"Then this won't work." Callum shook his head.
Why was she sitting here as if waiting for their permission? She could make a clean getaway now before they hurt her again. Tori grabbed her shoes.
"You have to help her, Ollie. Tori's pride is telling her to walk away as fast as her sore feet will carry her," Rory explained. "She's hesitating because she doesn't actually want to leave us. If she did, she'd already be halfway out the door. If you top her, you'll help her past her pride so the two of you can talk."
"I do not need anyone to top me. I know what I want," Tori blurted. Then she paused.
Perhaps she was being incredibly stubborn. She was thinking with her pride and didn't know how to get around it without making herself vulnerable. They'd ripped her apart once. She wasn't sure she could handle being crushed again.
But maybe if she was careful with her heart, she could have a night with them. Just one, that voice in her head whispered to her, luring her like an addiction. One more night, and she could move on.
If she listened to that voice in her head, it would lure her to doom. She was saving herself.
Tori jumped, scanning the room for the nearest exit.
"Oliver?" Callum prompted, his tone deeper and darker than she'd ever heard.
Suddenly, Oliver grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor.
She struggled against his hold. "Let me go."
"Not until we've talked," Oliver insisted. "If you still want to leave here alone, I'll let you go. I can't speak for my brothers. I think they'll hunt you down and persuade you, but if you tell me plainly you don't want me, then I'll leave."
"I don't want you." She didn't. Not really. How could she want him after the way he'd treated her?
The orchestra played a slow song, and she found herself in Oliver's arms, against his body. "I said after you listen to me. This behavior doesn't suit you, Torrance."
"What behavior?" She wouldn't let him shame her. She hadn't torn his heart to shreds.
"You're acting like a spoiled brat." His hand tightened on her waist, pressing her against his body. "My brothers are certainly right about that. I've come thousands of mile to apologize and make amends. Are you telling me I don't deserve a few moments of your time? We were friends once."
Okay, maybe she was going to let him shame her. She couldn't forget the way he'd faced down a thug with a knife for her. And yes, they had been friends. "Fine. I'm listening."
"Are you?" He kept moving, his long legs graceful as he led her around the dance floor. "I'm starting to think Callum is smarter than I gave him credit for. You and I should have talked, especially before anything happened between us. But neither of us wanted to do that."
"I was caught up in the adrenaline."
"Are you telling me it was only adrenaline?" he challenged. "It wasn't for me. I used that as an excuse, but I wanted you very badly and I jumped at the chance to have you, no matter the cost. I was passionate about you, but passion isn't the most forgiving mistress. It's easy to give in to passion. It's harder to care for someone and take responsibility. I should have taken care of you. And I'm deeply sorry."
She softened against him, her body finding the rhythm he set in time with the music. It felt good to be in his arms, even if his logic hurt. He was completely right. "I took the chance. I knew I shouldn't have waited to tell you about my virginity or tried so halfheartedly, but I didn't want to stop. I knew if we talked … "
"If we'd talked, we wouldn't have done it." He slowed, his cheek resting against her temple. "And that is how we made a horrible mistake. We should be able to talk, shouldn't we?"
"Did you really think I would be your mistress?"
He chuckled, the sound caressing her skin. "I wanted a way to make you mine without having to love you. So that's where my thoughts went." He pulled back slightly, tilting her head up. "It's not you, Tori. Please believe me. You are the single most lovable woman I've ever met, but I'm hollow inside and I don't think anything can fill me up again."
She laid her head against his shoulder with a sigh. He'd told her as much. He'd never said it in so many words, but she knew what his wife had done to him and she'd known he considered himself damaged beyond repair. "I think one day you'll meet the woman of your dreams and you won't feel so hollow anymore."
She wished it could have been her. It was better this way, she told herself. She couldn't live in the same world as the Thurston-Hughes brothers. Tonight had proven it. She wanted to be behind the scenes, liked blending in and helping people. Being in front of all those cameras and enduring the constant scrutiny? Not for her. Still, knowing that their separation was for the best didn't make her heart ache less.