A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(59)

“Hey!” Oren boomed and shoved him back hard enough that he stumbled in reverse, just as Aspen gasped, “Noel!” from the doorway.

As Oren demanded to know what Noel’s problem was, and Noel wanted to know why Oren had shoved him, I reached for the counter to support myself as all feeling once again drained from my body, leaving me cold and exposed.

Everything I’d learned at the doctor’s office came rushing back, all the words I’d heard, the feelings I’d experienced, the absolute, crushing regret. My chest heaved as I tried to pull in a steady breath, while Oren stepped into Noel’s face, looking livid.

“I f*cking shoved you because that was a douchebag thing to say to your own sister.”

I wanted to call him off; he was going to get us exposed if he kept acting like an enraged boyfriend standing up for his girl who’d just been insulted. But everything else just hurt so bad.

“Who the hell do you think you are, telling me how to treat my family?” Noel snarled. “And given her past, it was a completely legitimate question.”

“Noel!” Aspen stormed forward to poke him in the chest

But before she could berate him as well, I said, “You know what, it was a legitimate question. Who knows when Caroline will get herself knocked up again? But you’ll be happy to know, big brother, that I can never bother you with another pregnancy scare ever again. The doctor just informed me today that my baby-making equipment is permanently out of commission.”

His mouth dropped open. “What?”

I couldn’t explain any more to him. Whirling away, I raced from the room.





Watching tears fill Caroline’s eyes right before she rushed from the kitchen and not being able to chase after her had to be one the hardest things I’d ever f*cking done—or not done, in this case. Or maybe restraining myself from knocking Noel’s teeth down his throat was the hardest. I couldn’t quite decide. But I’ll tell you one thing; standing there like a dumbass and doing nothing slaughtered me.

I shook—literally vibrated—with the need to react, while Gamble lifted his hand and spun in a circle, looking to all of us for answers. “Will someone please clue me in on what the f*ck just happened?”

I turned away from him and grabbed the edge of the counter, squeezing as hard as I could to keep from choking him and telling him how much he’d just hurt Caroline.

“I don’t know about the baby-making equipment thing,” Brandt insisted, lifting his hands in innocence.

“Ten?” Gamble said, his voice hard.

Still facing the cabinets, I clenched my teeth. “I just know what I overheard her telling your wife.”

Gamble sighed. “Aspen?”

Her voice sounded irritated when she answered. “Like she told you, she just got back from the doctor.”

I glanced toward Gam in time to see his face pale. Even his freaking lips bleached of color. “And?”

“And...there was...damage.” Her gaze strayed toward the two younger Gamble boys. But Noel didn’t seem to care about them. He rolled out his hand, asking to hear everything. “That procedure she had last year,” she started tactfully. “I guess she didn’t heal right from it.”

Gam sucked in a breath and then lowered his face. “Fuck,” he whispered. Covering his face with both hands, he groaned. “Now I feel like total shit.”

“Well, you should,” I snapped before I could stop myself. “Because you are.”

Dropping his hands, he turned a glare my way. “Excuse me?”

“You knew how all that shit affected her. You mentioned how worried about her you were every f*cking day. You’d have to be a complete idiot not to realize how sensitive she’d be about the entire topic. And yet you bandied it around tonight like it was some...joke.”

“Great.” Gam shook his head and glanced up at the ceiling. “I’m getting a lecture about my behavior from Mr. King of Insensitive himself.”

I sniffed. “Guess that should tell you how f*cking wrong you were.”

He nodded. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” With a glance at his wife and two brothers, he announced, “I’m going to go find her. I need to apologize.”

As he left the room, I rubbed my hands over my face and slumped against the counter.

“Well, I’m glad you said that to him so I didn’t have to,” Aspen murmured.

Dropping my arms to my sides, I forced a smile. “Happy to be of service.”

She sent me a gracious nod. “And in return, I’m happy to glance over your resume.”





An hour later, my mind was straying. Oh, who the f*ck was I kidding? It’d been impossible to concentrate from the moment I’d sat down with Gamble’s woman in the dining room. Overall, she seemed impressed with my format, but she’d definitely used her green pen.

“I think if you employ the suggestions I made, you’ll get some amazing results.”

When she glanced at me, I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

She nodded too and drew in a breath. “So...do you have any places in mind that you’d like to apply to?”

“Actually, yes. I have a list.” I checked the front door, for like the millionth time in the last sixty minutes, but no one opened it. No Gamble. No Caroline. No boogie man. Where the hell were they? Was she okay?