Filthy Rage (Second Chance With My Brother's Best Friend, Book Five) by Paige North Read Free Book Online Page A

guy.”
    He gripped his heart dramatically. “Oomph, the good guy spiel.”
    The tension between us shattered, and I laughed as I punched him in the arm. Things with him were always so easy, and I was glad he wasn’t making this worse than it had to be. I knew when I showed up at the ab in the morning that things would be back to normal. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
    “Of course,” he said, giving me a quick hug before releasing me. “Need a ride?”
    “Nah, the bus will give me time to go over my notes,” I said. “I’ll meet you there.”
    “Alright. I had fun tonight. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, and then walked away as I slipped into my apartment.
    I dropped my keys and bag on the table near the door, then went to the battered old dresser and pulled out a camisole and an old pair of cotton gym shorts. A long, hot bath was in order, and then I was going to be early. Maybe Ben was right, and a clearer head and a new day would bring clarity to the lab results.
    And maybe if I slept hard enough, the dreams of Landon wouldn’t plague me.
    I was walking to the bathroom when a knock came on the door. I glanced at the table, checking for my purse, but it was hanging from the little wooden chair. I must’ve left something in Ben’s car.
    I crossed the room, yanking the door open. “Be—“ I froze. “Not Ben,” I said, swallowing.
    “Not Ben,” Landon repeated, his gaze slicing straight through me. “Though I was glad to see you refuse him.”
    I raised a brow, hoping my look rivaled his own. “You’re following me now?”
    As if to emphasize my words, his eyes swept over me, lingering between my legs before returning to meet mine. That one look made me hot, and I hated him for it. “Just watching out for you,” he said.
    “I can’t do this. I won’t. It’s over. I can’t wait around for you anymore.”
    I stepped back and tried to slam the door on him, but he put a foot through the doorway before I could, and the door bounced open once more.
    He didn’t say anything, just kept staring at me, as if to wait for me to say the words he wanted to hear.
    “Your life is too complicated,” I said instead. “There’s no room for me in it. You have your company, and your wife—“
    “ It’s all gone,” he said.
    I stilled at the tone in his voice, an emotion I couldn’t name.
    “What do you mean?” I asked, studying his expression. I was confused. And suddenly my heart was pounding in my chest, as if my body already knew what my mind couldn’t yet grasp.
    “Alexa signed the divorce,” he said.
    I felt like I was holding my breath. “Why? How?”
    “I gave her everything.”
    I gripped the doorway. “What is everything?”
    He stepped up to the threshold, and I turned, my back to the door jam, the two of us in this impossibly small space. “I gave Alexa my company. Complete ownership.”
    “Why would you do that?” I said, still not believing him. “She only was asking for 52 percent—“
    “Because I knew that she was going to push and push for more and draw it out. The only way to end things quickly was to give her a better deal than she could ever have imagined. I figured I’d rather give her the company then work for her or work with her in any capacity. And I put a deadline on the deal, gave her less than twenty-four hours to sign and finalize the divorce settlement. She moved fast,” he said, his eyes staring at me the entire time. “You’d be surprised how fast someone can move when they really want something, Taryn.”
    I was, for the first time, truly speechless. He’d given up everything. Everything. For me.
    “Landon,” I started, my breath catching.
    “I did it all for you,” he said, as if reading my thoughts.
    All for you.
    All for you.
    His words echoed in my head, an accusation. Landon had just given up everything he’d built because of me. Because I’d given him an ultimatum and forced him to do something he’d never wanted to do in the