on her wholesome face. There’s not a single tease or curl in her hair. She’s not at all trying to be sexy.
Yet the sight of her leaves me struggling to breathe.
“Hi,” she whispers.
I stare, wrestle with myself…and I lose. It’s clear I’m not going to get my motherfucking head together anytime soon, so I just need to get tonight over with.
“We’re finally alone. Let’s get to it. Tell me how you want me to fuck you so I make sure you get what you came for.”
Masey flinches and rears back, stepping away from me, mouth agape. She wraps her arms protectively around her middle.
That expression, like I slapped her…
Fuck.
I called Thom all kinds of asshole for the way he treated her. And even if I didn’t mean to, I piled right on. Why? Because I have emotional, boo-hoo baggage.
Oh, cry a fucking river, dipshit.
She’s done absolutely nothing to hurt me. I have no excuse for my behavior. I feel horrible.
“Masey, I’m so—”
“Never mind. I wanted to know what genuine pleasure feels like with someone who liked me at least a little…but I think I’m asking too much of you right now. You’ve got your hands full and you’ve worked all day. You’d probably like to call your mom and kick back…” She shrugs, her shoulders lingering somewhere near her ears as she tries to appear like me bailing on her is no big deal. “It’s fine. I won’t take any more of your time. Good to meet you.” She pulls off my socks and lays them across my bed. “I’ll, um, wash your shirt and give it back to Harlow. I hope your mom recovers soon. Bye.”
She lowers her head, brushes past me, and makes a beeline for the door.
But I can see her face. I know I hurt her.
That makes something in my chest ache. I fucking talked to her the way I would talk to—
Nope. Not thinking about her anymore. I will not give that bitch another opportunity to shred my heart. And I damn well won’t let her ghost prod me into bruising someone else’s.
“Honey.” I wrap an arm around her middle before she can escape and pull her back against me.
She’s stiff and resistant, shaking her head and pushing at me desperately. “Let go.”
I can’t. And the tears falling down her cheeks twist my insides again.
“I’m sorry.” I cup her face and stare down into her wounded eyes. “I didn’t mean to sound snide.”
Yeah, you did. You felt like shit and you wanted her to feel the same. Congratulations on your success.
Jesus, I can’t remember ever being so torn or confused. One second, I want distance between Masey and me. The next I can’t stand not being near her. I’m taking my anger out on her because—somehow—she has the power to mess with my head. And right now, I want to fall to my knees because I’m afraid she’ll leave and I’ll never see her again.
What the hell is wrong with me?
You’re just not husband material, Trace. Face it.
I shutter that destructive voice in my head. “Let me try this again, Masey. Tell me how I can make you feel good.”
She shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it. Now clearly isn’t a good time for my silly problems. I understand.”
But she doesn’t. “They’re not silly. I—”
She settles a finger over my lips to stop me from talking as her eyes well with more tears. “When I was with Thom, he made me feel like spending time with me was a burden, something he did simply to appease me. When he left, I promised I’d never let myself be in that position again. So let go. I’ll get my things and be gone. You won’t have to deal with me anymore.”
Her words wrench me. I promised to boost her confidence and give her pleasure. Instead, I’ve both treated her like a piece of ass and made her feel unwanted. She’s done everything in the past twenty-four hours to show me she’s here for me. And I just shit on her.
She deserves better. She deserves to have everything she wants and needs. Hell, she deserves to be happy. I probably can’t give her that, but I owe her whatever I am capable of giving her tonight.
“I’m not Thom, and you’re anything but a burden, honey.” I cup her face. “Tell me what you need from me. Please.”
“Nothing, Trace. You know, maybe I should take this as a sign that I need to work on myself more. In a