Sinful Rapture (The Rapture #2)(24)

He was a long way from forgiving the Angeli clan for not bothering to stop the engagement.

“You hurt her,” Luc accused.

Liam jerked his arm free. “That was never my intention,” he muttered.

His companion wasn’t impressed. “Why didn’t you just tell her the truth?”

In hindsight it was the obvious solution.

At the time he’d been terrified of losing her.

“She already blamed me for stealing the company she thought was going to be hers,” he said, shoving his fingers through his damp hair.

Luc breathed a curse. “It was never going to be hers. I told her that Vigo was playing games with her.”

Liam grimaced, remembering Holly’s heartbreakingly fragile expression when she discussed her prick of a father.

“You know that, and I know that, but she’s spent her entire life feeling as if she was on the outside looking in. She wanted to believe that she’d finally earned a place in her family.”

Luc gave a sharp shake of his head, his face hard with disgust.

“Trust me, being on the outside is the perfect place to be when it comes to my dysfunctional family.”

“Holly only knows that she wasn’t considered good enough to live with her father in his big mansion, or to be asked over for Christmas dinner,” Liam said, unable to understand any father who would use his children as if they were pawns on a chessboard. His own dad might not have had a fortune to pass along to his kids, but he’d loved them with a fierce devotion that meant more than any amount of money. “So when she thought he was going to name her as his heir, it made her feel as if she’d finally won a place in his heart.”

“The bastard doesn’t have a heart,” Luc informed him.

“Yeah well, she blamed me for snatching away her chance at happiness.” His jaw clenched as he remembered her explosive fury when it was announced that Vigo had sold his company to none other than Liam Conner. Thank god she had never been a big fan of carrying concealed weapons. “Can you imagine how she would have reacted if I’d been the one to tell her that her perfect fiancé was screwing around with another woman?”

“Fine. I get it,” Luc grudgingly conceded. “But why didn’t you come to me?”

Liam turned to pace toward the kitchen, reaching into his fridge to pull out two beers.

It was early, but hell, if he ever needed alcohol it was now.

“Believe it or not, I fell in love with Holly the night I met her,” he admitted, returning to his companion to offer him one of the bottles.

They both took a minute to enjoy the crisp beer before Luc heaved a resigned sigh.

“Actually I do believe you.” He polished off the beer and set the bottle on a nearby table. “Did you tell Holly?”

“She knew.” Liam twisted his lips in a rueful smile. There was no one in the room the night they met that hadn’t been aware of his stunned fascination with the dark-haired beauty. “But I’m a gambler from a family that doesn’t have a drop of blue blood. She was convinced that princely Theodore was the husband that would impress Vigo.”

“The worthless son of a bitch,” Luc growled.

“She refused to admit that we were destined to be together. I wanted—” Liam bit off his words.

Luc narrowed his gaze. “What?”

Liam hesitated. He wasn’t pumped about the idea of revealing his most intimate thoughts to anyone, let alone a man who was virtually a stranger.

But wasn’t a fool.

Luc Angeli could be his biggest obstacle or his greatest ally when it came to winning Holly’s forgiveness.

“I wanted her to come to me,” he said, scrubbing his hands over his face. God, he missed Holly. Even though they’d shared less than twenty-four hours together, he’d become accustomed to having her near. Now he didn’t know where she was. Or even if she was okay. Dammit. “To accept that she loved me without having to expose Theodore. Foolish, I suppose.”

“No, not foolish. Hell, I even admire the sentiment,” Luc assured him. “But right now you have to hope she can forgive you long enough to explain.”

Liam turned, and with one violent jerk of his arm sent the empty beer bottle sailing into the fireplace.

It exploded into a thousand shards, representing the pieces of his broken heart.

“Shit,” he breathed.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Holly ordered the taxi to take her to the Playhouse.

In part, because she was afraid that Liam would follow her to her apartment. But mainly because she needed the comfort of her best friend.

Thank god Sasha had come in early to deal with paperwork.

With her usual efficiency she had Holly whisked into her small office and a plate of fudge brownies shoved into her hands.

Now Holly paced the hand-woven carpet that matched the surprisingly delicate Louis XIV furnishings. The rest of the club was so…modern and bold and intensely sensual. It was always a shock to get a glimpse of the traditional, hardheaded businesswoman beneath the dominatrix façade.

“Men suck,” Holly muttered, licking the chocolate from her fingers.

She’d had three brownies, but everyone knew that the calories didn’t count when a man had pissed you off.

Leaning against the desk, Sasha was casually dressed in yoga pants and oversized T-shirt.