Page 145 of Dangerous Men

“Don’t fucking touch me!” I shriek, jerking away.

Alec freezes, arm still outstretched.

My things, where are my things? I’m going to be sick. I’m going to scream.

“Please, let me explain,” he pleads.

“There’s no explaining this.” My hands shake as I grab my purse. The door—where’s the damn door?

I tug on the door twice before realizing it’s locked. As I fumble with the deadbolt, Alec steps closer.

“Darling, I?—”

My whole body goes cold.

“Don’t you dare call me that. I’m not your darling,” I say in a voice that doesn’t sound like my own. I turn to meet his gaze, hate in my eyes. “And don’t you ever contact me again.”

I yank the door open, and he moves forward as if to stop me.

“If you follow me, I will scream,” I warn, voice deadly calm. “Let’s see you explain to your shareholders why you have a woman in your apartment. A woman who isn’tyour wife.”

Alec’s eyes darken.

“You wouldn’t,” he says.

The laugh that escapes me is almost inhuman. I sound like a monster. “You have no idea what I would do,Mason. Or what I’m capable of.”

And then I leave him there, slamming the door behind me.

51

SYDNEY

I’m so stupid.

My vision is blurry from the tears in my eyes, and even after I scrub my face with the sleeve of Alec’s dress shirt, I can’t seem to clear it.

So, so stupid. I knew it. I knew from the start that it was too good to be true. I knew something was off.

It’s not until I reach the first floor and see the look of shock on the doorman’s face that I realize how I must look. Makeup ruined, my bag clasped against my chest, wearing nothing but a man’s dress shirt.

“Ma’am?” the doorman says uncertainly. “Do you need assistance?”

I don’t answer him. I can’t. I race outside, clutching my bag and letting the door shut behind me.

What am I even doing? Where am I going? It’s late, too late to be outside wearing nothing but a shirt, to be trapped in a part of the city I’m not familiar with, to be?—

“Miss Sinclair?”

I look up, startled by the voice. Earl is sitting on the bumper of Alec’s town car, reading a book.

He looks from me to the door of Alec’s building and back again before sliding off the car and slipping the book into his pocket.

“Do you need to get out of here?” he asks.

Yes. I do. I need to be anywhere but here. But when he moves toward the back of the car to open the door for me, I hesitate.

“I don’t want to get you in trouble with—” I stop, a fresh wave of pain cresting over me. I can’t even say his name. I can’t even think it.