“Correction. You get the floor and a blanket. I get the bed.”
Brett lay down where he sat. “Don’t bother. I’m going to sleep right now so I don’t have to stare at your ugly faces anymore.”
Cole chuckled. “We’ll all sleep in here. It’ll be a sleepover party.”
“Just don’t try to paint my nails,” Eric said.
Brett closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with their soft voices surrounding him. Christ, but getting the shit beat out of you was exhausting. And tomorrow, he would get another taste—only from Christopher this time. But then he could go to Anna, and hold her in his arms, and make love to her all night long…
Yeah.
Or not.
After Chris finished with him, he probably wouldn’t be able to walk by tomorrow night, let alone make love to Anna. Then again, that was more than likely their plan.
Well played, gentlemen. Well played.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, Anna rolled over in bed, rubbed her swollen eyes, and groaned out loud. After Brett failed to show up last night, she had cried for an hour before her sadness turned to rage. The rage hadn’t lasted long, though. Once it wore off…
She’d cried some more.
Anger would do her no good.
After all, she’d known what she was getting, going into the “relationship.” And she promised him a clean break, if he wanted one, so she would give it to him. But why had he insisted she give him a chance if he didn’t want it? So he could get her hopes up, and then smash them down to the ground without hesitation?
Did she mean nothing to him at all?
Maybe he had led her on to further prove his point that he was the wrong guy for her. Well, if that had been his goal, then he’d succeeded.
If this was the way he would act around her, hot one second and then cold the next, then she didn’t want any part of a “relationship” with him.
It turned her into something she didn’t want to be.
The girl who cried herself to sleep.
Last night, she had even broken her promise to him. She had stomped across the hall and barged into his room, only to find it empty. Where had he gone? And why hadn’t he come to her? A quick check confirmed his luggage hadn’t left with him, so he had to be in the house.
“He was hiding from me,” she muttered under her breath. “He doesn’t want to be with me.”
She sat up and sighed, dropping her forehead on her raised knees. She was done. Done trying to win his heart. Done trying to convince him to be with her. Done with him. He had been right all along. They would never work, and she would never get to his heart because it was too well protected. Heck, maybe he didn’t have a heart to be won.
Okay, that wasn’t fair of her.
But she didn’t want to be fair right now.
Even as her heart balked at the idea, she knew she had to give up. It was over, and she had lost the battle. Time to collect her weapons and retreat to lick her wounds.
After the wedding.
Today, she’d smile, laugh, and make sure not to ruin Chris and Nina’s wedding, even if it killed her. Which it just might.
She dragged out the primping process, sticking with a soft cashmere top and a plain black skirt since the wedding prep would begin in about an hour. Her hair would be swept into an elaborate updo anyway, so why spend time making it pretty now?
When she stepped out into the hallway, she avoided looking at Brett’s door. Even the wood frame hurt too much to look at. How was she going to make it through a wedding without breaking down when they were actually in the same room?
Swallowing hard, she headed for the stairs.
Each step she took felt like a weight had been tied to her ankle, growing heavier and heavier with each step. By the time she reached the dining room, her heart beat so loud she knew everyone had to hear it. She smiled at her parents and scanned the room. Her stomach lurched when she caught sight of him across the room. He sat in the left corner with her brothers. Their gazes crashed, and he gave her an indescribable look before turning away to talk to Chris with a slight wince.
And just like that?
Her heart shattered again.
How much more proof did she need? He wouldn’t even look at her. He’d changed his mind. She gave him the perfect opportunity to do so without any repercussions.
She wouldn’t cry in front of him or look upset. No questions asked. That’s what she had promised. That’s what he would get, no matter how much it hurt.
And God, it hurt.
Squaring her shoulders, she plastered a smile on and went up to her parents, doing her best to ignore him and all the pain that came with him. “Hi, Mom. Morning, Dad.”
“Morning, princess,” her dad said, hugging her before he headed off toward the men.