Roman: Book 2 (The Hunter Brothers Series) Read Online Free Page B

for what her fucking father did and that’s if any of
it is even true,” he said as I frowned.
    “It sounded true
to me, Charlie,” I said as anger gripped his features and I could see how much
he was struggling to believe it, touching his arm again as he tipped back his
head, looking skyward and taking another drag of that cigar. His guilt was
palpable and all I wanted was to take his pain away. I had never seen Charlie
this way and my heart was aching for him. There was only one thing he could do
to try and rectify this, as much as I didn’t like the thought. I knew how that
relationship had affected him, it was the main reason he was determined not to
get involved again. He was still raw and still reeling; only it seemed that his
ex and his brother hadn’t been to blame after all. “Speak to her now, explain
what’s happened. You can’t undo what’s past, but you can offer an apology,” I
said softly as he smiled gently.
      “It won’t do any good. Jesus, Chas, I behaved appallingly.”
I shook my head.
    “You’re being too
hard on yourself. Roman left, and you had no reason to think your father would
be so deceitful,” I offered supportively.
      “You don’t understand, babe,” he replied sadly,
looking back out across the lush green lawns, the fountains and the beautiful
lodge by the lake that stood in the distance.
    “Then explain it
and I’ll try and help. At the very least I can offer you advice from a girl’s
perspective,” I said as he took a deep breath.
      “She was head over heels in love with me. If
I’m honest with myself, part of me wondered for a second if he was lying. It
just seemed so implausible because of the way she acted around me, but I trusted
my father implicitly and had no reason to doubt him. If he’d have said Tyler or
Lucas I would have reacted differently, but Roman....well...he’s a puzzle and the
truth is; I believed he might be capable of it.” I was desperate to ask more
about his beautiful brother, but now was not the time.
      “I know how Roman is with women; I’ve seen it
often enough. I’ve yet to meet one who hasn’t fallen for him when he turns on
the charm, and even when he doesn’t. It’s always been the same and I can’t
really explain it. It’s as if he radiates a strange magnetism.   You’ve experienced it yourself, Chas,” he
said, throwing me a look that knocked the breath from my lungs. He was right,
and not remotely happy about it.
    “Go on,” I urged,
deciding that getting off the subject of Roman might be best all round. “When
Dad told me what he’d seen, I ended it. I called her and told her it was over.
I didn’t let her speak or reply, just announced that and cut her off. She phoned
me relentlessly, came to the house, the office and my apartment. Her messages got
more and more desperate, and I needed to find a way to get her off my back,” he
said, sighing regretfully.
      “What did you do?” I asked, watching as he
shook his head, blowing out a long plume of smoke.
      “The only thing I knew that would stop her
contacting me. I hit her with the lowest and most humiliating blow I could
think of,” he said, staring at the floor, absorbed in shame. I was intrigued to
know what it was, gazing at him as he turned to look at me. The Charlie I knew
didn’t seem capable of cruelty towards a woman he cared about. It couldn’t be
that bad, surely.
    “Have you heard of
the Barbie sisters?” he asked as I nodded. They were blonde topless model-types,
infamous for threesomes with celebrities and appeared endlessly in the papers
in kiss and tell stories. My hands flew to my mouth in shock. “I fucked them
and told them to go to the press with an expose. Hunter Industries was big news
at the time. Lucas and I were out to show the world we meant business. Everyone
wanted to know more about us. Lucas is a private person and they weren’t
getting a story from him, so I utilised the situation to humiliate my ex and
give them