A small, sad smile curved her lips. “For what happened before you became fabulous.”
Surprise skittered across those masculine features. Powerful energy emanated in waves around him, drawing her in, but underneath she recognized the primal pain of a life with bumps and bruises. He hadn’t gotten here easy. Sierra respected that type of journey. It was probably what made him so lethal to females.
God knows, they all loved a fixer-upper. Especially the sexy, rich kind.
“Why aren’t you married anymore?” he asked.
Sierra was used to the trademarked responses she’d cultivated after her safe life blew up. A small southern town wasn’t the best place to go through drama, and everyone loved a juicy break-up. She’d immediately gone into survivor mode, shoving down the pain and anger so she was able to present a calm, capable front. Sierra refused to play the role of the victim, and ruthlessly handled the fallout. Funny thing happened, though. After playing the role for a while, she’d begun to believe it. The breaks and broken parts only surfaced occasionally.
Tonight had been one of them, leading her here.
Sierra wondered what it would feel like to just tell the stark truth. All the sad, messy details she smoothed over, like one of Aspen’s polished final manuscripts. After another fortified sip of wine, she spoke.
“My husband was cheating on me.”
He winced, but didn’t offer condolences or platitudes. So, she kept going.
“I caught him in our bedroom having sex with someone else. Afterward, he told me he was sorry but he didn’t love me like he was supposed to.”
“How long were you married?”
“Four years. We met in college.”
He shook his head in disgust. “It’s too cliché for someone like you. Please don’t tell me it was his secretary who’s ten years younger.”
A smile ghosted her lips. “It was his boss. Same age. His name is John.”
His brows snapped together. “Not cliché after all.”
The smile widened. She didn’t mind humor with her pain. “At least he spared me a boring story. “
“Yes.” He seemed to be in deep thought as he studied her. She refused to squirm in the chair, suddenly sensing he spotted things beneath the surface she easily hid. “But being rejected by someone you loved, someone you trusted, isn’t very funny.”
Her lungs collapsed. The heaviness in her chest tightened. What if she told him the truth? The horrible, unvarnished truth of her marriage? She’d never see him again. It was like one of those movies her mother used to love: two strangers meeting one stormy night to share secrets, then part forever. Maybe she was meant to find him in order to unburden.
She opened her mouth. The words tangled in her throat.
He slid his hand over the polished wood, fingers barely brushing hers. Her body jolted at the contact, the heat and slow slide of his skin.
“Tell me.”
The demand wrapped her in a sensual cocoon. Sierra fought a shudder.
“I think it was my fault. I think he was right. I never loved him the way I should and it forced him to find someone else.” The relief from her confession allowed the rush of air to finally enter her fully. “I don’t care that it was a man. I think love can come with anyone and shouldn’t be restricted to gender. But there was this moment before I married him that I had terrible doubts if he was the one meant for me.”
“Isn’t that being human?” he asked gently, not breaking physical contact.
“Yes, but I lied because it was easier. I needed stability after my parents died. I needed to feel safe so I could take care of my sister. I knew I didn’t love him the way I was supposed to but I married him anyway. It was my fault.”
The relief of admitting her dark secret rushed through her. She’d kept the truth even from Aspen, who was wrapped up in her own angsty relationship and didn’t need any extra stress. Sierra waited for the judgment, ready to accept the hit because she deserved it.
Instead, ferocity lit his gaze, which locked on hers. Waves of masculine energy beat from his aura, reminding her of a storm gathering on the ocean. “Fuck that.”
She blinked. “What?”
“You heard me. Fuck. That. Did you try hard in your marriage? Did you cheat? Did you disrespect or ridicule or make him feel less than he was?”
“No, of course not.”
