than I remember. But who the fuck is that?” she hissed in my ear, glaring over at Becca. “Do you know who she is? Why would he bring someone? Is she a friend? Did he say if he was seeing anyone?”
“Kasey.” Her yammering questions pecked at the back of my neck. I was sick of Kasey’s selfish singlemindedness, which was a quality that usually got her what she wanted.
Not this time.
“Seriously, Kins.” She pulled on my arms, facing me fully toward her. “Why did he bring a date? We had sparks between us. He should be here with me.” Her voice was still low but rose with a shrill desperation.
“Kasey.” Irritation nibbled at my last nerve with the need to get away. Even outside, I couldn’t breathe, the dress wrapping around my ribs like barbwire.
“Well, I don’t care who she is. He’s mine. We have a past. A connection.”
Anxiety drilled into the back of my legs, itching them to move. Escape. Run.
“Kasey!” Anger gurgled up. “Stop.”
“She’s not even that pretty, right? I mean, she is, but she looks so stuck up. Smith needs someone with more personality.”
I almost wanted to laugh from my sister thinking she was that girl for him.
“I can’t believe he did this to me.”
“To you?” My voice escalated, fury burning through any compassion I had.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Do you think he did this to make me jealous. To make me realize what I had been missing?”
“Kasey, shut the fuck up! This isn’t about you.” My patience snapped. “That woman…” I motioned behind me. “She’s his wife.”
Kasey stilled, her chest sucking in sharply. “What?”
“Becca. His wife.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “No, you must have heard wrong. Smith can’t have a wife. He would have told me. We’d know… No, that’s not possible.”
“Why? Because you say so?” I hissed, my temper flaring like fireworks. “Listen to yourself. He’s not yours. He never has been, and he never will be. Stop acting like you have this deep connection with him. You sound fucking psycho.”
She breathed in harshly, her lips parting to speak, but nothing came out, her eyes widening.
“Hey, Nettles.” His deep voice burrowed into my vertebrae like arrows, rushing a wave of heat and adrenaline over me. I couldn’t move or breathe with the feel of him slinking around me like a ghost, licking my skin.
I couldn’t turn around, my façade barely holding up, rotting and disintegrating with every beat of my heart.
“I called you a hundred times. Looked for you…”
I sucked in, fury building in my chest like a bonfire, every word he spoke was another piece of debris on the pyre. How dare he?
“Kinsley… look at me.” His voice held layers of meaning, an intimacy he had no right to have.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist, turning me to face him. Damn. The man wore a suit better than anyone I’d ever seen, twisting my lungs and heart into a knot. His appearance pissed me off more.
He inhaled, head snapping down, his thumb gliding over the significant ink on my wrist, taking in the design, his notice locking on the cactus tattoo. A reminder that I was the strong, fierce, bold, and will endure whatever comes at me.
“Kins—”
“Don’t.” I ripped my arm away. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
“Kinsley—”
“No!” I tried to keep my voice low, but it vibrated with anger and hurt. I could see my sister out of the corner of my eye, stepping back, shock and alarm darting her gaze between us.
I no longer cared. “Don’t say my name, don’t call me, don’t look for me. Go back to your wife, Smith. Leave me alone.”
“You don’t underst—”
“Shut up.” I moved closer to him, my chin high, my temper scraping at the seams. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You are a lying, cheating asshole. Something my younger self already knew. Should have listened to her.”
“Will you listen to me?” he snarled.
“No!” I shook my head. “Because it will mean nothing. At the end of the day, you are still a married man who fucked me in an alley.”
“Whaaaaat?” Kasey exclaimed, devastation streaking her expression, but Smith and I didn’t take our eyes off each other.
His nose flared with vehemence, his jaw grinding together.
“You said you wanted me to hate you.” I stepped backward. Escape. Run. “You got your wish.”
“Kinsley, is that true?” Kasey’s hurt shifted into pure wrath, her expression twisting into a snarl.
“Oh right, I should let you two get reacquainted, rekindle the deep love you had in high