How was she supposed to survive a goddamned orgy? She was jumping out of her skin at even the simplest touch. The thought of an anything-goes night with a crowd of hedonistic strangers made her want to curl into a fetal position and hide. The panic and flashbacks would surely engulf her.
But she didn’t have time for a nervous breakdown. That was going to be her best chance to convince her sister to come home and go to the police.
Brynn straightened in her seat, her decision made. She was going to have to do something about her fear tonight, prove to herself that she was stronger than what that monster did to her.
She cleared her throat. “I definitely want to check that out. Sounds like something I shouldn’t miss.”
“For sure,” Reid said, giving her a purposeful nod. “We’ll be there.”
Jace smiled. “Great.”
Reid glanced down at her plate. “Sugar, you’ve barely touched your food. Do you want me to order you something different? We’ve got a big night ahead of us. I can’t have you fading on me.”
She set down her glass, his subtle warning setting her on edge, but she pushed forward with her plan. “I don’t need anything else. I’m ready for whatever you guys have planned.”
Reid lifted an eyebrow. “Whatever is a broad word, Brynn.”
She took a breath. I can do this. Once upon a time, she’d loved this man, trusted him, and had enjoyed some seriously hot sex with him. She needed to keep that last thing in the front of her mind. Maybe if she could hone her focus onto the physical, indulge the part of her that was still hopelessly attracted to him, she could block out the fear that threatened to undo her and enjoy herself.r: Roni Loren
YOUR DADDY WOULD BE SO PROUD. KEEP FUCKING THE WHORE, AND I’LL MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU AND YOUR DIRTY LITTLE SKELETONS. THINK YOUR FAMILY LOVES YOU ENOUGH TO STAND BY YOU IF THE WHOLE WORLD FINDS OUT HOW SICK YOU REALLY ARE?
“Reid?” Brynn called from the other side of the office, her voice tentative. “Everything okay?”
He ripped the original from underneath the copier’s lid and grabbed the stack of printed pages. The papers quivered in his shaking hands. “Everything’s fine, sugar.”
THIRTEEN
now
“What?” Reid asked, his stubbled jaw hanging open at Brynn’s proposition.
Brynn stared up at him, willing herself not to turn tail and run after coming on to him. She needed to do this or she was going to spend the whole weekend flinching like a wounded bird.
During the kiss with him in front of the group, she had glimpsed a feeling—a whisper of freedom that she hadn’t felt since the day someone had decided to violate her. If she could just rip off the bandage—guerilla-style exposure therapy like Melody had suggested—then maybe she could break the shackles that seemed to weigh her down any time she was near a dominant man.
She wet her lips. “I said not to ask questions.”
His eyes darkened. “Last I checked, I’m the dom here, so I’ll ask what I want.”
“Are you attracted to me?”
He crossed his arms, the muscles in his shoulders shifting and bunching. “Well, I’m not fucking dead.”
“Then, please, just go with it. I don’t want to talk about the past or why we hate each other. Let’s leave all of that outside these grounds for the next three days. You know we’re not going to be able to make it through our stay here only kissing in front of people.”
He looked left, then right. “There are no people here now. Who is this show going to be for?”
My sanity. At least if she panicked, she wouldn’t have to do it in front of the whole club. “Myself. I don’t want to flinch every time you touch me. Maybe your breaking-the-ice idea wasn’t such a bad one—we could get this first time out of the way in private.”
“Get it out of the way. Like I’m a dentist appointment or something?” He smirked, but she didn’t miss the weariness in his voice. “Come on, be honest. Why don’t you just admit that underneath that big grudge you’re holding, you still want me?”
She threw her head back and groaned. “You’re such a jerk sometimes, you know that? Yes, I’m attracted to you, okay. I wouldn’t offer to have sex with you if I wasn’t.”
He gave her a triumphant smile, picked up the shirt from the floor, and handed it to her. “Don’t worry, sugar. I’ll make sure we get it out of the way, but it’s not going to happen because I’m some item to scratch off your to-do list. I’ll decide when and what happens.”
Ugh. Couldn’t the man cooperate with anything? She yanked the shirt from his hands. “Screw you.”
He walked past her and stretched out on the couch. “Later. I promise.”