“Shots!” Zack announced arriving at the table with a tray of shot glasses. Seeing another silent conversation pass between Piper and Jesse, I decided to go and see for myself. Armie handed me a shot and I threw it back for good luck before heading into the crowd.

It didn’t take me long to find him.

He was at the bar.

And he was with a girl.

Of course she was barely dressed and she was all over him. Granted, he wasn’t touching her. They were talking and he was smiling and God, those dimples.  I had to suck in a deep breath. Seeing him, finally after six weeks, it made me weak. But seeing him with her summoned the return of my anger.

As if sensing my presence, he scanned the room until his eyes zeroed in on mine and for one crazy moment we were locked together in our little world, just staring at one another.

Until the video vamp next to him broke the spell and intimately turned his chin, compelling him to look at her.

I closed my eyes as the heartbreak crashed over me.

I didn’t need to put myself through any more of this. I fled the club and stormed outside. But Heath was right on my heels and as I reached the street he spun me around.

“It’s not what you think.”

“It never is,” I cried as six weeks of pent up emotion bubbled to the surface and erupted out of my mouth. I yanked my arm free.

“I can’t win with you. No matter what I do, you’re always going to hate me for what happened in Vegas,” he cried.

“That’s not true!”

We had gone from zero to yelling at each other in mere seconds.

“Then what was that? Jesus Christ Harlow, I wasn’t doing anything but talk to a girl at the bar. Why do you care anyway? You don’t want me anymore.”

His words hit me like a giant slap to the face. I wrapped my arms around my chest and looked away, trying to stop the tears in my eyes from falling, afraid my emotions would betray me and he would see my heartache all over my face.

But it was too late.

When I looked up, I saw the confusion settle across his face.

“Is that why you’re upset with me?” he asked with disbelief.

I looked away, my heart thundering against my chest.

“Harlow—” I could hear the hope in his voice.

He covered the steps between us and grabbed me by the arms. His forehead fell to mine and his breath was warm and sweet against my cheek. I closed my eyes and inhaled the familiar scent of him, breathing in the comfort of him. My heart ached as every pore craved to be with him.

Being that close to him weakened me. There was so much to say. To do. But I wanted nothing more than to feel those strong arms embrace me, and hold me tight once again against the warmth of his body.

Every reason I had used to convince myself to stay away from him was quickly becoming no reason at all.

“Are you telling me there is hope?” he asked with quiet desperation. “Please baby, tell me you want me back and I’m yours.” His hands found my face. “Tell me you’re mine or –” He frowned with pain. “I can’t keep doing this. It’s killing me. Every time I see you I die a little more inside. Tell me you love me or set me free.”

There was almost no space between our lips. Only one small raise of my chin and our mouths would meet in a kiss I was desperate to feel. His breath was a soft whisper against my lips and before I could stop myself I tilted my head back further so we were almost touching.

The door to the Sugar Shack opened and broke the spell.

“Heath…?”

I turned to see the girl from the bar standing in the doorway wearing little more than a pissed off look on her face.

Suddenly those reasons to stay away from Heath had reappeared as large as life.

In that moment she encompassed everything I was afraid of. She represented every girl, every groupie, every barely clothed she-devil that would come between us in the future.

I couldn’t do it. The pain was still too raw. I looked at the girl leaning against the doorway like a Wild West saloon whore and took a step back. It was too soon.

“No—” Heath whispered desperately.

How many more of these girls would I have to endure if I went back to him?

Heath knew what I was thinking and what was coming because he started to shake his head.

“Baby, don’t—” he pleaded.

My voice broke as it caught the lump in my throat. “Consider yourself set free.”

He took a step back as if I’d punched him. The agony on his face quickly turned to despair.

“Again?” he said disbelievingly. “You’re rejecting me again?”

I wanted to yell “no” but I had to protect my heart from being broken again.

He inhaled deeply and his nostrils flared as he slowly dragged his teeth across his bottom lip.

I could see the hurt and anger collide within him. He couldn’t have looked more hurt if I’d hit him with a sledgehammer.

He stepped forward, his eyes bright with anger.

“You’re setting me free?” He could barely contain himself. “Just like that? Knowing how I feel about you? Knowing how much I love you? Knowing how much this hurts me?” His eyes hastily searched my face as his anger rose. He stepped closer. He was furious and when he spoke his voice was dangerously low. “Fine. You don’t want me anymore? You want to set me free … fine! I’m free.” He banged his chest. “I’m done. Do you hear me? I’m done. You won’t have to worry about me fucking up your life anymore.”

I saw saloon-slut smirk in the doorway and my anger got the better of me.

“We were done the moment you stuck your dick in someone else!” I yelled at him before turning my back on him and storming away.

I cried all the way home, then climbed into the shower and cried some more. I cried because we were done and because he had broken us. I cried because we had yelled at each other again and then severed our ties. I cried because we were so fucking dysfunctional despite how amazing it felt being with him.

But mostly I cried because I missed him and I loved him so fucking much it physically hurt. I didn’t want it to be over. I wanted it to be how it was before he ripped my heart out and stomped all over it.

But you can’t undo the already done.

And you can’t unsay the already said.

A mental image of him fucking his anger out of him with the girl from the bar sent another wave of heartache through me. I didn’t want other girls putting their hands on him. He belonged with me.

No.

Not anymore. We had just made absolutely certain of that! My inability to forgive him had just poured gasoline all over our love and set fire to it.

Feeling miserable, I didn’t even bother removing the towel from my hair before climbing into bed and hiding under the covers.

When Bridget arrived home and cracked open my bedroom door I pretended to be asleep.

But sleep was the furtherest thing from my mind.

Chapter Eighteen HEATH

It had been another great gig. The crowd was smaller than those we had been playing to lately, but they were hard-core fans and their excitement had electrically charged the air. We could do no wrong and for the first time in weeks I’d felt happy and alive again. The music. The fans. Performing with my brothers on stage, it’d all come together to form an awesome show. We were at a small licensed venue on the outskirts of town. And damn it felt good to be home.

After the show, none of us were keen to leave. We stayed behind for a drink with friends and fans, some we knew, some we didn’t. I was designated driver. I wasn’t going to touch another drop of alcohol until I sorted things out with Harlow.

Not that I was making any progress.

Since our confrontation at the Sugar Shack I hadn’t heard from her or made any attempt to see her. I was waiting until her anger had subsided. I thought she might have calmed down a little bit while we were away touring with the Masters of Mayhem music festival, maybe even missed me a little. But that was just proof of what an asshole I was. Time wasn’t going to soften her anger. What I had done to her wasn’t going to be repaired by a few weeks apart.