“She took it with a glacial calm. Which if you knew her, wouldn’t be a surprise. I told her she could keep the ring and she went upstairs with it. Came back like fifteen minutes later with a bunch of her clothes packed. Said she’d move the rest of her stuff out right away and leave the key behind when she did. She was totally unfazed and in control. Fact was, she didn’t seem surprised. I wasn’t in love with her and I never had been and she knew it.”

Vin pushed his ass back so he could lean against the wall. From the heat vent overhead, warm air drifted downward onto his face, a counterbalance to the cold-and-fresh ambling in across the windowsill.

After a moment, Marie-Terese followed his example, only she curled her legs up and linked her arms around her knees. “I hope you don’t mind me asking…but if you didn’t love her, why did you buy the ring?”

“It was one more thing to acquire. Just like she was.” He glanced over. “I’m not proud of it, by the way. I just didn’t care before….”

“Before?”

He looked away from her. “Before now.”

There was a long silence as the two sources of air mixed together, the heated and the cool blending into a comfortable temperature.

“My son’s name is Robbie,” she said abruptly.

As he glanced over, he saw that on her knees, her knuckles were white from tension.

“It doesn’t have to be a quid pro quo,” he murmured. “Just because I tell you things doesn’t mean you have to return the favor.”

She smiled a little. “Oh. I know. It’s just…I’m not used to talking.”

“That makes two of us.”

Her eyes moved around the room and then stayed on the open door. “Your parents argued a lot?”

“All the time.”

“Did they…fight? As in more than just verbal…you know.”

“Yup. Most of the time my mother’s face looked like a Rorschach test…although she gave as good as she got—not that that excused in any way my father’s punches.” Vin shook his head. “I don’t give a shit what goes down, a man should never, ever raise a hand to a woman.”

Marie-Terese laid her cheek down on top of her knees, and stared over at him. “Some men don’t share that philosophy. And some women don’t fight back like your mother did.”

When a growl sounded out in the room, she sat up in surprise…which confirmed that, yeah, the low, dangerous sound had come from him.

“Tell me that wasn’t your experience,” Vin said darkly.