Here Comes Trouble by Delaney Diamond

exertion. The thought that he’d gotten the best of two other men was highly erotic and awakened primitive excitement inside of her. 
    “You know you brought this on yourself,” she said.
    “Yes.” His voice was flat and emotionless.
    “But you don’t care.” She extended the bag of ice.
    “No. I’d knock him down again. I don’t like liars.” He took the ice.
    “I guess so-called liars don’t care for you, either.”
    The way he watched her, she felt some of his anger was directed at her. “I came by earlier tonight, and I saw you with him.” The words sounded like an accusation. “You brought him into the house,” he said tersely. “Did you sleep with him?”
    “I don’t think—”
    “Are you sleeping with him? Did you sleep with him tonight? Is that why you’re naked under there?” The words came out in quick succession.
    “I’m not going to answer your questions. I don’t—”
    He tossed the bag of ice to the floor and approached her. “Oh, you’re going to answer my questions. You’re going to answer every question I ask you, if for no other reason than I had to fight off two men who ambushed me because of you.”
    Her eyes grew wide. “I didn’t cause you to get attacked. You did, by your own actions.”
    “Did you sleep with him tonight?” He completely ignored her protests, coming closer, backing her against the counter. “I can smell your bubble bath. Did you have to clean up after you slept with him?”  
    Lorena swallowed, reluctantly deciding to answer the question. “No.”
    “Are you sleeping with him?”
    She took a deep breath. “No.”
    “Are you in love with him?”
    “Okay, that’s enough. It’s none of your business—”
    “Answer the question!”
    “You will not bully me, Matthew Hawthorne!”
    “Why won’t you answer the question?”
    “Because it’s none of your business,” Lorena said. In desperation, she pointed in the general direction of the door. “Get out. I should have never let you in here. I had pity on you, but that was a mistake.” Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape from him, but he had her cornered, hemmed up between his rock-hard body and the kitchen counter.
    “Answer me, Lorena. Are you in love with him?” He refused to budge, a fierce intensity filling his dark eyes.
    “Get out. I said I don’t want you here.”
    “Are you in love with him?”
    “Stop badgering me!”
    “Are you in love with him?”
    “Stop it.” She was half pleading, half yelling.
    “Are you in love with him?”
    “Noooooo! No. Are you happy now? I’m not in love with him. I sent him away and told him I couldn’t see him anymore.”
    “Because you still have feelings for me.” There was no smugness, only a statement of fact.
    No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t summon even a smidgen of the feelings she had for Matthew for Lewis. It was unfair to keep leading him on when she had no more than a lukewarm reaction to his kisses and his embrace. She couldn’t imagine lying in bed with him, making love. She couldn’t imagine being so intimate with anyone else but Matthew.
    She’d confessed her indiscretion to Lewis, and at first he’d said he’d forgive her. When she explained she could no longer continue to see him, the conversation turned ugly. Angry and humiliated, he’d lashed out.
    “What are you thinking?” Lewis had asked. “If you think you have a chance with him, you’re wrong. He’s going to hurt you again. Men like him don’t settle down. When he breaks your heart, don’t bother calling me because I won’t answer. I’m not going to be your second choice, and I won’t be in a relationship with you knowing you’re wishing you could be with him.”
    She’d let him rant and rave for several minutes because she’d realized he needed to get it off his chest. Because he was a good catch, he couldn’t understand why she no longer wanted to see him.
    “You don’t have to respond,” Matthew said quietly, dragging