With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

“I mean the beautiful, amazing girl I moved on with after you and I broke up. The only betrayal was yours, Cora. You may be in denial, but that’s how it happened.”

“Well, don’t you sound all self-righteous? Tell me, how were you so pure, and innocent, and honest when you hooked up with her the very night you threw me away? Hmm? You can’t tell me you didn’t even think about her when we were still together.”

Guilt crowded my throat. I guess I hadn’t been all that faithful if she thought of it that way. I’d started developing feelings for Zoey long before Cora and I were over. I may have never strayed physically, and I never would’ve, but my grandmother had taught me that sinning in my heart was still sinning. And in my heart, I had been unfaithful to Cora, because I’d fallen for Zoey long before that first night we were together.

Looking smug, Cora began to laugh in my face. “You must really be a better teacher at sex than a student.”

Frowning, I glared at her. “What’re you talking about?”

She shrugged. “Oh, just that me showing you everything about pleasing a woman really wasn’t that much fun. But apparently, Zoey liked the lessons you gave her. She’d been trying to get on every cock willing to take her since she arrived at this party tonight. So you must’ve taught her to appreciate something.”

I snorted, not even believing her for a second. “Whatever. Just tell me where she is.”

“Oh, honey. I don’t need to tell you. I’ll gladly show you. She went into that room, right over there.” Leaning in closer, she whispered, “And you’ll never guess who she was with.”

Finally. An answer. Needing to see Zoey for myself, I started that way, but the door opened before I could reach it. Zoey stepped out. Her hair was a complete mess, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were as swollen as they got whenever I’d been kissing her for too long. And her clothes…her clothes were in a complete disarray with the neckline ripped, showing off her creamy, beautiful shoulder.

Her dazed-looking green eyes found mine just as some guy slipped out of the room behind her. Too busy pulling his shirt on, Ten didn’t see me. But I saw him. I saw him and Zoey together, leaving that room and looking as if they’d just fucked.

The blood drained from my face.

For the longest moment, I just stood there, afraid I was going to pass out. But Zoey? Zoey and Ten

?

I shook my head. Not Zoey. Just…no. I stumbled a step back, and Zoey’s eyes flashed wide. She shook her head madly and reached out in my direction as she stumbled toward me. I shook my head harder and spun away, tripping over a laughing Cora in my haste to escape.

I hadn’t heard from Quinn since leaving him Friday morning in art class. He’d sent me a longing glance and mouthed the word, “Bye,” before he’d started for his history class and I went to biology. But that was it.

I’d texted a few times but never received an answer back. When I tried to call, it went straight to voice mail. I knew he had to work that night, and I was tempted to stop by Forbidden, but I was worried that would look too clingy. We hadn’t been together long enough for me to be sure if it was okay that I wanted to see him, like, all the time.

So, I stayed away. Frankly, I was too paranoid to leave the apartment. An unrecognizable number kept leaving messages and texts for me all day. Afraid my father had found me, I was too scared to even read them. So, I deleted them and blocked the number. On Saturday, Cora woke me early, a little too perkily happy for my taste.

“You have more testing today while I take my dialysis,” she announced.

I groaned and rolled onto my back. “I remember,” I muttered, wishing I could go anywhere but back to the renal center with her.

Quinn had a big game today. If he won this one, they were set for the playoffs for divisional champs. I’d wanted to be there so bad. Pulling up my phone, I texted him, letting him know I couldn’t make his game, but I wanted to see him as soon as possible.

Finally—finally—he texted back, saying, That’s fine. We can meet up afterward. Love you.

I stared at the last two words, my chest swelling with shock. He’d never said that to me before. I couldn’t believe—

“Are you ready to go or not? I’ve got a kidney to flush out over here.”

“Sorry.” I shook my head, stuffed my phone into my purse and followed her from the room.

Her eyes sharpened with an evil glint, but I was getting used to those looks. It was best just to believe she had an ulterior motive behind everything she did.

She was quiet on the ride, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel as she flipped through stations and annoying the heck out of me when she’d change a channel just as I’d start to get into a song.

Once we arrived, I went through my regular tests, getting used to some of the routine of them taking my blood pressure, urine sample, and blood test. A lull came as I had to wait for Cora to finish, so I studied some homework until she was done. She was just concluding her treatment when the doctor who’d given me my exam approached me with a wince.

“We hit a snag on one of your tests.”

Both Cora and I lifted our faces. “What do you mean a snag?” Cora demanded, arching him a glare.

The doctor fiddled nervously for a second before he glanced back and forth between us. “It seems you’re beginning to develop a small urinary tract infection. We’re going to have to put you on antibiotics so it doesn’t move into your kidneys. If the kidneys get damaged, we’ll have to delay, possibly even cancel the entire transplant.”