The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)(83)

“I guess so?”

Thea reached into the bag and pulled out two Regencies. Her face scrunched up as she studied the covers. “These are romance novels.”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah.”

“These are yours?”

“Uh-huh.” Gavin was afraid to let his guard down, but so far this wasn’t bad. She’d only seen the covers. She wasn’t looking inside. Still, if Liv had warned her about them, then Liv must have looked inside one of the books and could have seen the notes. And the underlined passages. And the highlighted dirty parts.

Shit.

Thea picked up another book, and his heart ran for the warning track. The Sexually Satisfied Countess stared up at her.

His phone buzzed.

“Do you . . .” She fought back a laugh. “Do you actually like these?”

“There’s nothing w-wrong with romance novels. They, they provide commentary on modern, um, modern relationships and feminism and . . . and stuff.”

Thea snorted. “Gavin, I know. I love romance.”

“You do?”

“My e-reader is full of them. I just . . . since when are you a fan?”

His phone buzzed again two more times in rapid succession. Shit. “Um, honey. Just, um, hang on a second.”

He turned and ducked out of the room. He had three text messages from the guys.

Stay calm. That was from Del.

Ask if she wants to act out the dirty parts. Mack, of course.

Above all else, do not lie. Malcolm.

Okay. He was going to tell her about the book club. He just needed to get her away from the books before she opened one or found some of the notes. Because that would be way too humiliating.

“Daddy?” Ava’s voice called up from the bottom of the stairs.

Gavin swallowed a groan. “What, sweetie?”

“I’m hungry.”

Gavin silently screamed a thousand curse words. Puke-stocking whey face! “Um, OK, honey. Can you wait a second?”

“Gavin.”

Thea said his name. Quietly. Ominously. He turned and walked back in.

She held Courting the Countess in her hand, open, his notes and underlined passages plain to see.

Thea looked up. “Which one of us has been faking it?”



* * *



? ? ?

Thea watched Gavin’s face for any sign that this was a joke or a mistake or, or, or some kind of twisted prank left by Liv. Anything to convince her this wasn’t what it looked like.

His voice was tight. “Thea, listen.”

“All those amazing things you said to me . . .”

“They’re not my words, but—”

She stood on shaky legs. “I’ve been half a man. End my agony. I’m at your mercy.” The last part came out a groan. He’d seduced her with those words. Earned her trust with those words. Was Liv right? Had this just been some kind of game to him? Winning her back by any means necessary just because he could?

Gavin rushed forward from the doorway. “They’re my feelings, Thea. That’s what matters.”

“You seduced me with someone else’s words!”

“Just a few lines from a book, Thea. That’s it. Just to help me talk to you wh-when I couldn’t.”

“They weren’t just a few lines from a book. They were beautiful and made me think that things were different, that we could be different.” She backed up until her legs hit the bed. “How much else?”

Gavin scrubbed his hands over his hair.

“Do I have to read all these books to find out how much of the past month has been a total fabrication?”

“None of it w-was! The past month with you has been the most important of my life.”

“You made it up!”

“No, I didn’t. I was d-d-desperate. I didn’t know wh-what to do to get you to give me a chance, and Del and the guys said they could help, and—”

Her stomach bottomed out. “Del knows about this?” Her legs gave way as puzzle pieces began to fit into place. They formed a picture of total humiliation. She sank to the mattress. “Mack. And Malcolm? The night they were here playing dress up? That was this?”

“It’s a book club.” Gavin dropped to his knees in front of her. “W-we read romance novels to improve our relationships.”

“You pretended to be someone else!”

“No. This is me. And I am a better person than I was before. Not because of the books, but because the books helped me see things differently. Please, honey.”

She was going to be sick. Thea stood. “I need to think. I need to clear my head.” She dodged him as he rose from the floor. “I need to figure out—”

“Figure out what?” he snapped. “Whether you love me?”

Thea whipped around. The beseeching pinch of his eyes had been replaced by the hard glint of resignation. “That is not what this is about,” she said.

“Isn’t it?” Gavin took two steps toward her and looked down at her upturned face. “I love you.”

A painful thud originated in her chest and quickly spread through her body.

“I love you, Thea. I’ve tried to find other w-ways to tell you because you didn’t want to hear the exact words, but maybe the problem is you just don’t want to hear them at all.”