Unbelievable by Lori Foster Page A

neck and shoulders were taut, straining. His nostrils flared with every breath he took. But he held still, her hand wrapped securely in his. Her body was bathed in his warmth as he cradled her close on his lap.
    It wasn’t quite as hard talking to him about it as she’d thought it would be, and she realized with a startthat having Sebastian holding her had made all the difference. It wasn’t like explaining to the authorities, who had bombarded her with questions while they paced around the room. Or the therapist, who sat there in her chair, looking so cold and detached, despite her sympathetic expression, waiting for Brandi to give away an emotional revelation so she could dissect it and find a cure. Even her parents and Shay hadn’t been able to just listen. Always they came up with unnecessary apologies and guilt. They’d look at each other, their expressions wounded. She’d always ended up feeling guilty for making them so unhappy.
    “At first, my parents were kind of shocked, then so angry. Not at me, but they didn’t understand why I hadn’t told them what happened. They wanted the men really bad. Thinking back on it, I’ve decided it was the only reaction they could have had. They made demands of the captain, who asked around and found out I’d been flirting with the men. He didn’t accuse me, but he told my parents that I had to learn to be more careful, that you couldn’t trust anyone anymore. And he was right. I shouldn’t have flirted with strangers. And I should have spoken up right away—but at the time, I just… couldn’t. Besides, we were in international waters, there was nothing anyone could do.”
    “Brandi.”
    There was a wealth of tenderness in the way he spoke her name, but his jaw was rigid, his eyes cold and hard. He looked the same as her parents had—distraught, disgusted. She tried to pull her hand free, but he again pressed it to his mouth, leaving the touch of a hot kiss on her wrist.
    Feeling as if she might crumple up and fall away, she asked with a touch of sheltering sarcasm, “Are you happy now that you know it all?”
    He wiped a lingering tear from her cheek. “I’m glad you told me, yes. But I’m not happy. I’m probably the most miserable bastard alive.”
    “Because you’re stuck on this vacation with me? No one says we have to spend the time together.”
    “Oh, Brandi.” He shook his head at her in a chiding way. “That’s not what I meant.”
    “No?” Her whole body trembling, she pulled her hand free to wrap her arms around her middle. It was an old habit, one she’d broken herself of, but she fell back on it instinctively. In this situation it was ludicrous, given she was sitting on Sebastian’s firm lap. Suddenly she felt cold from the inside out. “I made all the wrong choices, one mistake after another. You must think I’m an idiot.”
    He ran a hand over her hair, then down her back, moving her just a tiny bit closer to his bare chest. His look was tender and direct and filled with emotion. “The truth, remember?”
    She said, “Of course,” even though she didn’t know if she could bear the truth.
    His eyes were sad, but he gave her a small, sweet smile. “What I think is, you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”

CHAPTER SIX
    E MBARRASSED BY THE ridiculous compliment, Brandi snorted and said, “You must be awfully easy to impress.”
    He chuckled. “Actually, no. I’m damn hard to get around, and because of my background, I’m too critical of other people. But after all you’ve been through, you’re still sweet and gentle, not bitter. I think that constitutes a small miracle.”
    “I may not be bitter, but I’ll never be a normal woman again, either.”
    Sebastian pretended to study her face. “You look fine to me.” Then he kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger. “You taste even better. And no ‘normal’ woman ever pushed my buttons the way you do. If you’re not normal, I can only be grateful, because I