Page 94 of Nothing to Win

“Funny, people asked me that about my last boyfriend too,” she snapped and then closed her eyes, rolling her lips into her mouth, calming herself.

He recognized it but wouldn’t encourage it.

“You don’t know him,” Brogan hissed, getting lower.“How in the hell—”

“We arrived early,” she said.“He took a liking to me.He’s kind and he makes me laugh.”

He almost choked when he next swallowed.“That’s it?You’re with Gault now?The man’s forty fucking years older than you!”

“Do not raise your voice to me,” she whispered, glancing at the interested people in their periphery.Nosy fucks.Like he gave a shit.“And for your information, there’s thirty-seven years between us.”

“Oh, that’s much better,” he scoffed.“Thirty-seven?Is that all?No problem there.”

“What isyourproblem, Brogan?A side-effect of you dumping me is I don’t have to worry about that anymore.I don’t have to worry about not living up to your standards or about disappointing you.I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough to stand next to the great Brogan Spurn, but I am good enough to stand next to Everett Gault.He’s never asked me to apologize for who I am.”

She started to turn away—no fucking way.He grabbed her arm, hauling her back.

“I never asked you to apologize,” he said.“Irish, I would never—”

“Is everything okay over here?”Of course, Conway and Bram Sear injected themselves where they weren’t welcome.The father’s voice interrupted him.“Do you want to take your hands off my daughter, Spurn, or are we going to escalate this?”

Much as he didn’t want to, Brogan had no damn choice but to let go of her arm.As soon as he did, she stepped backward into the space between her father and brother.She didn’t belong on that side.She didn’t.Not for a fucking second.

“Know your fucking place.My sister has come to her senses,” Bram said, as smug as expected.“I always knew she would.Always knew it was just a matter of time—”

“You don’t have a damn clue what happened between them,” Julius said.

“I don’t give a crap,” Bram said.“All I know is, I’m sleeping better now she’s not sleeping with him.”

“Bram,” Gia muttered.

“No, he should have to listen to this,” Bram said.“He was happy to parade your relationship all over town when you were together, making a fool of our family.He should be put in his place.”

Finally, the server appeared with his double Scotch in the middle of a silver tray.What the fuck had taken so long?Before he could reach it, a smaller hand got in front of his, sweeping the liquor from the tray.

Gia put the glass to her lips and tipped her head back, gulping until the liquid was gone.

“Gianna!”Conway chastised.

Wincing, she put a hand over her mouth while returning the empty glass to the dumbfounded server’s tray.

Brogan heard himself asking, “Have you eaten today?”

For the first time that night, their eyes met.

Now he understood why she’d resisted.There was an undeniable truth in her gaze.She wasn’t angry, or, yeah, maybe she was, but she was hurting too.There was a pain in those glistening orbs that he’d put there.

Damn.He’d never forgive himself.

As quickly as she revealed her pain, she shuttered it away.“Why?”she snarled.“Worried for my safety or for what I might let another man do to me quid pro quo?”

“Everett!”someone else in the room shouted.

And there he was, Gault entering the room again.

“Excuse me,” Gia said, spinning and flouncing away before he could think to stop her.

When he tried to move, Conway and Bram closed in front of him.