Page 13 of Sinful Lies
Chapter 7
Dia
The more idle chitchat I’m forced to engage in, the faster the champagne goes down. What I hate more than playing the perfect wife is this fucking dress. I want to rip it off, shred every fiber of this pretension. I don’t know how much longer I can bury my animosity and play along.
The woman next to me shrieks and champagne sloshes over the rim of her glass. I look down at the splatter on my shoes. The tiny sparkling drops garnering my attention as the warmth of the alcohol spreads across my body and the room spins. I bite at my bottom lip to avoid screaming.
“The nerve of some people,” she sucks in her breath. I draw my focus back up to see what all the chirping is about. My eyes land on his and I shake my head in disbelieve. I’ve had too much to drink. I can’t be seeing what I think I’m seeing. Reed standing a hundred feet away, his eyes lock on mine. A smile stretches across my face and my feet move toward him. It’s like no time has passed. One look at him and I’m wet, squirming uncomfortably as everyone watches us. If I’m dreaming, I never want to wake up.
I’m swept away by the sight of Reed. His tight black jeans and his white shirt emphasize every thick muscle. He’s wearing a black leather cut with his club emblem that is hot as fuck. I study every inch of his body. He’s still as sexy as ever, only now he’s bulkier and tatted up. He stands out in stark contrast to the other men in the room.
I forget all about Ben and his rules until his hand snakes around my wrist and flings me back against the wall. The darkness in his eyes has me trembling underneath him.
“Why is he here Dia?”
“How would I know?” While my heart trembles, I force a convincing smile. If Ben thinks Reed’s here for me, it won’t end well for any of us. “I haven’t spoken to him in years, you know that.”
His hand tightens around my wrist, and his eyes burn into my skin. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if all your years of sacrifice were for nothing?”
Ben trails the fingers on his other hand up and down my bare arm. Chills erupt over my skin and I involuntarily shudder. Tears pool in my eyes, but I force them back. Ben knows Reed is my one weakness and exploits that every chance he gets. I let him because I’d rather live with my memories than to be the one to cause Reed more pain.
“Take yourself to the ladies’ room, while I handle this.”
“What are you going to do?” My voice barely comes out as a broken whisper through the shaking.
Ben drops my wrist and reaches into his jacket pocket to retrieve his phone. “He should have stayed away, now he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“You do that, and there’s no reason to keep up this charade. Try me, Ben. See who I leave here with tonight. You’ll look like a fool and we both know appearances mean even more to you than I do.”
“Then say goodbye and make sure he never comes back.”
I can feel the heat from Reed’s stare igniting the blood in my veins, so I turn and run, knowing he’ll follow me. Crashing through the bathroom door, I order everyone out. This isn’t the first time I’ve thrown a tantrum in front of this crowd. Ben and I are volatile and everyone knows it. Our fights have only gotten worse over the years. The women quickly rush out, leaving me pacing the marble floor. Waiting. Trying to decide what to say to him.
“He’ll come. He has too,” I tell myself, wiping the tears from my eyes.
When the door flies open, I freeze, taking the sight of him in, committing it to memory. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s not the same man who left me all those years ago. There’s a darkness in Reed’s eyes that wasn’t there the last time I saw him. He was younger then. We both were. Too young to stop the runaway train we were on from derailing. Reed’s taut muscles rage against his shirt as he moves towards me. His toughness was one thing I loved most about him then. In our world, you did what you were told. There was no room for rebellion and that’s what made him so damn sexy. Reed gave the finger to everyone. He wore a giant fuck you attitude our parents despised. It’s that fuck you attitude that ruined us though. It landed us both where we are today. Reed as the Vice President of his motorcycle club and by the looks of him, no one fucks with him. I landed here. Trapped in a loveless marriage to pay a debt that’s not even mine. A debt I pay for Reed, whether he knows it or not.
There’re so many things I want to say to him, but what slips through my lips stops his approach. “What do you want?”
He stares at me for a moment. I’m sure it’s not the welcome he expected, but after all these years, what did he expect? For me to drop to my knees and pretend none of this ever happened? He has no idea how badly I want to do that, but I can’t.
“You shouldn’t be here it’s too risky. Besides, after all these years, I don’t even know what to say to you.”
He steps closer, walking me backwards. “That’s alright. I have something to say to you.”
The minutes drag on slowly and my heart races faster than it ever has, waiting to see what he’s going to do next. Praying like hell, he touches me, even just a graze of his hand over my heated skin. The man before me isn’t the Reed I knew, but this man is even more than I could have imagined. His last step traps me against the granite countertop, my hands white knuckling the edge.
“I want you. All of you, for myself like the selfish bastard I am. I’ve waited a long time for this moment. I’ve dreamed about it. I’ve jerked off to it.”
I suck in a breath, trying not to quiver under him. Words fail me when he takes my mouth with his own. His lips are rough and demanding. His tongue battles through my weak defenses until I cave. There’s a primal desire deep inside us both begging to be let free. I moan into his mouth, letting him take from me what he needs and giving me back just as much. I have missed him so much it hurts. This feels right. He feels right despite everything. Our tongues battle back and forth with such hunger I can taste him in the back of my throat. His presence here blindsided me and while my body wants to wrap itself around him, he is single handedly turning my world upside down. I can’t deny him even though it’s wrong. I can’t process the contradiction waging between my heart and mind, tearing me apart. My life has sucked every moment he hasn’t been a part of it, but he’s the reason for all of it. Giving in to him is not an option. Ben will ruin him just like he’s ruined me.
I pull away from him. My lips missing the heat of his, the instant I break our kiss. Slumping forward, I pound his chest with both of my fists. “You don’t get to walk in here and make me feel this way after leaving me behind and shattering my soul.”
The desire in his eyes gives way to a rage I don’t understand. “I didn’t leave you behind because I wanted to. I left you because I had to. I was trying to keep you safe.”
None of that changes the fact that he left me and never came back. He did this to us. He’s the reason we’re not together. Damn him. “I hate you. Go away and leave me alone. That’s what you're best at.”
I continue to pound on his chest. He stands still, letting me hit him until the rage subsides and turns to tears. I lean my head into his muscular chest while I sob. His intoxicating scent clouds my thoughts. I can’t help but still want him. I have always loved him and seeing him now is only complicating that. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m married and you didn’t come here after all this time for a quick fuck in the lady’s room. Just tell me what you want.”
