Temptation (Club X #1)(53)
Author: K.M. Scott

Standing back, I held the door and watched as she sauntered past me into my apartment. Instantly, I felt out of place in my own home. “What do you want to say, Rachel?”

She sat down on the couch and waved me over. “Come. I want to tell you the story of Cassian March.”

I plopped down in my favorite chair and crossed my arms. “I already know that story. It’s an oldie and not a goodie. He’s a player and I got played. What I can’t figure out is why you’re here to say anything to me about him. I already told you I won’t be bothering with him anymore. He’s all yours.”

Rachel shook her head. “No, he hasn’t been mine for a long time. And just in case you’re wondering who left who, he left me.”

I couldn’t hide my surprise at that bit of news. “Really?”

She flashed me a million dollar smile. “I bet you didn’t think any man would ever leave someone like me. Not true. Cassian left me and he had good reason to.”

Nothing like being humble. “I can’t imagine what that could be.”

“I cheated on him with his brother Stefan.”

Suddenly, all the nasty looks and comments Cash had made about his brother made sense. No wonder he hadn’t wanted me to spend any time around Stefan. “He obviously forgave you. You’re still in his life.”

“I don’t think he’s ever forgiven either of us, but Stefan is blood. I don’t know why he kept me around for so long.”

“I think it’s a bit disingenuous to sit here and tell me you don’t know why your husband kept you in his life, Rachel. He still loves you. It’s that simple.”

She shook her head and frowned. “No, he doesn’t. I wanted to think he still loved me all this time, but it was too easy for him to tell me he didn’t want me in his life anymore when he met you. I never had a chance once you showed up on the scene.”

A sudden laugh escaped from my throat, and I quickly covered my mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh at what seems to really bother you, but you never had a chance once he met me? You’ve got to be kidding me. I have eyes, you know. No man would choose me over you.”

“He did. He told me a while ago that he wasn’t interested in having me in his life anymore. I think he might have kept me around all this time just to punish me, or maybe it was to punish himself. I’m not sure. All I know is that he told me he didn’t want to see me anymore, and I knew by that look in his eyes that he was crazy about someone. He told me you were different from anyone he’d ever been with, and I knew I’d lost him for good this time.”

“When did you two separate?”

“Right after he caught me with Stefan five years ago. You should have seen him before I did that. The Cassian you know who’s so cold and controlled all the time didn’t exist back then. God, he was so incredible. I fell in love with him the day I met him. He was so sweet. That’s the only way I can describe him then. He fell hard for me, and I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.”

“And then you cheated on him with his brother.” I couldn’t stop myself from showing her my disgust. She’d had an incredible man, and she’d thrown him away, just like I imagined she threw away whatever else she didn’t give a damn about. Women like her saw everything as disposable, including people.

For a moment, Rachel’s perfect face twisted in what looked like pain but then the façade returned along with that fabulous smile. “Not exactly. We fell in love and married. He was young and wealthy and I’d snagged one of the hottest guys in town. Then everything changed. He wanted a family, but I liked our life like it was. You see, our Cassian isn’t by his nature the man whore he’s been for so long. He wants a wife who’ll give him children so he can escape the life he has to live at work, but I wasn’t that woman. I wanted the man he’d been when I met him—wild and sexy and devoted to me.”

“Why Stefan then? Because he’s a player who wouldn’t get serious?”

“I don’t know. We were thrown together so often and it just happened. Before I knew it, I’d cheated on my husband and he found out.”

“Then why didn’t he divorce you if he didn’t want you back?”

“One word. Pre-nup. He never had me sign one. He was so in love that he never even asked. I think he believes if he divorces me I’ll make damn sure I get as much of that club as I can.”

“Wouldn’t you? It looks like you can afford the best lawyers in town, so you’d probably keep him and his brothers in court with that for ages, all the while making his life and theirs a living hell.”

“I don’t want that club of his. All I wanted was him, but that’s not going to happen.”

“So you still love him?” I asked, needing to know, even though it didn’t matter anymore.

“I do. I’d take him back in a heartbeat. I’ve always loved him, but I ruined what we had. I know that. I’d just always hoped he wouldn’t find anyone else and we’d get back together eventually. I thought that was going to happen since all he’s dated since me were women he just wanted to sleep with. Until you. Once you came along, I knew any hope of us getting back together was gone.”

“Why are you telling me all of this, Rachel? Nothing’s changed. You’re still his wife, and he still lied about you.”

“Because for the first time in years, he was happy. That was because of you. Those beautiful blue eyes that for so long seemed so cold finally had that look back in them that he used to have with me. That was you. You did that for him.”

I cut her off because I just couldn’t hear any more. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I’m just not—”

“Maybe I’m hoping that by telling you this he’ll finally be happy and I’ll have some good karma. I never wanted to hurt him, and I certainly don’t want to see him miss out on the happiness he deserves. I’d hoped it could be with me, even after what I did, but I know that’s not possible.”

I’d heard enough. Standing to show her to the door, I shook my head. “He’s still married to you, Rachel. As long as that doesn’t change, he and I can never be anything.”

She walked toward me and stopped to open her purse. Reaching in, she took out a stack of papers and held them up to show me. “I’m giving him these tomorrow. As long as he signs them, we won’t be married for much longer. I want nothing from him, so I won’t be dragging this out to hurt him or his brothers. The way is cleared for you. I won’t cause you any problems from now on.”