Of course I couldn't hide my mood from him with just a smile.
He saw right through me.
He caught my face in his hands and glared down at me.
"It's over and done with.
Forget it."
I reached out and ran my fingertips over the place where I'd seen the bruise.
"It needed to happen," he said curtly.
"No.
Shut up and listen to me.
I thought I understood your feelings about Corinne, and, frankly, I thought you just weren't dealing with it well.
But I had no clue.
I was a self-centered idiot."
"I'm not dealing with it well.
I hate her f**king guts.
I can't think about her without feeling violent."
"I get it now.
I didn't before."
His mouth twisted ruefully.
"Sometimes it takes something drastic to shake me up.
Luckily, you've always been very good at getting my attention."
"Don't try to tease this away, Gideon.
You could've been seriously hurt because of me."
He caught me by the waist when I would've turned away.
"I was seriously hurt because of you.
Seeing you in another guy's arms, kissing him ."
His eyes grew hot and dark.
"It shredded me, Eva.
Cut me open and left me bleeding.
I kicked his ass in self-defense."
"Oh, God," I breathed, devastated by his brutal honesty.