Brea felt her face turn bright red. He might as well have announced to everyone that they’d had sex.
Clearly, Pierce wanted to know why she was marrying Cutter. He was determined to get answers today, never mind how much his presence would make her friends and neighbors chin-wag.
Brea didn’t understand why he thought he had a right to demand anything after he’d been the one to break up with her, but if a few words would make him go away, then fine. Maybe she’d give him a piece of her mind, too.
And…okay, some foolish part of her ached to spend a few minutes alone with him.
“Rayleigh, can you finish up Mrs. Gale for me?” Thankfully, the salon owner’s last client of the day had cancelled.
“Sure, honey. No one is in the break room, if y’all want to chat in there.”
“We’ll only be a minute.”
As she turned away, mortification rolled over her. Every eye in the place followed as she led Pierce down the shadowy hall and opened the door on the right. As Rayleigh said, it was empty. The radio in the corner, with its volume turned down low, played a Carrie Underwood tune. The scents of hair dye and chemical cleansers filled the air. The queasiness she thought she’d overcome earlier rushed back.
She crossed her arms over her chest. But Pierce didn’t do subtle. If he wanted to touch her, her silent barrier wouldn’t keep him away. “What do you want?”
“You fucking agreed to marry Bryant?”
“Yes.” She stood her ground. And the more she thought about it, the more she got mad. “Why do you care? You told me in no uncertain terms that you were taking a step back. Then you left my house as if your backside was on fire. Why do you think that entitles you to any explanations?”
“Less than a month ago, you said you were in love with me.”
“Well, at least it took me nearly a whole month to change my mind. It only took you a week.”
He gaped at her. “What? I never said I didn’t love you. I asked you to move in with me, for fuck’s sake. And you decided the right response was to get engaged to a man I know doesn’t do a damn thing for you?”
Was he serious? If he still had feelings for her, why hadn’t she seen or heard from him in nearly two weeks? Did he only want her as a convenience when he was in the mood? For a forbidden thrill when she belonged to someone else? Was that “love” to him?
Maybe they saw relationships so differently that his definition and hers would never align. Now that they were having a baby, she couldn’t be with someone who showed up a couple of times a month and considered that devotion. Regardless of whatever Pierce was after, she could no longer afford to play his game. She had an unborn baby to protect.
“You’re wrong. I love Cutter. I have all my life. We finally decided to make it official. There’s nothing more to say.”
Pierce used the hard slab of his body to propel her against the nearest wall, then slammed his big palms on either side of her head. “Did he take you to bed?”
She gasped at the contact. God, he was so close. His body heat. His scent. His eyes all over her… Everything about him rattled her. Tempted her. “That’s none of your business.”
“Is that what you think?” His black stare drilled down through her eyes like he could see all the way to her soul.
She forced herself to nod.
Every time the man got near her, fire scorched her veins. She went hot all over. Her heart thundered. Even now, Brea couldn’t help arching closer as she panted and ached for his touch.
He grabbed her chin. His hot gaze sizzled its way to her mouth. Her eyes automatically fluttered shut in anticipation. Would his kiss be as all-consuming as she remembered?
“That invitation all over your face is so tempting, pretty girl. We need to talk more than we need to fuck…but I’ll be happy to accommodate.”
His sexy rasp nearly melted her. Why was she cursed to so completely crave a man who could destroy her?
When he reached for his zipper, she found her head. “No. Don’t touch me.”
“Why not? I’d bet every dime I own the Boy Scout still hasn’t laid a single finger on you. So all I have to do is lift your pretty plaid skirt, rip off your panties, and prove that pussy is still mine…” He grabbed fistfuls of the hardy fabric and started gliding them up her thighs. “Just like you are.”
She wrapped desperate fingers around his beefy forearms, nearly crying in need. “No, Pierce. Stop.”
He might still have her heart, but he didn’t want marriage and babies and all the things she yearned for. She couldn’t let him back into her body just because he spoke the words he must know she wanted to hear.