Forbidden Harmony (Harmony Falls #3) - Elizabeth Kelly Page 0,23
to tattoo her. When she allowed him to draw an original for her, an even deeper sense of possessiveness and pride washed over him.
She would be marked forever by him. His ink would always be etched in her soft skin and every time she looked at it, she would be reminded of him.
He wanted desperately to know why she wasn’t engaged anymore. Was it because of him? Had the dirtbag lawyer finally seen his mark on her neck and broke it off with her? Guilt rolled over him and he stopped tattooing. Fuck, what if it was his fault? He could try and ignore it all he wanted, but his little Sunshine didn’t look quite so sunshiny as she usually did.
Was her heart broken? Was she regretting that fleeting moment with him outside of the pub? Even the way she dressed was different. She wasn’t wearing her customary string of pearls and instead of her usual dress she was wearing a plain t-shirt and skinny jeans. He’d never seen her in jeans before. Her auburn hair was in a messy bun and pinned haphazardly against her scalp and her skin was free of makeup.
“Is it my fault?” He had to know.
She didn’t ask him what he meant. “No.”
“Are you telling me the truth?” He could still see his fading mark on her throat and more guilt flooded through him.
“I am,” she said. “It had nothing to do with you.”
He resumed tattooing and after a moment she spoke over the sound of the gun.
“That night outside of the Beaver, when you, um, when you helped me?”
“I remember.” Like he’d ever fucking forget it.
“I wasn’t with Harrison then either. If I’d been with him, I would never have, um, kissed you like that. I’m not a cheater. I’m a good girl.” She made a weird hiccupping laugh. “I didn’t tell you when you helped me with my car yesterday because I was embarrassed, and I thought everyone in this stupid town already knew.”
“Why did you break up with him?” It wasn’t any of his fucking business, but he couldn’t help asking.
“Technically, I didn’t. He ended it with me.”
Jesus, the guy was an even bigger idiot than he thought.
She sighed and then her shoulders straightened as if she was steeling herself. “Back in the spring, I discovered Harrison was having an affair with his legal assistant.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” he said.
“No.” She seemed emboldened by his outrage and continued. “I went to his house when he wasn’t expecting it, and found him naked on his hands and knees wearing a dog collar and leash while Crystal beat his butt with a leather crop.”
“Fucking hell,” he said.
“Yeah, I guess he had certain kinks that he didn’t share with me,” she said.
He shut off the gun and gently wiped the tattoo as she stared at the wall for a few seconds before the words tumbled out of her. “I was so upset. Not that he had certain tastes in bed but that he thought I couldn’t handle them. He – he basically said that the only reason he slept with Crystal was because he knew I was too much of a good girl to even try those things in bed. He said I was too uptight and stiff in the bedroom. He made it sound like all I did was – was lie there while he rutted away at me. But I,” her entire body stiffened, “I was a good girl because I thought that’s what he wanted. I was proper and demure in the bedroom because he expected me to be that way. He disapproved if I wore lingerie that was too revealing for God’s sake. Said it wasn’t me and that I shouldn’t try and be sexy because I just ended up looking ridiculous and it was a turn off for him.”
She was breathing heavily, and he rubbed her lower back again as her tiny hands clenched into fists.
“You’re sexy,” he murmured.
She didn’t seem to hear him as she slumped against the chair. “Anyway, it’s been kind of a bad day. You were right about my car, the engine is shot, so I have to buy a new one and it’s going to be such a stupid hassle. I was sitting at home alone and feeling sorry for myself, so I decided to walk downtown to the Walgreens. While I was in there, I overheard a couple of people talking about me and Harrison, just like on Sunday at the yarn shop, and