Page 53 of It's About Time
I blow out a breath. “That’s really good to hear, man.”
Rhonan casts his gaze in my direction. “You know what happened wasn’t your fault, right?”
“You’ve said it about a dozen times, but it doesn’t make me feel any less guilty.”
Rhonan tosses the dish towel on the counter between us, resting his palms on the marble surface. “I don’t blame you, and neither does Vienna. No one could have prepared for what Cole was going to do.”
“Still. If I had just broken attorney-client privilege and let you know what was going on, you could have seen the writing on the wall.”
“And if you did, how would that have made you feel? Going against an oath that you swore to?”
I lean back slightly and push my hand through my hair that I messed up long before I arrived at this house. “Not sure if it would be better or worse than I feel right now.”
Rhonan lifts a brow in my direction. “Is it just the Vienna thing that’s got you all messed up, or is it something else?”
I flash him a deadpan stare. “Just come out with it. You know you want to.”
He sighs and looks me dead in the eye. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Fletcher, and Henley, obviously. But Elliot, I don’t think you’re thinking this through.”
“I’ve got a handle on this thing with Dilynne, all right? It’s just pretend. It’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, not sure about that, Elliot. I’m not blind, and if you’re not going to acknowledge what happened at The Charming Bull a few months ago, then I will.”
“What are you talking about?”
He laughs. “All right, you wanna play stupid with me? Then fine.” He taps the marble in front of him. “You went out that night to make sure that your dick wasn’t broken, remember?”
“Yes…”
“And you found out it wasn’t.”
“Correct.”
“But it only perked up when Dilynne was on the bull, right?”
My jaw tightens. “I don’t recall.”
Rhonan chuckles. “You and I both know your poker face sucks.”
I toss my hands in the air. “Fine. Yeah, watching her ride the bull made me feel something downstairs, okay? You happy now?”
Surprisingly, he shakes his head. “No, I’m not fucking happy, Elliot. This means that the game you two are playing is going to end in disaster.”
“No, it’s not. That night? It was just a fluke. It hasn’t happened since, all right?”
“Again, you suck at lying. I hope to God you haven’t ever had to lie in court because there’s no way you’d be convincing enough.”
I groan while reaching up to bury my face in my hand. “What do you want me to say?”
“That you’re feeling something for someone you never thought you would, and it’s scaring the shit out of you.”
When I lift my head, I meet his eyes. “Fine. That’s exactly what I’m feeling.”
Rhonan’s brows lift. “Wow. Okay. Finally, now we’re getting somewhere.”
“But nothing is going to happen because one, it’s fucking Dilynne. And two, that’s the last thing I want.”
“Why does it matter if it’s Dilynne?” he asks, catching me by surprise.
