A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(121)

“I love you,” I said, meaning it more than I’d ever meant it before, feeling it work through every fiber of my being, and realizing this woman was it for me. She was my soul mate.

Her eyes filled with worry. “What’s wrong is that you love me?” she guessed, probably trying to make me crack a smile, but I nodded seriously.

“Yeah,” I said. “I love you, and that’s why I felt this irritatingly noble urge to broach the subject of us to Noel.”

“You...” Her eyes widened. “You told him? About us?”

I shook my head. “No.” I knew she didn’t want me to do that, so I that’s why I hadn’t. That was why I’d done what I’d done instead. “But I...might’ve mentioned that I wanted to ask you out.”

She groaned and closed her eyes. “Let me guess. He said no.”

I snorted. “And then some.”

“Well...” She shrugged. “I guess we tried that way. And while it would’ve been nice to let him adjust to the idea in slow increments...maybe we should just tell him it’s too late.”

My gaze sharpened on hers. “You mean, tell him we’re already together and have been for months?”

She nodded. “Sure. Why not? It’s time, right?”

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “Yeah, except for the fact that he threatened to reveal my complete past with other women to you if I dared to ask you out. If he learns about this, then he’ll definitely spill everything.”

Worry lit her eyes as she began to gnaw on her lip. “Is it really that bad? Your...you know, your past?”

I shrugged and glanced away. “I don’t know,” I mumbled. “It’s not good.” Turning back to her, I begged her with my eyes to forgive me. “You already know there have been plenty, and that I wasn’t the most considerate, respectful guy, but shit...do you want to hear about them all?”

“No.” She shook her head immediately. “But...I just...” She blew out a breath. “You know what? Maybe you should tell me. Beat Noel to the punch.”

I glanced at her as if she was insane. “Are you completely mental, woman? I don’t want to confess all that shit to you.”

Her eyes swirled with misery. “Better you breaking it to me easily, than Noel trying to blindside me.”

With a groan, I buried my face in my hands. “I’m ashamed,” I admitted quietly. When I looked up at her, my face felt hot. “What if I disgust you so much you’ll never look at me the same again? What if—”

“Oren,” she said softly and caught my cheeks in her hands. “I know you better than anyone else on earth. I’m fully aware you’re not perfect. Now, please. Just trust me.”

I nodded and licked my dry lips. “Okay.” Gazing into her calm, soothing smile, I nodded again. “Okay.”

She took my hand and had me crawl under the sheets with her. I was still wearing my bartending gear, but neither of us cared. After I wrapped my arms around her, she nuzzled her face against my shoulder and gave a content sigh.

“So, you know about the first girl,” I started. “Libby.”

“The night your sister—”

“Right.” I was already worried and strained enough as it was; I didn’t want to start thinking about Zoey again, too. Shit. “So, yeah. There was also—”

“Tianna,” Caroline supplied readily, “who also saw your birthmark.”

“Yeah, and then...” Fuck, my mind had gone blank.

“Someone gave you scratch marks on your back last year. Remember? I poured Reese’s latte over your head because of it.”

I hadn’t forgotten that part. But I couldn’t remember the girl who’d caused all that. After searching my brain a moment, I said, “April. She was an Alpha Delta Pi girl...with Blaze.”

“Blaze?” Caroline stiffened against me. “You mean, Blaze from my film class. You slept with Blaze?”

God, I did not like this. I did not like this at all. “Mmm hmm,” I mumbled and closed my eyes tight.

After a moment, she blew out a breath. “Okay,” she finally said. “I hate her f*cking guts, but okay. What about...what about Marci Bennett?”

When I groaned aloud, totally giving away my guilt, Caroline jerked away from me and sat up, putting space in the bed between us. “Marci Bennett?” she repeated. “The slut who got Aspen fired from her job, who almost got Noel kicked out of school? Her?”

I gave a small nod, and her eyes flared with horror. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

I lifted my hands. “Now...I only did that one to get some kind of dirt on her to use as blackmail to keep her quiet.”

“And did that work?” Caroline’s chest heaved as she began to breathe harder, but she nodded, still keeping herself somewhat calm. Except the more she struggled to stay calm, the shittier I felt.

I nodded. “Yeah. I got some dirt on her. She...posed for me a little...naked. I have the pictures on my phone to use against her if she ever tries to hurt Noel or Aspen.”

“You have naked picture of her? On your phone? Right now?”

When I bobbed my head once more, she dove at me and ripped my phone out of my back pocket. “Caroline...” I started, aching deep in my bones.