Feel the Heat: A Contemporary Romance Anthology by Cathryn Fox, Mari Carr, Cari Quinn, Margo Bond Collins, Christine Bell, Gina Robinson, Jennifer Dawson, Rhian Cahill, Zoe York, Molly McLain, Willow Summers, Evelyn Adams, Allison Gatta, Taryn Elliot, Katherine Reid Page A
Authors: Cathryn Fox, Mari Carr, Cari Quinn, Margo Bond Collins, Christine Bell, Gina Robinson, Jennifer Dawson, Rhian Cahill, Zoe York, Molly McLain, Willow Summers, Evelyn Adams, Allison Gatta, Taryn Elliot, Katherine Reid
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I'm going to say after seeing him last night, that's not true."
I let the words marinate for a while, taking it all in. "That doesn't make any sense. If he still cared about me then why did he break up with me in the first place? Granted, I probably would’ve dumped him once I found out about what’s her face…but if he hadn’t told me? I’d probably still be clueless. If he wanted to stay together, why tell me at all?"
I recalled the day it had happened and the memory of his face was etched in my mind. It had been like he was made from marble. Ice cold, calculating. So matter of fact. Even as I begged him to explain himself, tell me why he’d cheated and where we’d gone wrong, his face had been impassive. The face of a stranger.
"No, I'm pretty sure you have it wrong, Ash. If he looked rough when you saw him it was only because he was either still jet-lagged or irritated about having to carry me back to the hotel."
"He carried you?" she demanded, tossing my fork onto the empty plate with a clatter. "When were you going to mention that part?"
"Uh, yeah, well…" I muttered miserably.
"Look, I don’t care what you said. After the way he left things back then, you had the right to vent a little or whatever. And people do stupid stuff when they’re drunk. It happened, let’s move along. I told him to stay out of your way. If he sees us, to back it up and go somewhere else. If you need looking after, I'll be the one to do it."
I nodded, forcing a smile as I drained the rest of the soda from my glass. She was right. Surely we could avoid running into Robbie for the rest of the trip. I’d be busy soaking up the sun and enjoying the casino and he’d be busy prepping for the fight.
The fight that he had invited me to.
The fight that I definitely wasn’t going to.
No matter how badly I wanted to…
Five
Melissa
T hree days later , I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the stranger glaring back at me, green eyes blazing with defiance.
“What are you doing, you idiot?”
The muttered question was to myself, but I felt so split in two, I was half-surprised the mirror me didn’t reply.
On the one hand, I knew I should just get it out of my head. Forget all about Robbie and his thoughtless invitation. On the other…well, there was no frigging way that was ever going to happen. In fact, I hadn’t stopped thinking about it since that morning. And now, as I stood in the bathroom of the boxing venue dressed in a cheap white-blond wig, a pair of ill-fitting glasses, and a skin-tight dress I’d never wear in real life, I knew one thing for sure.
There was no way I was leaving this place without watching that fight. I physically couldn’t bring myself to do it, no matter how many names my brain called me, no matter how much I castigated myself. I was here, and I was staying. I was an addict, and Robbie was my drug.
“One last fight,” I murmured to mirror me, a sick feeling settling in my gut as I said the words and noted the glassy gleam in my eyes. Lies. I was lying to myself, and rationalizing what I knew was bad behavior.
And even that wouldn’t stop me.
I tugged my cell phone out of my purse and glanced down one last time to make sure Ash wasn’t looking for me. The screen was blank and I blew out a sigh that was half relief, half resignation. That would’ve been my last shot at freeing myself from Robbie’s hold. If Ash’s date had turned out to be a bust and she needed me. But this was the third day we’d spent time with one of the guys we’d played volleyball with and things seemed to be going really well between them. He was a little nerdy, a little sexy and a lot sweet. Best of all? He thought my friend was the most awesome, gorgeous, funny human being he’d ever met. Exactly what she needed right now.
We’d been spending our time together as a threesome, with various buddies of his rotating in and out depending on our activities, but she didn’t even question it when I had bowed
I let the words marinate for a while, taking it all in. "That doesn't make any sense. If he still cared about me then why did he break up with me in the first place? Granted, I probably would’ve dumped him once I found out about what’s her face…but if he hadn’t told me? I’d probably still be clueless. If he wanted to stay together, why tell me at all?"
I recalled the day it had happened and the memory of his face was etched in my mind. It had been like he was made from marble. Ice cold, calculating. So matter of fact. Even as I begged him to explain himself, tell me why he’d cheated and where we’d gone wrong, his face had been impassive. The face of a stranger.
"No, I'm pretty sure you have it wrong, Ash. If he looked rough when you saw him it was only because he was either still jet-lagged or irritated about having to carry me back to the hotel."
"He carried you?" she demanded, tossing my fork onto the empty plate with a clatter. "When were you going to mention that part?"
"Uh, yeah, well…" I muttered miserably.
"Look, I don’t care what you said. After the way he left things back then, you had the right to vent a little or whatever. And people do stupid stuff when they’re drunk. It happened, let’s move along. I told him to stay out of your way. If he sees us, to back it up and go somewhere else. If you need looking after, I'll be the one to do it."
I nodded, forcing a smile as I drained the rest of the soda from my glass. She was right. Surely we could avoid running into Robbie for the rest of the trip. I’d be busy soaking up the sun and enjoying the casino and he’d be busy prepping for the fight.
The fight that he had invited me to.
The fight that I definitely wasn’t going to.
No matter how badly I wanted to…
Five
Melissa
T hree days later , I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the stranger glaring back at me, green eyes blazing with defiance.
“What are you doing, you idiot?”
The muttered question was to myself, but I felt so split in two, I was half-surprised the mirror me didn’t reply.
On the one hand, I knew I should just get it out of my head. Forget all about Robbie and his thoughtless invitation. On the other…well, there was no frigging way that was ever going to happen. In fact, I hadn’t stopped thinking about it since that morning. And now, as I stood in the bathroom of the boxing venue dressed in a cheap white-blond wig, a pair of ill-fitting glasses, and a skin-tight dress I’d never wear in real life, I knew one thing for sure.
There was no way I was leaving this place without watching that fight. I physically couldn’t bring myself to do it, no matter how many names my brain called me, no matter how much I castigated myself. I was here, and I was staying. I was an addict, and Robbie was my drug.
“One last fight,” I murmured to mirror me, a sick feeling settling in my gut as I said the words and noted the glassy gleam in my eyes. Lies. I was lying to myself, and rationalizing what I knew was bad behavior.
And even that wouldn’t stop me.
I tugged my cell phone out of my purse and glanced down one last time to make sure Ash wasn’t looking for me. The screen was blank and I blew out a sigh that was half relief, half resignation. That would’ve been my last shot at freeing myself from Robbie’s hold. If Ash’s date had turned out to be a bust and she needed me. But this was the third day we’d spent time with one of the guys we’d played volleyball with and things seemed to be going really well between them. He was a little nerdy, a little sexy and a lot sweet. Best of all? He thought my friend was the most awesome, gorgeous, funny human being he’d ever met. Exactly what she needed right now.
We’d been spending our time together as a threesome, with various buddies of his rotating in and out depending on our activities, but she didn’t even question it when I had bowed
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