With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

I gave him the basic rundown of everything she’d said, to which he hissed, “That fucking bitch.” When he turned toward the door as if to leave, I caught his arm. “What’re you doing?”

“I’m going to go find her and punch her in the fucking lady parts. That’s what I’m going to do. How dare she? How—?”

I sniffed and shook my head. “Wasn’t like she lied, though. I was her—”

“Oh, don’t you even,” Ten warned, pointing a finger at me. “Don’t let her lies get to you. You’re a good person, Hamilton. You have a gentle, caring heart, and ugly, vile people like her will always try to take advantage of that. But I said it once before, and I’m going to say it again. The world needs more people like you. So don’t even think about turning hard because of this, or I’ll never forgive you.”

“So what do you expect me to do? Just keep being a weak, stupid—”

“You’re not weak. And you’re sure as hell not stupid. It takes more guts than I’ll ever have to open up to people the way you’re willing to.”

I tossed my piece of pizza back into the box and buried my face into my hands, aching to hurt something as violence brewed inside me. “I was such a fool,” I admitted, my voice muffled in my hands.

“Well, now you’re wiser. Never trust cruel, heartless bitches. Life lessons learned. Let it teach you, but don’t let it tear down who you are at the core.”

I started to nod, before I shook my head and frowned at him. “Wait. That doesn’t sound like anything you’d ever say.”

“I know,” he grumbled and rolled his eyes. “There’s nothing but fucking talk shows on when I’m home between classes and football practice. And all they talk about are feelings. Man, we’re seriously going to have to get cable before my balls turn into ovaries.”

I laughed, and it felt good to smile and think about something other than feelings. But Ten just scowled. “I’m not kidding. I’m learning way more than I want to about all that touchy-feely shit. It’s not cool.”

Picking up my pizza again, I took a bite and relaxed for the first time all day. I was still ticked at myself for letting Cora treat me the way she had, but as Ten had said: lesson learned. No woman was going to get that far under my defenses again.

Until the very next one did. Until Zoey did.

Reese didn’t make it to art class on Monday. She texted Caroline, telling her Mason’s chicken pox was taking a toll on him. But two seats—not just one—remained open between Caroline and me that hour.

Every time the door opened, admitting a late student, my chest wrenched, thinking Zoey would enter.

She never did.

Ten slept the entire hour, which left only Caroline and me. She kept shooting me worried glances. I wondered if she knew. She and Zoey had grown close; but would Zoey confide something like this in her? I’d had to talk to Pick about it. Maybe Zoey had needed to talk to someone too, like Caroline.

Maybe Caroline would know what I should say to Zoey when I finally saw her.

Class let out early, thank God, and the two of us gravitated toward each other. I opened my mouth to ask when she’d last talked to Zoey, but she patted my arm and sent me a sympathetic smile, waylaying my question.

“I heard about you and Cora.”

I jolted, not expecting or wanting to hear sympathy about Cora. I hadn’t even thought about Cora today. I’d been too busy wound up about my upcoming talk with Zoey.

Gritting my teeth, I nodded and sent Caroline a stiff smile, even as my gaze strayed to Zoey’s empty seat. God, I hated knowing I’d scared her away from art class.

“And don’t worry. If you think Zoey knew anything about it, I can assure you, she was just as surprised and upset by Cora’s faithlessness as you were.”

I glanced at her, and suddenly I knew; Zoey hadn’t told her about us. A sigh escaped my lungs, but I nodded. “I know she didn’t.”

Caroline opened her mouth again, but something a girl from across the room said caught our attention and stopped her from speaking.

“...Kavanagh didn’t even look like the kind of teacher a student would want to fuck.”

“Excuse me?” Caroline spun toward the group of girls talking together as they gathered their things.

As she marched toward them, a yawning, stretching Ten appeared at my side. “Where’s she going, looking all pissed like that? I didn’t talk in my sleep, did I?”

I shook my head. “She just heard someone bad-mouthing Aspen.”

“Fuck.” He swiveled her way. “Should we stop her?”