With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men, #4)(125)

Protectively wrapping my arms over my chest and wanting to die of mortification, I stood there and listened to him lecture me about how I needed to urinate after every “relation,” or at least wipe the “area” so stuff from my partner didn’t get up into my urethra and cause bacteria to grow.

Next to me, a stiff Cora nodded the entire time, agreeing with everything the doctor had to say. But as soon as he finished his lecture and sent me on my way with prescription for my UTI, the glance she sent me told me just how much she was seething under the surface.

We left the treatment center together, side by side. I didn’t speak until we were outside. “How long have you known?” I finally asked.

She cracked off a low, hard laugh before searing me with a hateful glance. “How long have I known what? That you’re the little slut who screwed my boyfriend’s brains out the night he tried to ask me to marry him?”

Her voice was quiet and controlled but filled with enough fury to fuel a rocket. “I figured it out at the bar when sweet, innocent, peaceful Zoey Blakeland sent Oren Tenning after me to defend Quinn.”

Shock reverberated through my system. I couldn’t believe she’d known that long, and done nothing. I opened my mouth to ask why she’d said nothing.

But she suddenly fisted her hand and growled at me. “I swear to God, if I don’t get your kidney because you were too busy f*cking my boyfriend, I will kill you.”

For the past five minutes, I’d been feeling like crap because of that very possibility. The last thing I wanted to do was to keep anyone from getting healthier, due to my own carelessness. Realizing my relationship with Quinn might’ve just harmed her entire life made me physically ill.

Before coming to Ellamore, I would’ve started apologizing right then and there. But in the past few months…no. I didn’t apologize. I jerked to a stop and turned to glare right back at her.

“He is not your boyfriend. You f*cked around on him, and he moved on, end of story. I never—never—would’ve touched him if you hadn’t cheated on him and lost him first.”

She slapped me. Hard. “You worthless cunt. I could die because of this, and you’re worried about who was faithful and who wasn’t? How f*cking selfish can you get?”

Rage swelled. Angier than I’d ever felt in my life—for the way she’d treated me, for the way she’d treated Quinn—I balled my hand into a fist and lashed back. Forget slapping, I hit her right in the nose.

“You won’t die,” I growled. “Roaches always find a way to survive.”

Pain sliced through my knuckles and my cheek stung like hell, but I felt good. So good. Almost as good as I felt when Quinn was inside me.

Until Cora whipped her hair out of her face, and I saw blood leaking through her fingers where she was holding her nose. She stared up at me with a mixture of fear, shock, and...was that respect?

“Oh shit.” I covered my mouth with both hands and immediately started to shake, feeling awful. She’d just finished a round of dialysis and here I was, jacking her in the face. That was so wrong.

But it’d felt so good.

I opened my mouth to apologize, but then I shut it. I wasn’t sorry, I decided. For what she’d done to Quinn, I should’ve hit her twice.

So I spun away from her and marched off.

She gasped in outrage. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“I’m finding another way home. I refuse to ride in a car with you ever again.” Glancing at her shocked expression, I added, “From here on out, I’ll get myself to all the tests and appointments. I’m moving out tonight. My kidney is the last thing you’ll ever get from me.”

I left her there to chew on that. After checking the time on my phone and realizing Quinn’s game was probably just now ending, I prayed they were winning, and I typed him a quick text to let him know that Cora was onto us.





Thankfully, I found a bus stop not too far away, and I only had to wait half an hour to get a ride back to Ellamore. I started packing as soon as I made it to the apartment. I had no doubt that Quinn and Ten would let me stay with them until I found my own place. Maybe Caroline would be willing to rent something with me. That could be fun.

Needing boxes, I borrowed a couple from Henry. I’d just put all my notebooks into one when my phone chimed with a text.

From Cora.

I don’t know why I even read it, but I did.

If you want to keep your precious boyfriend, you better come to this party and fetch him. He’s drunk and horny and I can’t forget how good he feels inside me.

She’d attached an address. Quinn still hadn’t responded to my message. I shot off another to him. But the only thing I got back was: Oops. Sorry. Quinn’s busy right now…going down on me. Love ya. Cora.

“Bitch,” I muttered. I had no idea when she’d jacked with my phone, but I knew then, without a doubt, that Quinn had not been receiving my messages, and he was not doing any such thing with Cora.

I didn’t like knowing he was at that same party with her, though. She couldn’t be trusted, and she was mad enough tonight to try something even more devious. He was still unaware that she knew about us. I needed to warn him. Snagging my purse, I raced out the door.

The party was still going strong when I showed up. I waded through people until I spotted Ten challenging some guy to a drink-off.