Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits #4)(51)

I wipe away the tears I hadn’t even realized had fallen and kick his door as hard as I can, denting it. I want him to find his car tomorrow and feel at least a bit of the pain he’s put me through. He clearly doesn’t care about me, but this? This will hurt him.

“Microdick? Nice.”

I whirl around in shock. “Silas.”

I didn’t hear him approach. The streets have been eerily silent. The only thing disturbing the peace was the sound of me damaging Ryan’s car.

I drop the keys in my hand, my face draining of color. Fuck. What have I done? I can’t afford repairs on this car. What was I thinking? A fresh wave of panic overwhelms me, and I try my hardest to keep from shaking.

Silas stares at me, his expression calm. His attention isn’t on the car. It’s on me. “What happened?” he asks.

I open my mouth to answer, but the words won’t come. How do I tell him that Ryan was using me? It’s hard enough for me to come to terms with myself. Admitting it to someone, to Silas? That’s beyond me right now.

He sighs and walks up to me, pausing right in front of me. Silas places his hands on my cheeks and swipes at my tears with his thumbs. “He hurt you.”

I nod, my eyes falling closed as another fresh wave of tears fall from my eyes. Silas catches them all, his touch gentle.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I… I wasn’t thinking. I’ll get the car repaired, I promise. Please don’t report me to the police,” I beg.

Silas chuckles and brushes my hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear instead. “This isn’t what I expected to find when the car’s silent alarm went off,” he says. “I’m impressed. You did quite a bit of damage in the few minutes it took me to get here. What is it with you and damaging cars, huh?”

Silent alarm. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that? I must’ve truly lost my mind. I’m done for. I’m going to be in debt for the rest of my life, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Silas decides not to hire me anymore.

I bite down on my lip harshly. What did I do? I let Ryan use me for months, and right till the end I’m the one that suffers most. I put my own future at stake and he isn’t even worth it. I swallow down a sob and squeeze my eyes closed. Years of hard work, all gone because I couldn’t control my pain.

Silas sighs and takes a step closer to me. Before I realize what’s happening, he’s got his arms wrapped around me. He hugs me tightly, and I burst into tears while he just stands there, stroking my hair with one hand and keeping the other wrapped tightly around me.

“What happened, my love? What did he do?”

I shake my head and hug him back, squeezing him tightly, as though holding onto him will keep me from falling apart.

“I’ll get the car fixed,” I murmur. “Don’t fire me, please. I swear I’m not usually like this.”

Silas chuckles and holds me tighter. “Fuck the car,” he says. “It’s mine anyway. It’s not his. Don’t worry about it. I’ll have it towed in a minute.”

I pull back to look at him in surprise, and he smiles. “Oh God,” I whisper. “It’s not Ryan’s?”

Silas smirks and shakes his head. “I loaned it to him because he loved it so much.”

His words bring fresh tears to my eyes. I damaged a car that isn’t even Ryan’s. The small amount of vindication it gave me drains away, leaving me feeling empty, deprived of my revenge and heartbroken in more ways than one.

Ryan’s words run through my mind, filling me with fresh contempt. He can’t have her. Never her. I swallow hard, my eyes running over Silas. “I’ll repay you,” I tell him.

Silas frowns, and I smile bitterly.

“Right now.”

“How are you going to pay me back, Alanna?”

My heart starts to race as I look into his eyes. “Silas, I’m ready to beg for it.”





Chapter Thirty-Three





Silas



“Silas, I’m ready to beg for it,” she says, a vindictive glint in her eyes. Her eyes are roaming over my body, but it’s not me she’s seeing. What she sees is an opportunity for revenge. What the fuck did Ryan do to her?

“Did you break up with him?”

She looks up at me, surprised. “We’re done,” she says, her voice soft. I’m relieved at the lack of heartbreak in her eyes. She seems angry and hurt, but not heartbroken. Maybe there’s still a chance for us, after all.

“Does he know that?”

She shakes her head and grabs her phone. “No, but he’s about to find out.”

I watch her as she texts him, breaking up with him over a text message. Damn. He really fucked up, huh? I should feel sorry for my brother, but all I feel is relief. For weeks, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do. I’ve been wanting to break them up, but I couldn’t stand the thought of forcibly breaking her heart, depriving her of the happiness she sought out. I will always place Alanna’s happiness above all else — including my own.

She smiles as she puts her phone away and takes a step closer to me. I won’t even pretend to lie to myself. I want her. I always want her.

All I could think about when she interviewed with me was what it’d be like to work with her, to steal a kiss from her here and there. I imagined her in a sexy skirt, her legs spread on my desk. I’ve wanted her in my bed from the moment I found her. Her dating my brother didn’t change a thing for me. I still love her the same. I still want her as much as I always have — but not like this.