Crushed - Pamela Ann Page 0,19

care enough to not want to see you in the hospital, hurt, or fighting for your damn life. I. Fucking. Care.”

He didn’t even address my insults, and the rawness of his words and his tone got to me. He cared. He cared enough to put our friendship on the line. He cared enough to voice it, even though he knew it was going to drive me crazy.

He cared.

That was quite a lot to say compared to the other people in my life.

Just like that, the whole thing—what made me spiral out of my emotions—flashed right before me. Disconnecting from his gaze, I felt no shame, only sadness that could be acquired through deep hurt and suffering.

“He has a newborn baby, and I have never seen him smile like that, like he loves that baby.” My voice came out shaky, breathless even, as I recalled the entire scenario that would be forever tattooed in my mind, and in came the gutting pain that tagged along with it. “He never smiled that way to me. Never. Not once. Not when I begged for his love, not when I cried for him to give me a hug at least, a kiss, or any sort of affection I craved; he never gave … not an ounce.”

“I don’t understand…” He frowned deeply, completely puzzled. “Who’s he?”

“My dad,” I uttered it as if the words were being wrenched out of me. The memory of him holding the tiny baby in his arms, gazing at it with unconditional love, was still afresh in my mind.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Brody seemed perplexed about my revelation. “I had no idea.”

Neither had I, but apparently, some people went through the world living double lives just like my father. No wonder he was always out on business trips. I bet it was one of his top excuses to cover his tracks.

“Do any of the girls know?” he asked lightly as he directed a soft, worrying glance at me.

Shaking my head, I took a deep breath. “No, I can’t tell them yet. I’m not ready. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be.” Admitting this out loud surprised me. I hadn’t planned it, nor did I realize I was actually capable of saying it out loud.

“I had no idea. Amber…” He reached out, pulling me close before engulfing my frame with his, holding me and cradling my head against his chest while his hand rested on the back of my neck, making soothing gestures.

Damn. I wasn’t going to cry. Damn him.

“Today wasn’t a good day. I did tell you that,” I choked out, fighting the urge to shed my tears.

“I’m here,” he softly cooed, making me feel secure. “I’m here.”

For the first time, someone really was, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it. My emotions were strung high, my senses running amuck. Hardcore. God help me, I was merely a sinner. Through and fucking through.

“Brody, I don’t think…” I began to say as I tried to untangle myself from him, but he was adamant that I stay put with my cheek attached to the sun-kissed skin of his toned and rather too defined chest.

“It’ll be okay. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Yep, God help me. My hormones sure as fuck weren’t going to try and salvage anything at this point.

That night, Brody’s good intentions evolved into something more physical. I went in his room a virgin and came out … undeniably not.

Chapter Seven

Present

Athens, Greece

“Are you sure you want to really settle here? It’s not forever, is it?” Trista’s saddened voice broke through my thoughts as I watched her questioning Lindsey while we drank our coffee and other refreshments after a festive luncheon.

Lindsey’s face fell a little. “Aww, boo, don’t be sad. I know it’s going to be weird without me around, but I have to be here with Dimitris. He needs me here, and frankly, I need to be with him, too. Besides, I don’t want anything to come in between us. Claudine did enough damage in wanting to break us apart. God knows we’ll have more trials coming our way, but for us to get through them, we need to stick together.”

“I know…” Trista sighed, knowing all too well the fight and struggle Lindsey had been forced to go through to get where she was now and how she herself had to tackle her own afflictions before fully embracing her future with Dimitris. It was a tough passage, yet everything was worth it in the end. “It’s just, with Emma gone and now