Rafael closed his eye again and reached for the bottle he’d left on the floor by the couch. Damn thing was empty. His mouth felt like he’d ingested a bag of cotton balls and his head ached like a son of a bitch.

Suddenly he was jerked off the couch, hauled across the floor and slammed into one of the armchairs. He opened his eyes again to see Devon’s snarling face just inches from his own.

“You’re going to tell me what the hell is going on here,” Devon demanded. “Cam said everything was fine when he picked you up. Then suddenly you go radio silent and I come up here to check on your ass and you’re so liquored up you can’t see straight.”

Pain splintered Rafael’s chest, and worse, shame crowded in from every direction. He’d never been so ashamed in his life.

“I’m a bastard,” he said hoarsely.

Devon snorted. “Yeah, well, what else is new? It never bothered you before.”

Rafael lunged to his feet, gathered Devon’s shirt in his fists and got into Devon’s face. “Maybe it bothers me now. Damn it, Devon, I remember everything, okay? Every single detail and it makes me so sick I can’t even think about it.”

Devon’s eyes narrowed but he made no move to remove Rafael’s hands from his shirt. “What the hell are you talking about? What do you remember that’s so bad?”

“I used her,” Rafael said quietly. “I went down there with the sole intention of doing whatever it took to get the land. And I did. God, I did. I seduced her. I told her I loved her. I promised her whatever she wanted to hear. All so I could make this deal happen. And it was all a lie. I left there with the intention of never going back. I had what I wanted. The sale was closed. The paperwork was filed. I had won.”

A wounded cry from the doorway made Rafael jerk his head around. He went numb from head to toe when he saw Bryony standing there, white as a sheet, Ryan right beside her, supporting her with an arm when she’d stumbled back.

It was a nightmare. His worst nightmare come to life. What was she doing here? Why now?

He let go of Devon’s shirt and started toward her. “Bryony.” Her name spilled from his lips, a tortured sound that reflected all the shame and guilt that crowded his soul.

She took a hasty step back, shaking off Ryan’s arm. She was so pale that he worried she’d fall right over.

“Bryony, please, just listen to me.”

She shook her head, tears filling her beautiful eyes. It was a sight that staggered him.