“I don’t see how. I still can’t believe what you told me in the car.”

She looked at Beth. “I wish it was a lie but it’s all true. I need a shower.” She began to strip and shoved the skirt down. The engagement ring fell out of the pocket and bounced on the tile flooring. She stared at it, a reminder of her new reality.

“I can almost read your mind. You look so sad, Vanni. This wasn’t your fault. You were drugged.” Beth paused. “You don’t have to tell Carl. I might not like him but I know how much he matters to you. We could say you got a bad case of food poisoning and I came and got you from the hotel.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s over. He lied to me about why we went to the hotel in the first place and became a total jerk. You were right about him.”

“Which part? That he was a selfish son of a bitch or that he was a user?”

Vanni frowned.

“Come on. He asks you to marry him and immediately stops touching you? You haven’t had sex with him in four months.”

“He was afraid it would reflect badly on his reputation. I understood that. When our engagement was announced in the papers, they did a story about his dad too. It would have looked terrible to have a preacher’s son having a woman stay late at his house. The reporters suddenly became interested in him and his life.”

“That’s lame. I said that and I stand by it. There’s something off with Carl. You said the sex wasn’t even good and he rarely touched you. He probably has a boyfriend stashed somewhere. He got you to say yes and dried up the affection. It screams to me that he likes guys and he needed you as a front to hide it.”

Vanni wasn’t sure. “Either way, we won’t be getting married now.” She bent, picked up the ring and put it in the drawer so it wouldn’t get lost. “I’ll give that back to him when he returns to town.”

“Tell me more about this New Species. All you said was that you both were drugged and had sex together. Was that any good at least? I mean, you remember it, right?”

“I’ll never forget. I remember it all.” She turned on the water and let it warm then closed the toilet lid to sit so she could look at the bottom of her foot. She hoped it wasn’t cut. She gasped when she sat, aware of being tender.

“Are you okay?”

Vanni examined her sole. “It’s just a bruise. I don’t see any cuts or blood.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. Did he hurt you?”

Vanni looked up. “No, he didn’t hurt me.” She stood. “I’m just sore.”

“In a good or a bad way?”

“What does that mean?”

Beth arched her eyebrows and smiled. “Was he big? They look big. Is that why you flinched when you sat down?”

“Beth!” Vanni scowled. “Don’t be disgusting.”

“I’m being honest. You should see the way you were walking. It wasn’t just the limp but you’re a bit bowlegged. Was he like Justice North with those gorgeous kitty eyes?”

“No.”

“He’s like Fury? He’s canine and so hot. I envy Ellie. It was so damn sad but dreamy when they were shot at and he just swooped her up to get her to safety. Can you imagine any guy taking a few bullets to protect a woman? That’s loyalty to the extreme.”

Smiley’s face surfaced in her memory. “He wasn’t like either of them.”

“He was a primate?” Beth leaned against the wall. “What do they look like? I haven’t seen pictures of them that really show their features.”

“He had beautiful eyes.” She turned around and stepped into the shower.

“Shit!”

Beth scared her and Vanni spun, almost slipping in the wet tub. “What?”

“I thought you said he didn’t hurt you.”

“He didn’t.”

Beth stepped into the bathroom and grabbed their small makeup mirror off the vanity. She approached and offered it. “It’s a good thing you are calling it off with Carl or he’d know some other guy nailed you. Check out the bruises on your ass. He has big hands.”

Vanni grabbed the mirror and twisted, getting a look at her butt. Bruises were forming on both cheeks in the shape of handprints. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Her friend accepted the mirror back. “Let me guess. He nailed you standing up, grabbing your ass. That takes skill.”

A flashback struck her—Smiley pinning her against the SUV and his hands cupping her ass while he’d ground his pelvis against hers. “I just want to forget this night.”

Beth returned the mirror to the vanity and took a seat on the counter. “This was your first one-night stand.”

“Thanks for the reminder. Did you not hear me? I want to finish my shower, go to bed and just pretend none of this ever happened.”

“You won’t. I know you too well. You aren’t going to tell Carl about ha**ng s*x with this other guy, are you?”

Vanni hesitated. “I owe him that much.”

“Bad idea. He’s a prick, hon. You were attracted to this Smiley, drugged or not. I listened to you really closely since I was in stun mode and couldn’t talk at first. You should be more upset.”

“I am.”

Beth was quiet while Vanni showered. She turned off the water and grabbed a towel to wrap her wet hair and another to dry her body.

“You like Smiley.”