“Do you want to eat first, then talk?” he asked gently.
“I’m not—” Tara shook her head. “No.” She drew in a long breath and held the engagement ring out to Brad. “I’m sorry but I can’t marry you.”
Shock blanched his face as he stared, frozen. When she pressed the ring into his hand, his fingers curled slowly around it. “You’re picking him over me?”
“This isn’t about Logan. It’s about making the right choices for me.”
Brad’s anger took over. “Tell yourself that all you want. I know the truth. He will, too.”
“It’s about my case and my friend and the duty I swore to upheld when I joined the FBI. It’s about what I want to accomplish. I won’t quit.” And I won’t continue pretending that I love you as much as you want me to.
Brad shook his head as he pocketed the ring. “I wonder if he knew when he staged that demonstration for me earlier that he’d break us apart.”
Demonstration? “What d-do you mean?”
“He must have known that my watching you with him would tear me apart inside.”
Shock turned the blood in her veins to ice. Logan had known that Brad was watching him go down on her? Horror washed over Tara. And certainty. Of course Logan had known. Brad had been the “someone unpleasant” he’d had to deal with.
That son of a bitch. Betrayal scalded her. And fury. She’d trusted him enough to submit, so she could feel for herself the connection that Jason and Greta shared. He’d used the scene as a way to rub her desire in Brad’s face.
“He’s a f**king bastard, Tara,” Brad spat. “Enjoy the hell out of your life, especially after he makes you miserable again. Screaming orgasms aside, you know that day is coming. And I won’t be around to pick up the pieces. Leave your key on the kitchen counter.”
Brad stormed through the front door—and out of her life.
Just like that, her perfect picket-fence future was gone. How the hell had that happened so quickly?
Tara braced herself on the back of the sofa with shaking hands. She needed a few minutes to process the fact that she was no longer engaged to an up-and-coming ADA who’d sworn he’d love her forever—and that her first lover had done his level best to break them up. And why? Just to see if she’d be gullible enough to fall for him twice? All the bullshit earlier about him caring for her and wanting to protect her . . . She suspected all he’d really wanted was to strip Brad from her life so he could have her back at his mercy. No way was she going to give him the satisfaction.
Club Dominion—Friday afternoon
Two hours later, Tara walked back into the dungeon. Logan felt his entire body go rubbery with relief. He’d feared that when she’d left with Brad, she’d never return, that she’d marry the schmuck and leave Logan alone and f**king miserable for the rest of his crappy life.
“You’re back?” God, even his voice wobbled nervously.
When she stepped closer, he looked under that furious glare to see that she’d been crying. Something in his chest seized up. Her expression told him that she hadn’t shed all her tears yet. Was she that miserable being here with him?
Logan raked a hand through his hair. If she stayed, he’d train her. But damn it, he wanted to do everything possible to make her happy. He couldn’t stand that anguished face. He hoped like hell that he could make her fall in love with him again, not only because he’d told Thorpe he was going to collar and marry her, but because he didn’t think his god damn sanity would last without her.
But if, after her training, he only made her miserable, he’d let her go.
“I’m back.” She raised her chin proudly. “Don’t gloat. If it weren’t for my job, I swear to God, I’d never come within ten feet of you again.”
Without another word, she took off her clothes, folded them at his feet, then assumed the slave position. Despite being posed in a way meant to communicate her desire to serve, her body shook with fury, complete with a “fuck off” vibe.
Shit. She looked so lovely, and it was all he could do to keep his hands off. But he had to figure out what was in her heart first. So the bad news he’d received while she’d been gone would have to wait.
“Cherry, tell me what happened.”
Tara glared at him with the fire of a thousand suns. “I ended my engagement to Brad.”
Hope and triumph spiked inside him. She’d left the ass**le? Thank God. Not only was Brad a distraction Tara didn’t need right now, he was completely wrong for her. He’d been standing squarely in Logan’s way. It was a relief to have that obstacle removed.
“But then, I suppose you manipulated the situation—and me— as always.” She tossed him a bitter glare. “Why else would you go down on me and force me to beg for orgasm, unless you knew he was watching.”
Shit. She’d totally mistaken his utter need to fight for her as a betrayal. “I’d be happy to do that every day. Brad watching was merely a bonus. I told him to leave, but I suspected he’d be stupid enough to stay and watch. Did I want to piss him off? I didn’t really care how he felt. Did I hope to come between the two of you? He and I had already covered that. He knew the score. But I didn’t do it for him; I did it because I couldn’t stay away from you for another god damned minute. I needed to touch you.”
She hesitated. “What did you cover with Brad?”