Read Online Breaching the Billionaire: Alethea's Redemption (Book 6) (Legacy Collection) by Ruth Cardello - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ruth Cardello
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She stacked the small empty glass on top of two others and waved the bartender over. She fully intended to drink until she either stopped hating herself or stopped feeling anything, whichever came first.
She should have changed out of her tight-fitting sleeveless tank dress. There were two men at the bar watching her closely. She assessed them for threat and dismissed both. One was large and soft. The other didn’t look like he’d ever seen the wrong side of a fist. If either followed her out the door, she hoped she didn’t end up in jail for the pain she would inflict on them.
One smiled at her when he caught her looking across at him. She shook her head and looked away. Sorry, I can’t find a man attractive if I know I can kick his ass.
“Seems you’ve changed your mind about our drink,” a deep familiar voic e said suggestively in her ear.
Alethea didn’t even look up. She just downed her fourth shot. “Don’t fuck with me tonight, Marc. I’ve had a bad day.”
“Apparently,” he said dryly.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Would you believe gut feeling? Or should I confess to light stalking?”
Almost smiling, Alethea waved over the bartender for another shot. “Don’t make me laugh. I hate everyone right now.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
“No.” She downed her fifth shot.
He took her purse and rifled through it, pulling out her keys and sticking them in the front pocket of his charcoal suit pants.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, with the first hint of a slur in her voice.
“You’re not driving anywhere tonight.”
“How I get home is none of your concern.”
“Maybe not, but I’m not going anywhere.” He took a seat next to her. The bartender brought another shot by, but Marc waved him away. “So tell me about this bad day.”
Alethea closed her eyes, then leaned onto her elbows on the bar in front of her. “I’m celebrating my freedom from the responsibility of trying to make people see reality.”
“You’re not celebrating. You’re wallowing.”
Alethea tried unsuccessfully to stack her remaining empty shot glasses into a pyramid but missed. “You don’t know anything about what’s going on. Did Marie send you? She thinks I’m jealous of Lil’s new life. I’m not. I don’t want a husband and kids. I’d die of boredom in her perfect little life. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
“About what?” he asked quietly.
She looked up into his intense blue eyes and instantly regretted doing so. Even though they were slightly blurred, they looked just as beautiful. Maybe even more so because they were so close. Too close. Like those luscious lips of his that were pressed in a thoughtful line. It would be so easy to escape into them as she had into alcohol. “About life. If you have something you love, you have to protect it or someone will rip it from you.” She snapped her fingers in the air. “Look away and you lose, just like that.”
“What are you trying to stop Lil from losing?”
“Everything,” she said angrily, and knocked the pyramid over, not caring about the glare the bartender gave her as some crashed to the floor. “But they don’t see that. They think I’m looking for trouble where there is none. I’m done caring what they think of me. I should just let it all fall apart—then they’d miss me.” She leaned closer to him until their lips almost touched. “Even you would miss me. Admit it.”
Marc coughed. “This isn’t a conversation we should have in a public bar. Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
He helped her up and she leaned against him. “If you think sleeping with me will get me to tell you everything, you’re song . . . so wrong.” She corrected herself as she stumbled over her words.
“We will be together, Alethea, but not tonight,” he assured her with a cocky smile, walking her out of the bar, his arm around her waist to steady her.
Heaven. Too bad I probably won’t remember this. He put her in
She should have changed out of her tight-fitting sleeveless tank dress. There were two men at the bar watching her closely. She assessed them for threat and dismissed both. One was large and soft. The other didn’t look like he’d ever seen the wrong side of a fist. If either followed her out the door, she hoped she didn’t end up in jail for the pain she would inflict on them.
One smiled at her when he caught her looking across at him. She shook her head and looked away. Sorry, I can’t find a man attractive if I know I can kick his ass.
“Seems you’ve changed your mind about our drink,” a deep familiar voic e said suggestively in her ear.
Alethea didn’t even look up. She just downed her fourth shot. “Don’t fuck with me tonight, Marc. I’ve had a bad day.”
“Apparently,” he said dryly.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Would you believe gut feeling? Or should I confess to light stalking?”
Almost smiling, Alethea waved over the bartender for another shot. “Don’t make me laugh. I hate everyone right now.”
“Want to tell me about it?”
“No.” She downed her fifth shot.
He took her purse and rifled through it, pulling out her keys and sticking them in the front pocket of his charcoal suit pants.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, with the first hint of a slur in her voice.
“You’re not driving anywhere tonight.”
“How I get home is none of your concern.”
“Maybe not, but I’m not going anywhere.” He took a seat next to her. The bartender brought another shot by, but Marc waved him away. “So tell me about this bad day.”
Alethea closed her eyes, then leaned onto her elbows on the bar in front of her. “I’m celebrating my freedom from the responsibility of trying to make people see reality.”
“You’re not celebrating. You’re wallowing.”
Alethea tried unsuccessfully to stack her remaining empty shot glasses into a pyramid but missed. “You don’t know anything about what’s going on. Did Marie send you? She thinks I’m jealous of Lil’s new life. I’m not. I don’t want a husband and kids. I’d die of boredom in her perfect little life. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”
“About what?” he asked quietly.
She looked up into his intense blue eyes and instantly regretted doing so. Even though they were slightly blurred, they looked just as beautiful. Maybe even more so because they were so close. Too close. Like those luscious lips of his that were pressed in a thoughtful line. It would be so easy to escape into them as she had into alcohol. “About life. If you have something you love, you have to protect it or someone will rip it from you.” She snapped her fingers in the air. “Look away and you lose, just like that.”
“What are you trying to stop Lil from losing?”
“Everything,” she said angrily, and knocked the pyramid over, not caring about the glare the bartender gave her as some crashed to the floor. “But they don’t see that. They think I’m looking for trouble where there is none. I’m done caring what they think of me. I should just let it all fall apart—then they’d miss me.” She leaned closer to him until their lips almost touched. “Even you would miss me. Admit it.”
Marc coughed. “This isn’t a conversation we should have in a public bar. Come on, I’ll drive you home.”
He helped her up and she leaned against him. “If you think sleeping with me will get me to tell you everything, you’re song . . . so wrong.” She corrected herself as she stumbled over her words.
“We will be together, Alethea, but not tonight,” he assured her with a cocky smile, walking her out of the bar, his arm around her waist to steady her.
Heaven. Too bad I probably won’t remember this. He put her in
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