Free The Hustle (Irreparable #4) by Kj Bell Page A

delight as she smiles brightly.
    She has no idea how hard it was. With a pathetic shrug, I turn back to the bar. I pour us both a drink. When I hand her the glass, she shakes her head.
    “Had enough?”
    “Yeah, I tend to do stupid things when I drink.” She narrows her eyes in a playful manner.
    “Like?” I ask, joking with her as I return her glass to the bar.
    “Like trying to seduce a hot guy, only to find out I’m the only piece of ass on the planet he won’t sleep with.”
    Instinctually, I want to be angry and defend myself by telling her how wrong she is about me. But what a joke! She doesn’t know my reasons, but she isn’t wrong. She doesn’t understand that to me—she’s more than just a piece of ass. That because I feel things for her, I couldn’t follow through with a reckless fuck session.
    I don’t want a first time with her that ends in a mistake. I want a first time with her that will obliterate our other first times. Fuck! This chick is changing me and I’m not sure yet how I feel about that.
    I can’t be mad and I won’t follow her lead and make a joke about what happened. There’s nothing funny about how I made her feel. Her eyes study me, looking for some clue to explain my behavior. She won’t find one. The mask is flawless, revealing only what I allow it to. She’s seen glimpses when I let my guard down, but not now, not after what happened in my office. From now on, she’ll only see what I let her.
    The shame still marring her features upsets me. It’s me who should feel humiliated. She deserves to know what a head case I am and that she didn’t do anything wrong. I take her hand and lead her to the couch. We settle in next to each other with our feet on the coffee table.
    “I really am sorry, Peyton. I panicked when I realized I wasn’t wearing a little heart-saver.”
    She laughs, tilting her head to the side. “Heart-saver? There’s a new one.”
    “I made the mistake with heartbreaker number one. We had a, who the daddy moment and I wanted it to be mine, but it wasn’t. She married the baby daddy and then I met heartbreaker number two.”
    “That sucks,” she snorts, slurring her words slightly.
    “Yes it does.”
    She pats my knee. “I made the same mistake with heartbreaker number one. Just look how much we have in common.”
    My eyes go wide. “You have a kid?”
    “No, God no . . . so maybe not the exact same mistake. He’d just broke up with his girlfriend when we met. We dated for a couple of months. When I was head over heels in love, the Ex showed up with a bump, wanting her baby daddy back. Can’t compete with that.”
    “Nope,” I agree, swallowing the remainder of my drink and my resentment in one big gulp.
    “Tell me about heartbreaker number two. I assume she’s the one you hope to get back?”
    “Her name’s Maria. Her and her little boy used to live here with me. He isn’t dead. I’m sorry I lead you to think that. We were going to get married and he called me daddy and then one day I fucked up and they left me.”
    “Where is she now?”
    “With the baby daddy.”
    Although it isn’t funny, we both burst into laughter and when we finally calm down, Peyton asks, “Who’s the daddy?”
    I straighten with all the seriousness back in my expression as I stare at Peyton, warning her this is not a joke.
    “What?” Her voice rises with apprehension. “Who is it?”
    “Eduardo Montez.”
    “Are you crazy, Aidan? Is that why you’re going into business with him? To get her back?”
    My hands rake though my hair. I’ve said too much and there’s no room to back pedal. “I don’t know.”
    “You can’t. Do you hear me? He sent you a human hand in a box for Christ sakes. Is this woman worth your life? Or mine, or your family’s?”
    “Why’d you come to my office tonight?” I ask, blatantly changing the subject.
    “Pretty sure I communicated my sexual frustration.”
    I lean over, skimming the tips of my fingers along her jaw.