I was angrier than I thought, because knowing she’d done the same exact thing to Zoey flamed the fire.

“So, Zoey and I are just puppets to you? And I was like your...arm candy?”

“Arm candy?” She brightened and then laughed. “Yeah, I like that term.”

“Well, I don’t. You can go now. I think I’ve heard enough.”

Grabbing her arm, I dragged her a little more roughly than I should’ve toward the door. As I pulled it open, she began to resist.

“Hey, I’m not—”

“I don’t care. Your gullible, naive creation just grew a mind of his own. Get. Out.” As soon as she stumbled into the hall, I slammed the door. She started to pound, but a minute later, I heard Ten’s muffled voice. Seconds after that, she was gone. And my roommate returned.

“So.” He glanced around the room as if looking for broken furniture. “What’d she have to say?”

I slumped onto the sofa and picked up my pizza, but I couldn’t eat it. “Quite a bit.”

“Lots of begging and forgiving, huh?” Ten snorted and shook his head. “Figures.”

“No, actually. She never said sorry. She never begged. She just snapped her fingers and then told me to come to heel and return to being her gullible, naive lapdog.”

Ten paused, scrunched his eyebrows together. “Come again?”