Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 515(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
I narrowed my stare at him, my gut telling me this wasn’t good.
His expression hardened. “Including, I know what’s happening under your roof while you sit here and argue under mine.”
I jerked back, sick to my stomach. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Julius, don’t play dumb. You’re not good at it.”
Pinching my eyebrows together, I snapped, “What did Kraven do now?”
“Well, Julius… while the cat's away, the mice will play.”
My stomach dropped.
Is that what I’m feeling?
“Yeah,” he agreed, reading my mind. “It’s exactly what you’re thinking, so unless you want to forfeit, I suggest you get your ass home and take care of business before you lose it all. Understood?”
“I left her, Marco. How do I make that right? How do I get her to forgive me?”
“For starters.” He leaned into his desk, resting his elbows on it. “I’d begin with dropping to your knees and begging for it.”
I needed to know, so I asked, “What exactly am I walking into?”
The expression on his face was enough to let me know I royally fucked up.
He didn’t sugarcoat it, not that I expected him to.
“Your worst nightmare.”
I felt the bile rise in my throat.
“You better get your shit together,” he demanded.
The images of them together became so real, so vivid, so alive…
I no longer had any peace.
My thoughts ruthlessly assaulted me, taking me hostage. Where the devil welcomed me with open arms, it was the same purgatory I spent all this time trying to protect Isla and Kraven from.
The irony was not lost on me.
I could battle her anger, the brutality of her words, aware that I wasn’t intimidated or scared of her past or her trauma. I had my own. But I couldn’t fight for what wasn’t there.
It was her coldness.
Her distant hollowness.
Her betrayal I set in motion without meaning to.
Those were all weapons I had no artillery for.
I refused to lose her when I was the one who left her. Nothing made sense, yet it made more sense than ever.
My fucking brother.
I didn’t think he’d be this cruel, and I hadn’t even seen anything yet. My imagination was enough.
I need answers, and I need them right now!
Despite the looming feeling in the pit of my soul, I admitted, “What if I already lost her to my brother?”
He didn’t waver. “What if you didn’t?”
“How far behind am I?”
“Enough to where I think she’s waking up in his bed.”
My jaw clenched.
My hands fisted.
I instantly saw red.
“Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t have brought any of this up if I wasn’t.”
Unable to resist, I blurted, “Are they fucking? Is he fucking her?”
In a flash, he replied, “If you have to ask me, then you already know the answer.”
I winced. He was right.
I barely had time to contemplate what he insinuated before he added, “Oh, by the way…”
Everything came to a head.
Blasting.
Detonating.
Shattering whatever restraint I had left as he informed…
* * *
“Your father lit that flame.”
Chapter
Fifty-Three
Kraven
The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies. -Unknown
* * *
Two weeks later.
* * *
I watched her cook dinner in the kitchen. We were dancing around, listening to music while she finished the chicken pesto on the stove.
“I’m going to burn it,” she said, pulling away from me.
“Or…” I teased. “I could eat you instead.”
She wiggled out of my hold. “You’re horrible.”
For fourteen days, we’d lived in limbo.
“I go after what I want.” I kissed her lips. “I’m sure you can understand that.”
I never stood a chance. Not when she finally let me in. She was being extra quiet that day. Something was on her mind.
Or should I say someone…
I woke up that morning with a pain in my chest, unsure of where it was coming from. It helped that Isla was in my arms. It always did.
I used to love sitting in this kitchen as Melody cooked. I hadn’t done it in years, but there I was, utterly drawn to Isla’s magnetic pull. Our dynamic was different, more intense, personal.
I learned a lot about her. From her childhood, or lack of, to the way she curled up in a ball to sleep at night. The way her breathing would even out, how warm she was, how soft. I wasn’t lying when I said she was mine now.
I treated her as such.
Except I could tell she was still holding back from me. We hadn’t had sex since that first time, but honestly, it didn’t really matter. We were intimate in ways we hadn’t been before. I began playing my piano for her while she lay in my bed.
There was no longer a wall between us. Now she was right there experiencing it with me. I never played for anyone. It was just the two of us, unless it was Julius and me practicing. It wasn’t weird, feeling as if I was baring my soul to her.
She also slept in my arms every night. I didn’t ask; she just did. After we had sex, we ended up in my bed, and she hadn’t left since. Not that I wanted her to. However, the unavoidable question of when Julius was going to make his presence known loomed in the back of our minds. It was always right there, waiting, lurking, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.