Page 82 of Seduced in Ink

But she wasn’t the same person she had been when all of this started. When she paced in the parking lot and felt like she was screwing everything up. She wasn’t the same person who had gone to the art show.

She wasn’t even the same woman she had been when they kissed for the first time.

Perhaps that had to count for something. Only she wasn’t sure it did or what it meant. Not when she felt like she was losing everything.

Or as if she hadn’t been worth it to begin with.

Chapter 21

Aaron had expected the pounding on the door. Had anticipated the shouting.

He hadn’t seen the fist to the face coming.

Or perhaps he had, just not from who threw it.

“Ethan, what the hell?” Lincoln snapped from his lover’s side.

Aaron rubbed his jaw and grinned at his little brother.

“I thought Lincoln was going to hit me. And I would have let him. I wasn’t expecting you to do it.”

“Well, I didn’t want Lincoln to hit you because that might hurt Madison’s feelings. She doesn’t like it when people stand up for her like that. But if I do it, it’s just a brother to brother thing. So, what the fuck, Aaron? Why is Madison crying in her home all alone while you’re here acting like an asshole?”

Aaron felt as if he’d been doused in water. He took a few steps back, bile rising to his throat.

“Now that you got that out of your system, darling, let’s go inside. We can kick his ass properly,” Lincoln said through gritted teeth. Aaron took a few steps back so both of them could walk through the door, each of them glaring.

“It wasn’t real,” Aaron began, but Lincoln held up a hand.

“No, we’re not going to start with that. We’re going to start with this.” And then Lincoln held out his arms and hugged Aaron so tight, he could barely breathe.

“Thank you for saving my family. Fuck. I can’t believe I almost lost them.”

Aaron could hear the tears in the other man’s voice, and he swallowed hard to keep his own at bay and just hugged the other man back. Then Ethan walked up, embracing them both. The three of them stood there, just breathing as they held onto one another. Aaron wondered how he had gotten himself into this situation. Not being held by his brother and friend, but that they needed to comfort him at all.

“That’s enough of that,” Ethan said, tugging Lincoln away. He’s mine,” his brother said with a wink, and Aaron laughed. This was the first time he had truly laughed since he watched Madison walk away when he told her to go.

“Lincoln is pretty, but he’s not my type.”

“I’m everybody’s type, thank you very much,” Lincoln said, but the humor rang false.

“I’m sorry,” Aaron said.

“You really shouldn’t be apologizing to me. You should be apologizing to the woman you hurt.”

“It wasn’t real,” Aaron whispered again.

“Oh, fuck that. We all know it’s real. You might’ve started out with this joke or ruse to give her some space, but I saw how you two were with each other. And don’t tell me you two weren’t sleeping together, because that would be a big fucking lie,” Lincoln growled.

Aaron ran his hand through his hair and noticed that he needed a haircut. But he didn’t care. He was too tired. Too exhausted to work, to create. He felt like he was doing everything wrong.

He deserved being yelled at, though. He deserved it so much. But he wasn’t right for Madison. She needed space, and him not giving it to her would only hurt her in the end.

“She needs time to be with her family.”

“You’re right. But not all the time. Jesus Christ, you need to save her from herself.”

Aaron narrowed his eyes at Ethan. “What do you mean?”