What I Did for Love (Wynette, Texas #5)(75)

She moved closer to Bram. “Say what you need to, Lance, and then leave me alone.”

“Could you…step outside for a minute?”

“Georgie and I don’t have secrets from each other.” Bram let his voice slip into an Eastwood whisper, circa 1973. “I don’t like secrets. I don’t like them at all.”

She considered rising above her baser instincts, but only for a moment. “He’s very possessive. Mostly in a good way.”

Bram curled his fingers around the back of her neck. “And let’s keep it like that.”

Her flash of amusement proved she’d spent too much time living with the devil. Still, this was her fight, not Bram’s, and as much as she appreciated the support, she needed to handle it on her own. “Lance doesn’t seem like he’s leaving, so I might as well get this over with.”

“You don’t have to talk to him.” Bram dropped his hand from her neck. “I’d like nothing better than a good excuse to throw the son of a bitch out on his ass.”

“I know you would, sweetie, and I’m sorry to spoil your fun, but leave us alone for a few minutes, will you? I promise I’ll tell you everything. I know how much you love a good laugh.”

Meg shot Lance a glare and looped her arm through Bram’s. “Come on, pal. I’ll fix you another drink.”

Exactly what he didn’t need, but Meg’s intentions were good.

Bram gazed at Georgie, and she could see him trying to decide how long and how hard to kiss her. But he wisely underplayed the scene by merely touching her hand. “I’ll be nearby if you need me.”

She’d intended to stay in the foyer, but Lance had other ideas, and he walked ahead of her into the living room. His passion for clean surfaces and hard modern lines would make him contemptuous of this lovely room with its kumquat trees, Tibetan throws, and mirrored Indian pillows. And while Bram’s house was spacious, it could have fit inside one corner of the massive property she and Lance had shared.

She remembered something she should have thought of earlier. “I’m sorry about the baby. Truly.”

He stopped in front of the fireplace, so that the vine curling over the mantel looked as though it was growing from his head. “It’s been hard, but it was early, and Jade got pregnant so easy that we’re not letting ourselves get too upset. Everything happens for a reason.”

Georgie didn’t believe that. She believed things sometimes happened just because life could really suck. “Still, I’m sorry.”

His shrug made her suspect he was secretly relieved. She heard a distant rumble of thunder and wondered how she could ever have loved this man with his shallow emotions and flexible passions. She’d given him tears and entreaties, but she’d never once unleashed her anger. No time like the present to fix that.

She moved toward him. “I’ll never forgive you for the lie you spread about me not wanting children. How could you do something so cowardly?”

He was taken aback by her attack, and he picked at the frayed bracelet on his wrist. “It…was an overzealous publicist.”

“That’s a lie.” Her anger erupted along with a flash of lightning. “You’re a liar and a cheat. You had dozens of chances to correct that story, and you never did.”

“Why are you being so hostile? What was I supposed to say?”

“The truth.” She closed the distance between them. They were nearly the same height, and she looked him squarely in the eye. “Except being honest would have made you look like even more of a jerk to the public, and you couldn’t stand that.”

He started to sputter. “Don’t talk to me about jerks? How could you marry that ass?”

“Easy. He’s hot and he worships me.” Truth and lie rolled up together.

“You’ve always hated him. I don’t understand how this could happen.”

“There’s a thin line between hating someone and finding the grand passion of your life.”

“Is that what this is about? Sex?”

“Definitely a big part of it. And I do mean big.”

That was just plain mean. The fact that Lance wasn’t super-endowed had never bothered her, but it bothered him, and she should be ashamed of herself. She wasn’t. “Bram’s insatiable. I’ve spent so much time naked lately, it’s a wonder I still remember how to wear clothes.”

He’d always refused to acknowledge any problems with their sex life, and he turned his back to examine the Moorish carving on the mantel. “I don’t want to fight with you, Georgie. We’re not enemies.”

“Think again.”

“If you’d just called me back…I have enough guilt. I don’t know how he did it, but I know he coerced you, and I want to help. I have to help you get out of this.”

“Fascinating. Except I don’t need help.”

“The fact that you married him…” He turned to face her again. “Don’t you see? Not only is it bad for you, but it cheapens what we had together.”

At first she was too stunned to respond, and then she laughed.

He puffed up, all injured dignity. “It’s not funny. If he’d been someone decent…Our relationship was true and honest. Just because it didn’t last doesn’t mean it wasn’t right at the time.” He stepped away from the fireplace. “If you married Bram of your own free will—and I’m having a hard time believing that—but if you did, you’ve tainted our relationship and demeaned yourself.”