Page 59 of Tainted Love
“Well,” I say, reaching over and grabbing the bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne sitting in the ice bucket. “I guess we better take advantage of his generosity.” I pour two flutes and hand one to her. “Here’s to a night to remember.”
We clink them together, and I take a sip, grimacing at the taste. I forgot how much I hate this shit, but who am I to be picky when it’s free booze. Bea just stares at her glass as if it’s going to bite her.
“Everything okay, Duchess?” I ask.
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and I have an overwhelming need to lean over and tug it free with my mouth. Instead, I place a hand on her thigh and squeeze gently.
“Thank you for doing this,” I tell her. I watch as she swallows, her eyes falling to where my hand rests, and quickly remove it. “Tonight is business, Duchess. Nothing more.”
Chapter 32
Bea
“TONIGHT IS BUSINESS, Duchess. Nothing more.”
I slouch back against the leather seat as I lift the flute of champagne to my lips. Elias is lying, but I won’t call him out on it. His lies are my safety net. The worst thing is I’m lying to myself. My whole life is a fucking lie.
These last couple of years I’ve played at being the perfect daughter and granddaughter.
I dated Hunter because it was expected of me. Granddad and Michael Cromwell have spoken many times about strengthening their partnership through our marriage. I resigned myself to studying law to keep him and Dad happy, although I begged them to let me take a gap year to go overseas with Maya. It was my one last chance to immerse myself in the fashion world before giving it up forever. Law school is complex and time consuming, and none of it comes naturally to me because there is no passion. For me to succeed, I won’t have time for anything else.
I’ve accepted my fate. I love my dad and I’ll do whatever it takes to make him happy. He raised me on his own for nineteen years and gave up his own personal life to focus onme. Now, I’ll do the same for him. It’s my way of repaying what I owe him.
Only my attraction to Elias threatens it all. He is my stepbrother. If I give in to my confusing feelings towards him, it will bring shame to my family. I can’t do that to Dad or Granddad. It’s not fair after they’ve given me so much. I can’t throw it back in their faces.
But how do I stop my body from reacting to his proximity? Whenever he’s near, all I can think about is how he challenges me and makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. Not with Hunter, not with anyone else.
From the moment he stepped foot in my house, everything I thought I knew, everything I thought I wanted, has been flipped upside down.
Tonight is a glimpse of my future—charity events, fundraisers, and galas, in between study, research, and the inside of a courtroom.
Although I want Elias, I can’t have him. And I want a career in fashion, but I can’t have that, either. I’m being forced into a life I don’t want, and the only person who knows my secrets besides Maya, is Elias.
“It’s showtime.” His low timbre pulls me from my thoughts.
I look out the window to see we’re approaching the front of the Arts Centre. Camera’s flash as people step from their vehicles. There’s a large crowd of men and women dressed in black and white. My chest tightens.
“I can’t do this,” I murmur, shaking my head to clear the ringing noise in my ears. My breathing becomes ragged, and I try to suck in as much oxygen as I can. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“What?” I feel the cool touch of Elias’s hands on my flushed cheeks, his face is directly in front of me, but my visionis blurry, and he sounds like he’s talking underwater. “Talk to me, Duchess. What’s going on?”
“I don’t want to … I can’t … I … I …”
I can’t breathe.
I clutch at him in a panic.
I can’t breathe!
Elias crushes his lips to mine. I let out a gasp and his tongue slips into my mouth, finding mine in a raw, passionate kiss that robs me of thoughts and logic. I cling to him like a life raft, and my body melts into his as he kisses me like we have all the time in the world.
All too soon he pulls away leaving me flushed and breathless. I bring my fingers up to my swollen lips and whisper, “What was that?”
“You were panicking,” he says with a shrug as the limousine pulls up next to the sidewalk.
“You promised me you wouldn’t push this, Eli,” I shake my head. “Especially tonight. My granddad?—”
“He isn’t here, Duchess.” Elias’s voice is void of any emotion. “He didn’t see, but you can’t hide the fact that you kissed me back. You want this, Bea. Just as much as I do. When are you going to stop lying to yourself and go after what you want?”
