Chapter 99

"That wasn't the turning point, though. She'd cornered me but was reluctant to follow through with her plan to seduce me. I should've let it go, should've been the voice of reason telling her to just walk away and marry an honest man. But I didn't. I promised her things, spoke lies into her ears just to lay with her."

Mari sensed he'd come a long way, sharing so much personal, private information. "What happened?"

He laughed, a humorless, sharp laugh that echoed dully through the room. "Let's just say she didn't appreciate my less than truthful words."

That was something she and this woman had in common. "Uh, huh. Keep going."

"After a night of timid, awkward sex, I left, but not before promising her a future I didn't intend to honor," he said with a little more shame than she expected to hear from him.

"You were an asshole," she supplied. His burning glare pierced her, but it didn't intimidate her. "Please continue."