Ruthless (10 page)

She turned into his arms. “But you said...”

He sighed. “I don’t have a good feeling about this, sweetheart. I have a feeling your cowboy isn’t gonna take the news too well.”

“I know he’s going to be upset, but Tim would never do anything to hurt me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Maybe you’re right, I don’t know, but I’m not willing to take that chance.”

She traced his full mouth with the pad of her thumb, longing to follow-up with her tongue. They hadn’t made love in too many months and she was desperate to feel him inside of her again. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

He groaned as though he could read her thoughts. “I wanna be there when you tell him it’s over.”

She pulled back to look at him, trying to tell whether he was kidding. “You’re not serious?”

“Damn straight I am. I’m not gonna take a chance that he might lose it and take his anger out on you. If he wants to take his anger out on someone, I’m more than happy to oblige.”

She kneaded the tense muscles in his shoulders. “I can’t let you do that. I got myself into this mess when I accepted a proposal I had no business accepting.”

He grunted. “I can’t argue with that.” He picked up her left hand and scowled at the engagement ring adorning her left finger. “If I ever see another ring on this finger, it damn well better be mine.”

She refused to acknowledge the flutter in her belly. He said “if,” and that meant they still had a long way to go before he was ready to make that kind of commitment.

“What, you got nothin’ to say to that, sweet thang?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me that I’m the only guy you’d even consider walking down that aisle toward.”

She stared at the tone on tone pattern of his blue silk tie, trying to focus on anything but his words. She wouldn’t allow herself to hope for something that may never happen, and if this was his idea of a joke, it was beyond cruel. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, won’t we?”

He gripped her waist with both hands. “What the hell does that mean? You don’t wanna marry me anymore?”

She wanted to marry him more than she’d ever wanted anything, but she’d be damned if she’d lay her pride at his feet again, giving him yet another opportunity to stomp all over it. “I don’t know what I want, Luc.”

“What the fuck does that mean? You don’t know if you wanna be with me?”

She looked up and saw the fury in his eyes. Luc’s temper was legendary. He had been known to overturn tables and mix it up with his clients on more than one occasion, but she knew she had no reason to fear him. If she was still certain of one thing, it was that Luc would never hurt her. “I just agreed to come over to your place tonight. Obviously, I want to be with you.”

He glared at her. “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

She felt the power of knowing she had him at her mercy for a change. Luc was the one pursuing her for the first time in their relationship and it was a heady feeling, one she wasn’t ready to relinquish any time soon. “Can’t say that I do, hon. You look like you’re coiled tighter than a spring.” She eased her hands up his back, massaging the back of his neck. “I know of a great stress reliever.”

He grabbed her wrists, holding her hands against his chest. “I don’t want you in my bed just to relieve stress, Marisa.”

She feigned innocence. “I know. It’s been a long time for me too, baby.”

He gripped her wrists harder. “Damn it. This is not about sex and you know it.”

She ground against his arousal and laughed at the tortured expression that crossed his face. “Really? You could’ve fooled me.”

He growled. “Don’t push me, Marisa.”

She pulled her arms out of his grasp. “I’ll call you later, if it’s not too late when I finish up with Tim.”

Chapter Eight

Luc sat in Marisa’s parking lot waiting for Tim’s truck to pull in. His temper was still raging hours after their dispute in Trey’s guest house. He offered to drive her home from the party, and she sweetly insisted he didn’t have to go out of his way. Lexi and Josh passed by her building on their way home and they offered to give her a ride. She actually had the audacity to suggest he go home and get a good night’s sleep. He knew she was only baiting him. At least, he hoped she was. If she was serious, that meant she’d given up on the kind of relationship she always claimed to want from him.

Was it possible he wasted too much time being a jackass and she was only interested in biding her time with him until the real deal came along? His gut churned just thinking about it. What if she just wanted him for sex? What if she came to realize she didn’t really love him after all? He tried to remember the last time she’d said those words to him. He felt the panic rising like bile in his throat. She hadn’t told him she loved him since long before they broke up. Maybe that was the real reason she ended their relationship, that she didn’t love him anymore. Maybe he’d just allowed himself to believe it was because he hadn’t been able to give her the commitment she needed and she’d allowed him to believe that because she wanted to spare his feelings.

What was he going to do if she told him she just wanted a friendly, no-strings attached romp every now and then, when she had the urge? He’d tell her to go to hell. He gripped the steering wheel. No, he wouldn’t because if he did, men would be beating down her door to satisfy her cravings. He couldn’t let anyone else have her, which meant he was completely at her mercy. If she told him she wanted to be friends with benefits, he would have no choice but to acquiesce. No, he’d had too many of those relationships in his life. He knew that meant only one thing. Both parties were free to hit the sheets with other people. If she thought she was going to share her body with other men, he was going to have to set her straight, now.

He reached for the door handle and cursed when a black pick-up truck pulled into the visitor parking area. He’d been so wrapped up in his own tortured thoughts that he forgot about Tim.

His cell phone rang and he checked the caller i.d. Trey . “Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Just wondering if you’ve heard from Marisa.”

“Nah, I’m still sitting in her parking lot. He just went upstairs. I’ll give them twenty minutes, then I’m headin’ up there.”

 Trey laughed. “Luc, should I be worried that you’re stalking my sister?”

Luc rolled his eyes. He was in no mood to be the butt of his friend’s jokes. “Listen, I need to ask you something.” He cringed, just thinking about how he was going to pose the question without sounding like a pussy.

“Shoot.”

“Has your sister said anything to you about me lately?”

Trey laughed again. “Are we still in junior high?”

“I’m serious, man; do you think she still loves me or what?”

“Luc, you know I can’t speak for Marisa,” he said quietly. “You need to talk to her about that.”

“Trey, what if I’ve really screwed things up?” He raked his hand through his hair. “What if she doesn’t want me anymore? What the hell am I gonna do?”

“She’s breaking up with Tim. That’s gotta mean something, right?”

Luc sighed. “Yeah, it means she wants to screw me...”

“Heh, heh, heh. Shut the hell up!” Trey shouted. “You’re talkin’ about my baby sister, remember?”

Luc winced. “Sorry, I’m just freakin’ out, man. What if that’s all she wants?”

“What do you want, Luc?”

“I want her, in my bed, sharing my life. Hell, I want it all. But I’m not gonna lie to you, Trey. I’m still scared out of my mind.”

Trey sighed. “I get that, but you’re gonna have to come clean with her, Luc. Tell her about Nikki before you even think of talking to her about the future. She deserves to have all the facts before she makes any decisions.”

“Yeah, I know you’re right. I just haven’t figured out how I’m gonna do that. What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me once she realizes I’m the kind of guy who could abandon his own kid?”

“I’m not gonna lie to you, Luc. That’s a very real possibility.”

Luc held the phone away from his ear and cursed a blue streak. “Thanks for nothin’, shithead.”

“I’m not gonna blow smoke up your ass, man. I’m gonna tell you the truth, whether you wanna hear it or not.”

Luc knew Trey was doing him a favor by trying to prepare him for the worst, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear. “Okay, I can’t take this anymore. I’m gonna head upstairs and find out what the hell’s goin’ on up there.”

“Call me if you or Marisa need me, okay?”

Luc was grateful he had friends he could count on, whether he deserved them or not. “Thanks, Trey.”

Marisa rehearsed her speech all day, but when it came down to it, there was no easy way to tell a man who had loved her most of her life that she had changed her mind, she didn’t want to be his wife.

She poured herself a glass of white wine and snagged Tim a beer from the fridge. He’d settled in to watch the sports network, apparently assuming it was a night like any other. She hated that with a few choice words, she would be turning his world upside down.

He smiled at her when she walked into the room. “You looked beautiful today, but I gotta admit, I love you just like this. Sweats, your face scrubbed free of make-up...” His voice trailed off.

“Why’s that?” she asked, handing him the beer bottle.

“I guess it makes me nervous when you’re all dolled up like that, darlin’. You look like a supermodel, hardly the kind of woman who’d be happy with a simple guy like me.”

She touched his beard-roughened cheek. He was such a good man, so kind and gentle. She hated that she had used him to try and heal her broken heart. “You’re so sweet,” she whispered. “You make me feel so special.”

He took a swig of beer before setting the bottle down on the coffee table. “I’m serious. Don’t think I don’t see the way men look at you, especially that ex-boyfriend of yours.” He turned toward her and took her left hand in his, twisting her engagement ring between his thumb and forefinger. “I know he can give you things I’d never be able to give you, darlin’, but he’ll never love you the way I do.”

His words pierced her heart because she knew how much he meant them. He had been her shoulder to cry on whenever Luc would do something to unwittingly hurt her, and she hated that he would believe she was throwing that loyalty back in his face.

“Tim, we need to talk.”

He took a deep breath, as though he were bracing himself for bad news. “About what?” He leaned forward. “If this is about the wedding...”

She touched his hand. “It’s about us, Tim.”

He stared at the images on the TV screen. “What about us?”

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just gonna say it. I can’t marry you.”

He picked up the TV remote and smashed it against the wall.

She squealed at his sudden and unexpected reaction. “What the hell? What’s the matter with you?”

He put one hand on either side of her, effectively caging her in. He hoisted himself up on his hands so his body was partially covering hers. “What’s the matter with me? You have the nerve to ask me that question?”

Marisa was stunned. Like someone had flipped a switch, the sweet, mild-mannered boy she grew up with had been replaced by this menace who seemed hell bent on seeking revenge. She backed away, trying to put some space between them, but he edged closer until he had her backed into the unforgiving wood edge of the sofa’s armrest. “Tim, I know you’re upset...”

His eyes turned dark and cold. “You don’t know how the fuck I feel. I’ve been sniffin’ around you for years, makin’ an asshole of myself while you spread your legs for that worthless piece of shit.” He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her. “Do you know how that made me feel, knowing you were with him while he screwed God knows how many other bitches behind your back?”

She felt the tears blurring her vision. She wasn’t crying because she believed him, but because she had been so wrong about him. “I want you to go, now.”

“Like hell I will.” He grabbed her wrists and braced them above her head. “I can’t force you to marry me, but I can force you to give me what you’ve been withholdin’ all these years.” He shoved his knee between her legs, forcing them apart.

As soon as she realized what he intended to do, she let loose with a blood-curdling scream.

He covered her mouth with his hand, lowering his face until it touched her. “Shut the hell up. This is gonna happen, whether you want to...”

They both heard the click of the lock at the same time, and she used his momentary surprise to knee him in the groin.

Luc threw the door open and lunged for him. “You son of a bitch.” He grabbed Tim’s shirt and dragged him off the couch.

Marisa jumped up, trying to pull Luc off him. “Stop it, please, don’t. He’s not worth it, Luc.”

Luc drew his free hand back and caught him in the mouth. When Tim started to fall to the ground, Luc caught him in the mouth again, this time with his boot.

Marisa grabbed his right arm just as Tim was getting to his feet and Luc was about to land another punch. “Stop it!” she screamed.

“Marisa, call the cops, now!” Luc shouted.

She started sobbing. “No, I just want him out of here. Please, Luc, just get him out of here.”

He looked over his shoulder. “Baby, I think you need to press charges.”

She shook her head vehemently. “Please.” She jumped back when Tim lunged at her.

Luc caught him with a boot to the gut before he made contact with her. “You bastard, you lay a hand on her and I’ll kill you!” Luc shouted, grabbing him by the back of the hair. “You got that?” Luc twisted his arm behind his back and thrust him toward the door. He threw him out into the hallway, preparing to close the door.

“I’ll get you for this, you bastard,” Tim yelled. “You may think you’ve won, but this isn’t over.” He swiped at the blood on his lip with his shirtsleeve. “I’ll make you wish you never met her.”

Marisa tore the engagement ring off her finger and threw it at him before slamming the door. She set the lock with trembling fingers and flattened her back against the door. She slid down to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.