Chapters (66)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Keep Reading
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sneak Peek
- Find Me
- Books by Mary Catherine Gebhard
- Acknowledgments
He looked away, but only for the briefest second. “I apologized. I want another chance.”
“I thought you were the one, West,” I said. “I cried about you. I cried about you, and you didn’t even care to text me back. You didn’t even care enough to ask if I wanted to lose my virginity in the first place. I told you I wanted to wait. I said I wanted to slow down, but you didn’t care enough to listen. And now you don’t care to listen when I’m telling you I don’t want to give you a second chance.”
He reeled. “What are you implying, Story? You didn’t say no.”
“Just because I didn’t say no doesn’t mean I said yes,” I whispered.
He glared. “I’m West du Lac. I can have anyone I want. What are you implying?” His voice raised, and a few people looked over. I chewed my lip.
I hadn’t wanted to get into this.
I never wanted to talk about it again.
But he kept coming around, poking me, prodding at the wound that wouldn’t heal.
“This always happens,” West scoffed. “You don’t call the chick back and suddenly it’s rape. Is that what you’re saying?”
“I…” I stared into his eyes. Yes. YES. “No…”
My mom used the word rape as a weapon, and I never wanted to be her. Besides, if he did…do that…then that meant I wanted my rapist to call me back. I cried when he didn’t. And he still broke my heart. So what does that say about me?
“Are you looking for money?” he asked. “Is that it? You heard my dad’s company is doing well and wanted in on it? Heard I was about to take over?”
“No…” My shoulders sank further and I felt like sludge.
“You’re willing to fuck Gray while he’s about to marry my sister—so how much is he paying you?”
My eyes flashed. “They’re not getting married.”
“They sped up the wedding because of you, Angel.”
Sped up the wedding? “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“What do you think this is?”
My heart beat faster and faster. “A benefit for books. I don’t know.”
“Oh.” His eyes popped, and I saw actual pity behind them, concern. “Angel…”
For the first time since we’d arrived, I allowed myself to look beyond the Gray bubble. We were at a du Lac building, Lottie was here and dressed beautifully…but she always looked beautiful, right? It wasn’t strange her family was here, because it was a du Lac building.
So what? So what if there was enough press for a royal engagement?