Angie laughs a little nervously. “Yeah, right. He already thinks we’re a bunch of gold diggers. Can you imagine? Talk about a strange family tree.” She laughs again, but I’m failing to see the humor in their fucked up conversation. “Sure, you could be the nanny. Get them to set us up in an awesome house or something, Auntie Cassie. Yeah, being stuck with him would kind of be the downside. Maybe if we just stick to having sex and he keeps his mouth—”
That’s enough. If she has more to say she can say it to my face. I slam open the door, cold fury swirling in my gut. “Hang up.”
Angie’s face is as white as the sheets. “Cassie? I’ve gotta go. Later, okay?” She puts the phone down and holds up her hands. “I don’t know what you heard, but—”
“Shut up.” I close my eyes a second. When I open them again, she’s looking at me, all cautious and worried and shit. The rational part of my brain knows I fucked up by not keeping it wrapped, but when I look in her eyes, all I see is every gold digger who’s ever come sniffing at our door. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why the fuck didn’t you say anything?” I hiss.
She recoils from me, putting her back against the headboard and clutching the sheet to her chest. “Gavin...”
“What? Cat got your tongue?” Goddamn it. That warm fuzzy feeling? It was nice while it lasted. “You really had me going with that sweet, innocent act of yours.” Even when she cringes away, I can’t stop myself. “Wanna know a little more about your husband? Twenty-five years ago, I was the little slip-up that got my mother’s claws into Dad’s bank account and bought her a nice little house in the city. Laugh it up with your friend. I’m out.” I pull clothes out of my suitcase and get dressed. I need to get out before I do anything stupid. Stupider.
Angie sits there staring at me in horror. “Gavin, I know what it probably sounded like, but I was just kidding. What are you—”
“You were kidding about not being on the pill?”
“No, but—”
“Kidding about being stuck with me?”
She has the grace to look guilty about that at least, but I don’t hear any denials. I know what girls think of me, money and sex. I’m not in love with Angie, so why does it hurt so much when I hear her admit to being just like all the others?
“You think you’re the first one to try it? You know what? It’s my own fucking fault. I didn’t even ask. You screwed up though, talking where I could hear you. Would’ve been safer to wait a few days. Could’ve had that many more chances to hit the jackpot. Wouldn’t that have been fun?” I need to get the fuck out of here. I feel like such an idiot.
“Gavin!” She’s crawling over the bed, looking drop dead sexy. “You’re acting crazy. It was a mistake! We were drunk. I didn’t even think about it, which was dumb, yeah, but we were both stupid. I was just nervous and joking with Cassie.”
It would be easy to believe her. I’ve gotta get out of here before I head back in and fuck her again. Tears run down her face, but I’m not fucking falling for it. Not again. Pulling on my pants, I ignore her. A shirt, a pair of shoes, and I’m gone. This is exactly the kind of shit I was afraid of, and I should’ve fucking known better. Nobody is too cute, or too innocent when money’s involved.
“I need some space. Do me a favor and stay out of my way. I’ll do the right thing if I have to, but enjoy this honeymoon, because we’re not having another one.” I’m fucking growling, I’m so pissed.
My hangover is back, a painful spike hammering through my skull. Even as I tear open the door to the hallway, leaving Angie behind naked on the bed, all that flashes in my brain are memories from last night. Of her under me. On top of me. Of me fucking her deep and making her mine.
Fuck. I need a drink.
Chapter 24: Angie
The door slams behind him, and I sag back on the bed, stunned.
What just happened? Irritation, panic, a joke about knocking me up on my wedding night. All of those I could have understood, but not that. He exploded. There’s no other word for it. Does he really think I could do something like that? I knew when he made the comment about my mother’s motivation that it was something he worried about, but me?
That’s tinfoil hat level paranoia.
I can’t take back last night, even if I wanted to. Even now, I don’t know that I do. Last night was incredible. I’d never thought anyone would be able to make me feel like that. I didn’t know it was possible to feel like that, but he made my first time magical. There’s no way he didn’t feel it too.