Apparently she’s over her self-imposed exile.

  Dylan’s partners knew he and Sabrina had broken up, but they respected his privacy too much to push for details he wasn’t willing to share. “Can’t say I do.”

  Sabrina had always worked hard and played hard, but he was surprised to find her kicking her heels up at High Rollers again. She’d been laying low since their breakup, and he’d expected that to continue.

  “Please tell me she didn’t drive here,” Dylan said. They may not be a couple anymore, but his instinct to protect Sabrina would never wane.

  “I don’t know,” Jaxon said. “You want me to find out?”

  Dylan considered his options. He could pretend he hadn’t seen her and walk out without being noticed, or he could try to find out why she was back on his turf. Was she hoping to see him? He had to know. “I’ll find out for myself. Thanks though.”

  “No problem. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  That was what Dylan loved most about his friends. They were always there to lend a hand when he needed one, but they knew when to give him a wide berth. “You know I will.”

  Sabrina was doing shots with her best friend, Kiara, being egged on by a group of rowdy regulars.

  Dylan told their waiter, “No more for Sabrina.”

  “Hey!” Sabrina glared at Dylan. “Who the hell are you to cut me off?”

  He could tell she was too far gone to see reason. Still, he felt compelled to try. “I happen to own this place, remember? If you don’t want to play by my rules, go somewhere else.”

  They glared at each other for so long, those around them seemed uncomfortable. Everyone, including Kiara, mumbled something about getting another drink or hitting the dance floor.

  When they were alone, Dylan asked, “Why the hell are you here? There are a hundred bars in this city. Why come to mine?”

  Her eyes softened as she stroked his face. “Because I missed you, D. I had to see you.”

  Feeling her hands again was like sweet torture. He knew she wasn’t thinking clearly. She’d had too much to drink, and her claim about missing him could have easily come from the bottom of a bottle of Jim Beam. His hand closed around her wrist, bringing her hand down to her side. “It looked like you were here to have a good time, not to see me.”

  “I hate going home to that empty house. You spent so much time there, it always feels like we lived there together.”

  He liked her house more than his. It was warmer, more inviting—probably because it reflected all the things he loved most about her. “You made the choices that led to this. Don’t forget that. I was happy just being with you, but you evidently didn’t feel the same way.”

  She paled before stepping back, teetering on her five-inch heels. He reached out to grab her arm so she wouldn’t stumble, but she swore and pushed him away. “I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone!”

  “You think I don’t know that?” He tried to keep his voice low, but her shouting had already attracted attention. “You never needed me. I was just there to satisfy your insatiable need for sex.” He drew in close, smelling the whisky on her breath. “Is that why you came here tonight? Were you hoping to find someone to take you home?” It killed him to say that, but not as much as it hurt him to think about it. Every. Damn. Night. Sabrina liked sex almost as much as he did, and he knew there was no way she was going without.

  “You think I’d come here of all places if I was looking…” Her eyes flared with pain and regret. “Of course that’s what you think. And why wouldn’t you? As far as you’re concerned, I’m just the whore who cheated on you, right?”

  “I never called you that,” he said, hating the sound of the vile word on her lips. “I never thought that, and don’t you ever let me hear you refer to yourself that way again. Do you hear me?”

  She lifted her face, her eyes finding his. “Why do you care? Why do you still care about me after… what happened?”

  “You don’t just stop loving someone.” They were standing so close he could practically feel her heart beating against his chest. It reminded him of all those nights he’d pinned her to the mattress, her heart thrashing while she screamed his name. Even though it was a masochistic desire, he wanted to experience that again. “No matter how much you might want to.”

  “I know.” She lifted her hand before dropping it again. “I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes. “I’m so sorry I ruined everything.”

  There was nothing he could say. How could he tell her it was okay, that he’d already forgiven her when he hadn’t? She’d shared her body with another man after promising him she was his and his alone. He settled on, “We all make mistakes. Some we can find our way back from, others we can’t.”

  “You were different, D. I just want you to know that.”

  He wanted to believe that, and looking into her soulful eyes, he almost could. “So were you.” No other woman would own him the way she did because he would never let his guard down so completely again.

  “I loved you,” she whispered. “Still do. Probably always will.”

  He watched her walk away, his gut churning as he fought the urge to haul her back against his chest and bury his face in her hair. He wanted to whisper that he didn’t care what she’d done, that he’d find a way to forgive her if it meant they could be together again.

  “Hey,” Kiara said, touching his back as she came up beside him.

  “Hey,” he whispered, reaching for the back of the chair in front of him. He hung his head, drawing a deep breath. “Why is she here? Why is she doing this?”

  “She’s hurting,” Kiara said quietly. “I don’t know what went down between y’all—she won’t talk about it—but whatever it was, it did a serious number on her.”

  Dylan looked at Kiara. “She hasn’t talked to you about it? She tells you everything.”

  Kiara shrugged, obviously trying to play it off. “I thought so too, but I guess this runs pretty deep.”

  “How many drinks have you had tonight?” he asked. She didn’t seem as drunk as he’d originally thought.

  “Just a couple. I have a meeting with a client in the morning.”

  “I do know she misses you,” Kiara said. “That’s why she wanted to come here tonight. That’s why we’ve been here every night this week—she’s having a hard time letting go.”

  At least Sabrina hadn’t been lying about her reasons for coming to High Rollers.

  “This isn’t easy for me either. It’s torture, but…” He couldn’t betray Sabrina by telling Kiara what had happened between them. That was her story to tell, when and if she chose to. “It is what it is.”

  “It doesn’t make any sense.” Kiara got in his face, forcing him to step back. “You love her. You’ve been after her forever. Y’all finally hook up, and now it’s over because…?”

  “Because it turns out I wasn’t what she was looking for.” He figured Kiara wouldn’t figure out the truth from that asinine statement.

  “What the hell does that mean? You’re exactly what she wants. You’re all she wants!”

  Hearing those words hurt like a shot exploding inside his chest. He so wanted them to be true, but he knew they weren’t. They couldn’t be. If he was all she needed, she wouldn’t have turned to Bell in a moment of weakness. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. It’s over. That’s what she wanted. It’s the way it has to be.”

  “I’m worried about her,” Kiara said, running a hand through her long dark hair. “We’ve been friends for a long time, and I’ve never seen her like this. It’s like she’s on a path of destruction, hell bent on punishing herself for… what? I sure as hell don’t know.”

  He knew but couldn’t say. “What do you mean she’s punishing herself? How?”

  “She barely eats. I don’t think she sleeps. She drinks too much, won’t go to the gym with me anymore. Hell, she won’t even answer her parents’ calls.”

  Dylan knew how close she was to her family, and he couldn’t imagine why she’d cut them out of her life. “Have you talked to Dalton? She was in here with him a while ago, so she’s obviously still talking to him. Maybe he could help?”

  “I was kind of hoping you could talk to him for me,” Kiara said. “I know how close y’all are. He’d probably tell you things he wouldn’t tell me.”

  “Dalton didn’t know I was sleeping with his sister,” Dylan said, keeping his voice low. “We’re tight but not that tight.”

  Kiara rolled her eyes. “How could he not know? He’d have to be blind not to see the chemistry between you two.”

  “Sure, he knew we were into each other, but he didn’t know we were sleeping together. You know Sabrina, she’s a private person. She wanted to keep our relationship under wraps.”

  “And you were okay with that?”

  “No, I wasn’t okay with it, but she didn’t really give me a choice. You know what she’s like.”

  Kiara grinned. “Yeah, she’s bossy as hell.”

  “Mmmm hmm.” Before he’d met Sabrina, he didn’t think a woman alive could wrap him around her finger, but she’d proved him wrong, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. At least to himself.

  “I always thought Sabrina was tough as nails, but she’s been different this past little while,” Kiara said, looking concerned. “It’s like something or someone broke her spirit.”

  Dylan knew she was trying to point the finger at him, but he refused to take the blame. He hadn’t created their situation. If Sabrina was having trouble dealing with her guilt, she should have thought of that before she jumped into bed with someone else. He raised his hands. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m sorry she’s hurting, but I am too. I can’t fix myself, let alone help her.”

  “Maybe that’s your mistake,” Kiara said, reaching for his hand. “You’re both trying so hard to get over each other. Maybe you should be putting all that energy into trying to save your relationship.”

  “We can’t.” When he’d first learned about her infidelity, he thought they might have a chance to move beyond it, but the more he thought about it, the more it incensed him. No matter how hard he tried, he’d never get the image of Sabrina making love to that guy out of his head. “It’s too late. We just have to figure out how to move on.”

  Looking disgusted, Kiara shook her head. “Yeah, well good luck with that.”

  Chapter Six

  Whoever said time heals was a goddamn liar. It had been more than three months since the assault. She’d been without Dylan almost as long, and while they’d found their way back to a civil relationship, Sabrina knew it would never be the same. He’d moved on. He’d found someone else, someone who wanted the same things he did, and it was eating her up inside.

  A vicious pounding on her front door startled her, and her mind sifted through the worst-case scenarios. Bell had come to exact revenge because she’d told her father and he demanded…

  “Answer the door, Sabrina! I know you’re in there! I saw your car out front!”

  Dylan. It was Dylan. She could breathe again. Running to the front door, she yanked it open before realizing her mistake. She was wearing a thin tank top and yoga shorts that molded to her body like a second skin. She felt… exposed, which was crazy since Dylan had seen her naked more times than she could count. But this was different. Everything was different now.

  She used the open door as a shield. “What do you want?”

  “What do I want?” He shoved the door open and stalked inside. “The question is what the hell do you want from me?”

  She knew she had no choice but to close the door, so she did, slowly. “What are you talking about?”

  “Why the hell did you go see Carly?”

  She should have known her visit to Carly’s office would come back to bite her. “I was concerned about you. I know how Carly feels about Brett. I wanted to make sure her feelings for you were sincere.”

  “You’re questioning Carly’s sincerity?” he asked, sounding incredulous. “You’re the one who cheated on me, and you have the gall to call her sincerity into question? You’re unbelievable!”

  Hearing Dylan refer to what had happened between her and Bell as cheating turned Sabrina’s stomach, but she had to let him believe that if she wanted to protect her business and keep the man she loved out of jail. Dylan had a volatile temper, and she couldn’t be sure he would be able to stop if he ever got his hands on Bell.

  “I won’t apologize for looking out for you.” She brushed past him, but his hand snaked out to grab her arm.

  “You don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me, is that it?”

  I do want you, but I can’t have you! “It’s not like that.”

  He crowded her against the wall, pinning her with his body until she felt as though she couldn’t breathe. This is Dylan, she kept reminding herself. He would never hurt you.

  “I think it’s exactly like that.” His hands ran up her ribcage, stopping just below her breasts. “Let’s quit playing games. You still want me. I still want you. I can’t trust you, but I still want you.”

  Sabrina closed her eyes, feeling a tremble move through her. She hadn’t felt a man’s hand on her like that since the attack, and it was all coming back. The acidic flavor of bile made her throat burn, a silent scream trapped in her lungs. Her tears were confined in her eyes, refusing to fall even though the world was closing in on her.

  His hand moved up to curl around her throat as he whispered, “You got what you wanted. Carly and I are done. Are you happy now?”

  Happy? How could she be happy when the feel of his hands on her skin made her want to retch? “I’m sorry,” she gasped. “Please…”

  “Please?” He pushed his erection into her, demanding, “Is this what you want? Is this the only thing you’ve ever wanted from me?”

  “No,” she sobbed. She wasn’t capable of more than one word responses.

  “No? You want more?” He ripped her shirt open as he’d done before, but this time she screamed. He backed up, looking stunned as she sank to the floor. “What the hell, Sabrina?”

  She closed the torn shreds of material around her, sobbing as she hunched over, letting her hair cover her face. “Get out.”

  He rolled back on his heels, grabbing the stair railing behind him for support. “Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped. It’s just—”

  “I said get out.” She couldn’t even look at him. This wasn’t his fault. He was treating her as he always had. They’d both loved rough sex, and she’d always been able to give as good as she got. If not for what had happened in that hotel room, she’d have him pinned to the ground, straddled him, and made him shout her name as she reminded him what they’d been missing.

  Her doorbell rang, and they both looked up to see Kiara’s face in one of the window panels flanking the heavy wood doors.

  She took in the scene and rushed inside. “What the hell happened? Sabrina, are you okay?” Kneeling next to her friend, she brushed Sabrina’s hair off her face before scowling at Dylan. “Did you do this to her?”

  “Mind your own business,” he said, sounding agitated. “This has nothing to do with you. It’s between me and Sabrina.”

  “Do you want him here?” Kiara asked, taking in her friend’s torn tank top. “Did he hurt you?”

  “For Christ’s sake, Kiara!” Dylan shouted. “You’ve known me for years. You really think I’d hurt her?”

  “I don’t know what to think right now,” she said quietly, stroking Sabrina’s back. “I just know my best friend is upset, and it seems you’re the cause.” She turned back to Sabrina. “Honey, answer me, do you want him to go?”

  Sabrina nodded, unable to look Dylan in the eye. She was too embarrassed, too ashamed. He must think I’m losing my mind, that I need to be committed. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I am losing it.

  “You heard the lady,” Kiara said, standing. She walked toward the door and held it open for Dylan. “Leave. Now.”

  He heaved a sigh. “This is bullshit. I want to know what the hell just happened here. I need to know why she freaked out like that,” he said to Kiara as he gestured toward Sabrina.

  “And I intend to find out,” Kiara said calmly. “Just as soon as you leave.”

  “Fine, but I want to talk to her when—”

  “She’s ready.” Kiara slammed the door in his face. She turned to her friend, her tone gentle when she said, “Do you want to go into the living room? I can make you some tea.”

  “Bed.” Sabrina just wanted to curl up and die. Life wasn’t worth living if she had to live alone and in fear.

  “Okay,” Kiara said softly. “I’ll help you to your room. We can talk in there.” Kiara curled her arm around Sabrina’s waist as they walked to the master bedroom. She pulled back the fluffy white duvet. “Do you want me to get you a T-shirt?”

  “No.” Still shivering, Sabrina climbed into bed, pulled the duvet up to her chin, and closed her eyes. When Kiara reached to turn on the bedside lamp, she whispered, “No, no light.”

  “Okay.” Kiara let her hands fall to her lap. “Are you ready to tell me what happened?”

  “I found out Dylan was seeing Carly.”

  “Carly, your interior designer? The same one who’s been in love with Brett forever?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Since when?”

  “I don’t know.” Her head was pounding, but Sabrina didn’t want anything to dull the pain yet. That would come later, probably in a tumbler of whisky. “They were going to have a baby.” She whispered the last word, her agony reaching a level that surpassed anything she’d felt before. The thought of Dylan having a baby with someone else cut her wide open.

  “A baby?” Kiara’s eyes were wide, her mouth agape. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am.” She fisted her hand in front of her mouth, tucking the other between her bent knees.

  “But that’s crazy. They’ve only been dating, what, a minute? They can’t have a baby together.”

  “It’s a moot point. I think Carly ended it after I went to see her today. That’s why Dylan was here. He’s pissed at me.”