Page 9 of An Eye For Illusion

All the boys at Dunn have a running bet on how long it’ll take for the two of them to finally admit they have feelings for each other. So far, it’s just SJ and me left in the bet because Donovan already lost.

“Tell her I say hi,” I say, dropping my tone just a pinch.

Liam growls before muttering, “Sure I will,” and hanging up the phone.

A deep chuckle leaves my lips before I slide my phone back into my back pocket. I get closer and closer to winning that bet every day.

I order another beer, deciding to settle in for the evening. I have some guys to tail and some questions to get to the bottom of.

Chapter 4

Jade

I sigh as I lay my head back against the soft couch cushion. “Why the fuck can’t I find anything?” I mutter to myself. I scrub my hand down my face in frustration.

I close my laptop and slide back further into the soft leather couch. I close my eyes against the low lights in the living room.

That damn PI hasn’t found anything and neither have I. Oh, I’ve been trying, too. On paper, my fiancé Elliott Moore is squeaky clean, but I don’t believe that for one damn minute. I groan, and my stomach pitches when I think about the upcoming wedding.

My father has pushed for this relationship from the start. Elliott is a broker dealer and the perfect addition to the family business. At first, I didn’t care. I had no desire to get married out of love. I figured agreeing to date Elliott would get my dad off my back. If it led to a marriage, it would only be a business deal. Nothing more.

My feelings started to change shortly after we got engaged. I’ve never been the lovey-dovey kind of woman, and I didn’t think Elliott would pressure me into more. We’d slowly built a friendship that would hopefully one day turn into trust and intimacy.

It isn’t far-fetched to think our relationship could turn into that, but at that point in time, I wasn’t there yet. We’d spent plenty of time together when our schedules allowed it. Dinner dates, staying at each other’s houses for a movie night in, or getting together with my father for dinner.

All of it was going smoothly. At least, I thought so on my end. That ended when Elliott came to me one night.

“Don’t you think we should’ve been intimate by now, Jade? I mean, we’re getting married.”

His question throws me off guard for a second. I’d been upfront about how I felt from the beginning. I was as honest as possible. I didn’t feel that way about him—yet.

“I thought we already talked about this, Elliott?” My confusion is clear on my face.

He huffs. “Yeah, well, that was months ago. How do you expect us to get married if you don’t even want to have sex with me?”

His question is like a proverbial slap to the face. I wasn’t ready, and I sure as hell wouldn’t force it. I didn’t think it was a big deal for him. When we first discussed it, he agreed that we shouldn’t rush things, but now it seems as though things have changed.

“I never said I didn’t want to have sex with you, Elliott. I said I wasn’t ready yet, and you said you respected that. You said you wanted me to be ready and comfortable. What’s changed?”

He paces in front of the giant windows in my living room, roughly running his hands through his hair before spinning to face me.

“What’s changed is you’re supposed to be my wife in a few short months, and it seems like you barely like me, let alone want to marry me!” he roars.

I’m taken aback by the venom in his voice. For the past few weeks something has been different… He’s had a shorter temper and has been more distracted and jittery. I haven’t had any idea what’s going on with him, but I’m starting to worry.

Just a few weeks ago, I met him at his place for dinner. When he opened the door, I gasped in surprise and concern.

He had a huge black eye and a busted lip. I asked him what happened, and he said it was no big deal. He’d gotten into a scuffle with a client who took a hard loss on an investment.

I thought it was absolutely fucking crazy. Since when did million-dollar clients beat up their brokers?

He swore up and down that it was nothing I needed to worry about, but even now after the bruises have healed, I can still see the same jittery man standing in that doorway. He fidgets as he continues to pace in front of the windows without truly focusing on anything.

Something happened…and it wasn’t anything good.

“What’s really going on here? You can talk to me. Whatever it is, we can figure it out together.”

My words only seem to agitate him more.

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