“So it was all about helping me, huh?”
Fear and guilt made her eyes burn. She wasn’t a crier, damn it, but never before had she been faced with a problem like this.
Never before had she been in love.
“Is that what happened?” She had to know. “Did Phil use that money to hire someone to come after you? It occurred to me that he might have.”
“Huh. And still you never said a word.”
Though she doubted it would help, Vanity told him of her plans. “I hired a private detective to find him, to see what he was up to. I wanted to protect you.”
“A PI?”
“Jack Woolridge. He’s supposed to be one of the best.”
Laughing, Stack held out a hand, rubbing together two fingers and his thumb. “You’ve got plenty of cash to throw around, right? Why not spend it on that? Makes more sense than just telling me the truth.”
Was that how he saw her efforts? As her throwing around her inheritance?
She shook her head in denial. “I wanted to tell you.”
“No opportunity? That’s right, after Tabby left, I was so busy declaring how much I cared, you couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”
Hurt sat like a lead weight on her chest. “I believed you, that you cared.”
He stared at her, not a single sign of giving in his eyes. “You wanted to know what happened between Whitney and me?”
At one point she had very much wanted to know. But not now. “It doesn’t matter.”
“No?” He moved closer but still stopped with too much distance between them. “I want to tell you anyway.”
That’s when she saw the mark on his neck. All other sensations faded beneath disbelief and red-hot jealousy. She stared at his neck. “Whitney kissed you?”
“What?” He touched his fingers to the spot, and they came away with lipstick. Stack at first looked disgusted, then he smirked. “Yeah, she did.”
“You let her?” She couldn’t imagine it, but his dislike felt palpable. If he’d been with another woman, how could she ever recover from that?
His eyes narrowed. “No.”
The relief made her weak.
“Whitney made a fool of me.”
I’m not Whitney—not that he saw the difference. Not anymore. “I’m sorry.”
As if she hadn’t spoken, Stack continued. “All along, she told me she didn’t like Phil. She said she hated the way he treated my sister. So many times after I’d argued with Tabby about it, Whitney commiserated, telling me she understood.”
“I’m sure she did. Phil didn’t just use your sister, he used your mother, too.”
“There, you see?” He narrowed his eyes. “You and Whitney say damn near the same things. It’s fucking uncanny.”
Vanity flinched, both at his language and the insulting comparison.
Not that Stack seemed to notice. “Remember I told you I walked in on them together?”
Vanity saw how that had affected him, the betrayal he’d felt. “Yes, I remember.”
“They were talking about me.”
She reached out but didn’t quite touch him. “Whitney is a fool.”
“That’s exactly what she called me. She was so busy telling Phil to ignore me, bragging that she could handle me, neither of them heard me come in. They were friends, laughing about me. Good friends. Maybe fucking, but like I said, it didn’t matter.” He locked his gaze with hers. “I detest liars.”
“I didn’t lie.” But she knew she had. Lies of omission.
Stack gave another of those ugly smiles. “Haven’t you?”
Giving up, deciding to come clean on everything, Vanity put up her chin. “All right, so I have. Because I love you.”
He looked taken aback, then barked a laugh.
Vanity ignored his humor. “You want the truth? Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. Every word of it.” And hopefully, when she finished, he’d stop being mad...and start loving her back.
CHAPTER TWENTY
THOUGH THE CONFRONTATION in Tabby’s apartment had ended hours ago, Stack still seethed with anger. He needed to hit up the rec center, to take his temper out on a heavy bag.
He’d been a dupe with Whitney, and that still stung.
But this...he felt so much more for Vanity that being played this time was far worse. He’d considered her different, up-front and ballsy and honest to a fault. He’d even started thinking long-term. Marriage, kids and pets and a house...the whole love story.
Now...now he didn’t know how to deal with the crushing blow to his pride.