“Sorry it blew up in your face?” He shoved the door closed behind him. He hadn’t intended to come here, but he’d been walking, walking. Then it had seemed like the only place to go. “Sorry I came in and found you with Zack?”

It was far from over, Rachel realized. What she saw in his eyes was just as dangerous as what had been in them when he’d leaped across the office at Zack. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“You’re sorry I found out what you really are. You’re nothing but a liar.”

“I never lied to you.”

“Every time you opened your mouth.” He hadn’t moved away from the door, and his hands were balled into fists, white-knuckled, at his side. “You and Zack. The whole time you were pretending to care about me, acting as if you liked being with me, you were making it with him.”

“I do care—” she began, but he cut her off.

“I can see what a kick the two of you must’ve gotten out of it. Poor, pathetic Nick, mooning around, trying to make something of himself because he had a case on the sexy lawyer. I guess the two of you lay in bed and laughed yourself sick.”

“No. It was never like that.”

“Are you going to tell me you didn’t go to bed with him?”

He saw the truth in her eyes before her own temper kicked in. “You’re out of line. I’m not going to discuss—”

His hands shot out, snatching the lapels of her robe and swinging her around. Her back rammed hard into the door. The first bubble of fear evaporated in her throat as Nick pushed his face close to hers. All she could see was his eyes, sharp green and glinting with fury.

“Why did you do it? Why did you have to make a fool out of me? Why did it have to be my brother?”

“Nick.” She had his wrists now, and she tried to drag them away. But rage had added weight to his sinewy strength.

“Do you know how it makes me feel to know that while I was imagining us you were with him? And he knew. He knew.”

Her breath was hitching, but she fought to control it. “You’re hurting me.”

She thought the statement would come out calm, even authoritative. Instead, it was shaky, and the fear underneath it clear even in his reckless state. His eyes went blank for a moment, then focused on his hands. They were digging into her shoulders. Appalled, he pulled them away and stared at her.

“I’m going.”

Sometimes all you had was impulse. Rachel went with it and pressed her back against the door. “Don’t. Please. Don’t go like this.”