Second Chance Love

“You remember enough that if I touched your pussy right now it’d be wet…” He paused for effect. “For me.”

“We’re done now.”

Instantly, I spun, but he gripped onto my arm and made me face him again. His mouth was now inches away from mine.

“The fuck we are. If anything, this has only begun between us.”

“I have nothing else to say to you.”

“Well, I have plenty to say to you. Starting with, I never stopped lov—”

I shoved him as hard as I could, and he barely wavered, which only infuriated me further.

“Fuck off, Caleb.”

“I’d much rather fuck you. Again. But I have no problem proving myself to you this time around, so please let me. I want to make things right between us.”

“I’m not the one who pushed you away.”

“I know, darlin’, but—”

“But nothing! Everything is still the same. Jax is still my brother. I’m still his sister. He’s still your client and best friend. The only thing that’s changed is the time I’ve wasted since you approached me last night.”

“Evie, let me worry about Jax.”

“Oh! Now you want to handle Jax? How convenient for you. What else would you like, Caleb? My heart and soul?”

“Yes, but I’ll start with being your friend.”

“We were never friends.”

“You’re right. We were so much more than that.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

“Then let me remind you of the man who saved you once.”

I yanked my arm away. “I don’t want to remember him. I spent years trying to forget him.”

“Evie, just let me explain.”

“You’re a day late and a dollar short. I don’t care to hear your bullshit anymore. I’m not that doe-eyed young girl who loved you. She’s gone, Caleb, and she’s never coming back. Get used to it. Last night I was horny, and you were available. End. Of. Story.”

With that, I turned around and rushed toward the bathroom, making sure I locked it behind me, needing to keep him out. It was where he belonged.

I turned on the shower, trying to tune out the memories of last night. It was nearly impossible. Especially when I took off my robe and looked in the mirror.

The truth was staring me in the face. He wasn’t lying—there were marks on my neck, my breasts, stomach and thighs.

Fucking bastard.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out he did it on purpose. He wanted to mark me, claim me, make me remember the night we shared, and I hated him more for it. The audacity of that man was inconceivable. He had some brass balls, but he always had.

Deciding to shake off the anger, I stepped into the hot shower, wanting to wash away any stench of him on my skin. When I made my way back into the bedroom, he was nowhere to be found. Not that I expected him to be.

Once again, taking a deep, reassuring breath, I reached for my overnight bag and grabbed the maxi dress I was going to wear today. Something else fell onto the bed. Right there before my eyes was our past glaring at me with a blaze of glory.

Damn you, Caleb. How did he still have this?

It was the first photo we’d ever taken together. The same night he saved me, catapulting my mind back to another place and time.

When I fell for the man who’d only end up breaking me.

Chapter 3

Evie

Then: Twelve years ago

“You should come to the sorority party tonight.”

I smiled at my new roommate, Tessa. She was two years older than me. I found her ad on the bulletin board in the common area of our university. She was looking for a new roomie since hers graduated last semester.

The apartment was close to campus, it was spacious, and fully furnished. I had my own bedroom and bathroom. It was perfect. Exactly what I was looking for. The rent was higher than I would have liked, but Jax was adamant he’d pay for my living expenses on top of depositing extra money into my account for anything I might have wanted or needed.

Thankfully, I had a full ride to the university since I graduated from high school with honors. At least he wasn’t paying for my classes. Although, he wanted to until he found out I had scholarships and didn’t need his assistance. I refused to have our father pay for anything in my life. I wasn’t just another woman he could pay off to clear his conscience.

My mom and I never had the best relationship. I hated that she was the other woman while she was proud of that fact. We didn’t see eye to eye on almost anything in life. She wasn’t what I would define as a loving mother. She was more concerned with her own life than she was mine.

A huge part of me knew that she intentionally got pregnant to trap my father into being in her life. It worked. He paid for her silence on my existence, giving her everything she craved. From the moment I could understand their relationship, I knew who she was to him.