His jaw ticked. “We both know you won’t lie under oath.”

Maybe not. He knew her too well.

“We never went to counseling. I’ll tell the court I want to try that first.” There had to be another way. A different option.

“You didn’t go, Cass, but I did.” He hung his head, hammering another nail into the coffin of their marriage.

“You went to counseling without me?” Her words barely registered. This didn’t make sense. They were perfect together. They’d shared everything from explicit sexual fantasies to their greatest fears and everything in between. His actions didn’t compute. They’d only made one wrong decision. One mistake, and now she was meant to give up on their future. There had to be more.

“Is there another woman?” Nausea edged up her throat. “Is that what this is about? You’ve been unfaithful?”

She died a thousand deaths waiting for his reply. Her mind went on a psychotic bender, picturing him cheating with beautiful women. Skinny, flawless women. Ones with slight curves and perky breasts.

She sucked in a breath. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’ve found someone else.”

“No.” The word was emphatic as he glanced at her through the loose strands of dark-brown hair falling around his chocolate eyes.

Her body sagged, and she clasped her hands to stop them from shaking. She believed him. She had no clue why, but she clung to the sincerity in his gaze. She had to.

“Then why, T.J.? You can’t leave me because of one mistake.”

“Cassie.” Her name was a plea.

“Don’t Cassie me. You need to explain how you can walk away so easily. It doesn’t make sense.” She no longer cared for the heartache etched in his features. All her sympathy had washed away under her own pain. She needed answers. Now.

His features crumpled as he turned his focus back to his car parked meters down the road. “This is about me wanting the best for you.” He ran a rough hand through his hair and clutched the back of his head. “You deserve better.”

“Bullshit. This is about one night, and one night only. Can’t you see how ridiculous that is?”

“Lower your voice.”

His commanding growl sent a myriad of heated memories to the forefront. She loved that dominant voice. But she’d never obey him again. Not unless they remained husband and wife.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” He stepped back, placing agonizing distance between them. “Hurting you is the last thing I want to do.”

“Then stop.”

“I have. That’s what the divorce is all about. After you pick yourself up, you’ll realize this is the best path for your future.”

“The best path?” She glared. “No. The best path for me will always lead to my husband.”

He raised his chin, met her gaze. “Trust me on this.”

She stared at him, noticing the added lines of strain around his eyes, the downward turn of heavenly lips she was too used to seeing curved in the opposite direction.

“There is no more trust,” she murmured, trying not to let his retreating steps make her want to buckle under the weight of loss.

T.J. acknowledged her bitter words with a nod and turned on his heels. He thought he was walking out of her life. Out of her heart. Yet, he could never leave. Even when he’d stopped sleeping in their bed, she’d still felt him beside her. And when he’d left their home, she’d clung to the thought of him, waiting for his return.

She would never lose faith in their marriage, no matter what lay ahead. The only problem was, after twelve months of despair, she didn’t know how much fight she had left in her to battle for what they both deserved.

Chapter Two

“Nice to see you, stranger.”

T.J. swung around to face the playful voice he barely recognized over the heavy dance music. “Hey, sassy. Long time no see.”

“Sassy?” Shay raised a brow and quirked her lips. “First time you’ve called me that.”

“If the shoe fits.” He nudged her arm and continued walking toward the guarded doorway leading to the private area downstairs. A Shot of Sin, the dance club he owned with his two best friends, Leo and Brute, was too rowdy for him tonight. He was still adrift after seeing Cassie this morning. He needed grounding, and he wasn’t going to get it from working behind a bustling bar. The only other option, now that their Taste of Sin restaurant was closed for the evening, was Vault of Sin.

Shay shrugged. “True.” Her smile was genuine, full of the mischief he’d grown to enjoy. “So what’s with the request to work downstairs? Leo told me that part of the business wasn’t your forte.”

And so the inquisition began.

He came to a stop in front of the security guard situated at the entry to the staircase leading downstairs and gave a nod of appreciation as the man opened the door. The Vault, hidden below the main floor of Shot of Sin, was a private club where members had no intention of dancing and every motivation to get naked and participate in more carnal exercise.

The sex club had never been his favorite place to work because of his commitment to Cassie. She knew what happened behind the closed doors, and although he’d sensed her discomfort, she’d never stipulated he couldn’t fulfill this part of his ownership duties.

He’d taken it upon himself to distance his time from the sexually explicit Vault of Sin. He did it as a mark of respect to the woman he adored, especially since they’d never had the opportunity to enjoy the area together. Their problems had started before the sex-club part of his business had been established. And once the doors had opened, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to invite her in.

Now his presence didn’t seem to matter so much.

“It’s quieter down here,” he murmured.

Shay followed him into the dimly lit staircase and the guard closed the door behind them. Together they descended, passing pictures of couples on the walls, naked bodies entwined in different sexual positions that only endeavored to remind him of his wife.

“It’s quieter at the moment because nobody is down here. But it won’t be for long.” Shay chuckled. “Some of the clientele are noisy fuckers, and I mean that literally.”

He withheld a groan. “I knew what you meant.”

Her smile grew as they reached the basement floor. “Do you want to get the lights while I set up the adult entertainment? The first guests will arrive soon.”

“Sure.” He entered the pin code securing the door at the end of the hall and held the heavy wood open for her to proceed him into the Vault of Sin. While Shay played with the television set in the newbie lounge, he dragged his feet to the main room and flicked the switches on the wall beside the bar. Florescent lights off, mood lighting on.

Truth be told, Cassie would’ve loved it down here. He supposed that was one of their problems in the first place. He’d shaped her to like what he liked. To adore the depravity he adored. She hadn’t been that type of woman when they’d met. She was innocent. Almost pure. He’d shown her the far reaches of sexual desire, not once realizing he was molding her into someone else until it was too late.

A click sounded in the next room, followed by hearty moans and guttural groans from the large television screen Shay was setting up. The noise was far more prevalent than it would be once guests arrived and created the sexual sounds for themselves. The mental image should’ve awakened his arousal. Instead, he felt dirty. Depraved. A cheat.

He doubted the latter would ever fade.

When he did finally move on, it wouldn’t be pretty. He’d always be emotionally committed to Cassie, and he knew his self-respect would be at an all-time low if he shared himself with another. In his pitiful delusions, he’d even pondered the idea of paying a high-class escort to be the first. Emotions wouldn’t be involved that way. It would be a job—for him to get over his wife and for his escort to pay the bills. Win-win. He even had a business card in his wallet. A constant reminder that moving on was a phone call away. Only he couldn’t bring himself to dial the number.