Page 3 of Betrayed in the Dark
A man I grew up with.
The one who gave me my first kiss while playing spin the bottle as kids.
The one who wrapped me in his arms after my father’s death, providing a sense of safety I’ve never felt before in this dark world.
The one who traveled across countries and oceans to be with me in secret.
And the one I wish I could hate.
I knew I’d see him eventually. It was inevitable, given that he’s now playing the role of bodyguard to my brother’s wife and my best friend.
But in a sense of delusion, I had hoped that by some chance, some miracle, our paths would never cross again.
Merely because I knew it would hurt too much.
And I was right. It does.
Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me in a moment of weakness, I quickly throw on a faux smile and toss the tissue into the barrel beside me, my fingers gripping the marble counter for support.
“Eli,” I say evenly, hoping and praying he doesn’t see through my confident façade.
“Madeleine,” he replies, watching my every move with intense eyes like a predator on the hunt as his gaze travels down my ivory satin dress. His voice is the same—smooth and gravelly, extra velvety when he says my name, which sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. The English accent he bears only adds to his appeal.
Because he couldn’t just be graced with good looks. No. He was also gifted a voice that would instantly make any woman drop to her knees.
I should know.
With a raised brow, I tilt my head to the side. “I didn’t know you’d be making an appearance tonight. Did you come to my engagement party to congratulate me?” I purposely wipe an imaginary piece of lint from my right shoulder, giving himan unobstructed view of the monstrosity displayed on my ring finger.
His eyes narrow in on the diamond, his jaw clenching forcefully. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was giving the look of a jealous man.
He steps inside the room, closing and locking the door behind him.
My heart rate picks up as I straighten my shoulders.
Stay strong.
He stands behind me, his large tattooed-clad hands gripping the counter on both sides of me, caging me in. I watch, frozen, as he leans forward to brush his soft lips against my ear, sending a raging swirl of heat throughout my entire body. If I weren’t grasping the counter so tightly, I’d probably crash to the floor, embarrassing myself before him.
“No,” he breathes. “I didn’t come here to congratulate you. Because your engagement is not something to celebrate.”
“That’s a little cruel, don’t you think?”
He shakes his head. “What would be cruel is watching you walk down an aisle toward that prick and not doing a goddamn thing about it.” His hand comes forward, grasping the front of my neck, his thumb resting on my erratic pulse. A wicked smile stretches across his handsome face as his thumb glides back and forth over my skin. “It’s nice to know I still affect you.”
“The only thing you affect is my heartburn,” I bite back.
His smile falls, his solid chest pushing up against my exposed back. Tension sweeps over me as he glowers down at me, his eyes desperately trying to see right through me. “What game are you playing, Princess?”
Princess.
My lips part, a silent breath fleeing.
That nickname once made me feel special as if I meant something to him. Maybe even everything to him. But now,it lacks any of the same power over me that it once held. “You can’t…” I say far too softly for my liking. I clear my throat, desperately trying to sound poised like his presence isn’t chiseling away at the stone walls I constructed around my heart. “You can’t call me that anymore.”
His grip tightens, igniting a fire low in my belly. One that needs to be quickly extinguished. “Why the hell not?”
“Because I’m engaged. My fiancé would not take kindly to know another man—
