“Tuck. This—”
His jaw twitches. “Yeah, whatever, this was great. Awesome, really. Thanks for the hookup.”
I walk toward him and stop at his side as the chemistry we share tugs at me.
I have a plan. Save money, have a baby, keep living my life. Without Tuck knowing.
I swallow. I should be dashing out of here as if the hounds of hell are at my feet—so what’s keeping me from walking away?
“I had you looked into,” he mutters, his gaze on the window. “I want to be honest. It’s what I would have done to anyone based on how we met. I’ve had women I’ve dated who’ve tried to sell stories of me.”
I gasp. “You investigated me?”
He shakes his head. “Just listen. The worst was a stripper, Lollipop.”
Frowning, I nod. “I recall the cops came and arrested someone who attacked you.”
He sighs. “Yeah. Maybe I was nice to her—I don’t know—but she got fixated on me. She sent emails, letters, even posted images of me going into places on her socials. Me in the supermarket, at dinner, at the stadium. She tried to get into my mom’s facility. It went on for months. Then she tried to stab me.” He rubs his jaw. “You’d think I could have handled the stress, but it hurt my trust in people. It made me think maybe I was naive when it comes to judging others. It’s funny because the homeless people, they don’t care who I am. They’re some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.” He exhales. “So, anyway, that’s why I had you investigated.”
“Your experience must have been horrible.” I swallow, my head tumbling. My hands clench. “So what did you discover about me?”
“I know about Brogan—and that he works at Decadence.”
I inhale sharply. Tuck met with the owners of Decadence and got Prince Rolex kicked out ...
My words come in a rush. “Brogan had nothing to do with us. He only got me and Cece a guest pass. He never knows who’s coming in until that night, when he’s given an envelope of names and guests. Don’t you dare get him fired.”
He turns to me. “I know he doesn’t know who’s coming in. I checked. When you’ve been through what I have, you check and recheck.”
Fear ripples over me. I have some secrets I don’t want him to know. “What else did you find out?”
He glances away. “Cece is an escort.”
“Ah, you got the whole story, huh? What will you do with this information?”
“Nothing, Francesca. I’m sorry I had to do it. I’m sorry I needed it to make myself feel better.” His face softens. “You were abandoned as a baby.”
Unbidden, tears pool in my eyes.
“I know you were sent back to a group home at sixteen because of Levi. He should have been prosecuted, but his family brushed your relationship with him under the rug, and CPS let them. You were attacked by another resident at the home; it’s how you got the scar on your hip. You were arrested for weed at twenty, but it was dismissed. You dated various men, briefly, then ended up in a relationship with Edward, a trust fund idiot with zero ambition. You worked at East Coast Ink & Gallery but got fired because the manager wanted to humiliate you a little more. You came to Decadence on your wedding day—which just happened to be my birthday. It was a coincidence.”
My chest rises. “You had no right! Was all of that necessary?”
“Put yourself in my shoes, Francesca.” He cups my cheeks, his thumb wiping at a tear that escaped. “This is me apologizing. I’m sorry I had to do that.”
“How long have you known all that?”
He pauses. “A couple of weeks.”
“On our walks?”
He shakes his head. “No.”
“So you were risking it then, huh?”
“Because I wanted to be around you. Don’t be angry. When you’re who I am, it’s not unreasonable to look into people.” His voice lowers as he touches my shoulder, a soft caress. “Let’s put this behind us. Tell me I’m not the only one who wants this ...”
My throat tightens as I ease away from him. It’s less about the invasion of privacy and more about my personal secrets. I have to keep us shallow. It’s the only way.