When the boys came, he watched over us and ensured we never wanted for anything.”
That gave Jace pause. “Ross and Ian are brothers?”
I nodded. “Ian was born an O’Farrell, but changed his stage name to Flynn when he started performing. It’s not something either of them publicize. Ross has always looked out for Ian. Now, he feels that same sense of responsibility toward Ian’s sons.”
“That explains a lot,” he mumbled under his breath.
I didn’t think I was supposed to hear it, so I pretended I hadn’t. Besides, I didn’t have to be psychic to guess his thoughts. I’d heard enough rumblings over the years to know that a lot of people in the business believed Black Raven’s longevity was more a product of Backstage Pass’s promotional wizardry and the ability to keep the worst of Ian’s shenanigans out of the public eye. Ross kept a firm rein and a tight lid on that account. Even I didn’t know all the gory details.
“I get that. But that’s them. You are a grown woman. Surely, he can’t begrudge you a life of your own.”
I bit my lip, unsure of how to answer that without giving too much away.
“Do you hide all of your lovers from him, Eva?”
Heat rushed into my face. My eyes immediately found the floor.
“Eva?”
“It’s never actually been an issue before.”
“Excuse me?”
I avoided looking at him, choosing instead to move to my dresser, and I started rummaging for underwear, hoping he’d just drop the subject. He didn’t.
“Eva, when is the last time you were with someone?”
Damn me and my big mouth. Why couldn’t I have just lied and said yes?
“That’s a very personal question,” I said, infusing indignity into my tone. Indignity wasn’t too far from humiliation and embarrassment, which I was feeling in spades at that moment, so it wasn’t difficult. “When is the last time you were with a woman?”
“Before today? Two years ago,” he answered without hesitation. “Answer the question.”
Two years? Was he kidding? Did he really expect me to believe that a man like him, who did what he did, would refuse that which was constantly offered?
And yet, for some strange reason, I did believe him. It still wasn’t enough for me to willingly bare my secrets.
“I don’t have to answer anything.”
“Jesus.” Jace paced the length of the bedroom, running his hand through his hair, still unaware—or uncaring—of his nakedness. “Tell me the truth, Eva. Am I the first man you’ve been with since Ian?”
I refused to meet his eyes. There were plenty of other parts on which to focus. I chose his feet, thinking that was a relatively safe area, but once again, I was wrong. The man even had sexy feet. How was that fair? For some unfathomable reason, it made me want to cry.
“Yes.” It was a whispered word, thick with tears I tried desperately not to shed. “Is that what you needed to know? Do you feel better now?”
“Oh, Angel.” Jace pulled me into his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I laughed into his chest, but it came out sounding more like a choked sob as I imagined how awkward that conversation would have been. “Would it have made a difference?”
He didn’t answer right away. He continued to gently hold me, stroking my back. Have I mentioned how much I liked when he did that?
“I’d like to say yes,” he said finally. “That, had I known, I would have been gentler. Eased into it. But I’m not sure that’s true. You light a fire in my blood, Eva. A fire so strong that it frankly scares the shit out of me.”
That tiny tendril I thought I’d crushed stretched and curled a little further around my heart and tightened. Such sweet words. A lover’s words. Words that pleased and terrified me at the same time.
I couldn’t, and wouldn’t, blindly follow my heart again. It had proven that it only saw what it wanted to see. I knew that Jace was not Ian, but my emotional scars ran deep, and I’d sworn that I would never again mistake pretty words spoken in the heat of the moment for truth. That was a promise that I intended to keep, no matter how much I wanted to believe him.
“Well,” I said, opting to deflect with a bit of self-effacing humor, “I’m none the worse for wear, though I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be straddling a motorcycle or a horse for the next few days.”
He gave me a pained look.
“Relax. I’m kidding.” I