Page 15 of Release Me
He steps closer, closing the distance between us.
‘Don’t.’ I hold my hand out. ‘I’m disgusting.’
His huge eyes flare as they slowly drink me in. ‘You’re a lot of things, Beks, but disgusting could never be one of them. Come on.’ He twists towards the entrance of the building. ‘Let’s get you cleaned up.’
I’m too cold and too tired to argue with him, but my feet refuse to budge from their spot on the concrete. He offers a tentative hand to me. I stare at it for a minute, swallowing hard before I take it. His warm fingers wrap around mine. That familiar electricity skitters over the back of my hand, shoots up my arm and straight down my spine as I fall into step with him. Much like the building Anthony and I live in, the décor in Rian’s building is plush. There’s chrome, marble,and mirrors everywhere. I catch sight of myself as we pass by the concierge and step into the lift. Rian doesn’t let go of my hand.
‘You lied.’ I whisper, catching sight of myself in the mirrored wall.
‘About what?’ He cocks his head.
‘I am disgusting.’ I rake my fingers through my dishevelled hair.
The lift door slides closed. We’re alone. It’s terrifying and thrilling in equal measure. The air is thick with sexual tension. ‘If you weren’t married to my best friend, I’d show you exactly how disgusting you are not, right here, right now in this lift.’ His voice is low and earnest and weighted with the same want that’s haunted me since the night we met.
My breath catches in my throat. ‘If I weren’t married to your best friend, I’d let you.’
Our eyes lock. All the things that we’ve never said rise like smoke swirling between us.
‘Why couldn’t your father have asked mine to invest in Remington Publishing?’ He shakes his head.
It’s the first time we’ve ever spoken about the attraction between us. It was probably inevitable, but it still feels like opening a can of worms.
‘Because my father has never done anything helpful for me in my entire life,’ I admit with a shrug. ‘In fact, no man has.’
Silence falls between us again. The lift ascends to the top floor. The penthouse. The doors slide open silently. We step out into the opulent corridor. Two suited security staff man Rian’s front door.
‘Evening,’ he greets them with a warm smile. ‘Go to bed, guys. I’m not going anywhere tonight.’
‘Yes, Sir. Call if you need anything.’ They leave quietly in the lift we just got out of.
‘Does that mean I’m not going anywhere tonight?’ I ask in a quiet voice.
‘Do you want to?’ He presses his thumb to the lock, and it opens as his fingerprint is processed. He motions for me to enter his apartment ahead of him.
I’ve been here before, several times, always with Anthony. That was in the beginning though, when I was still his shiny new toy.
‘Honestly?’ I step inside, my feet sinking into the plush cream carpet. Unlike the sterile icy penthouse I share with Anthony, Rian’s walls are bathed in golden light from carved alabaster sconces, every corner warm, inviting, opulent but intimate. The warm glow and tasteful furnishings soften the cream marble, turning this place into something that feels lived in rather than staged.
He follows me in. The door closes with a soft click.
‘I’d stay here forever if I could get away with it.’ The words slip out before I can stop them. His eyes find mine, and for one heart-stopping second, I wish he’d ask me to.
Chapter Six
RIAN
Her voice is so sincere. So full of sorrow. She’s a shadow of the woman I met in the De Courcy library all those years ago. I hate that he’s done this to her—stripped her of her joy, her spark, her fire. Rebekka Remington was never meant to be caged, and yet my best friend managed to clip her wings and lock her behind glass like a trophy.
He doesn’t deserve her.
He never fucking did.
She stands in the glow of my apartment, blonde hair tumbling loose over her shoulders, green eyes dulled with fatigue but still bright enough to burn through me. For one dangerous second, I let myself imagine it—her here, living with me.
Her things on my counters.
Her laugh echoing down the hall.
