The Art of Stealing a Duke’s Heart: Thieves of Desire Book 1
Page 21
“Oh, do you?” she asked, the familiar ache of pain turned anger beginning to coil in her belly. “Perhaps you should have thought of that before you left me. Alone. Told that you wanted nothing more to do with me. That I should find my own way in life. Left, without anyone to care for me or see after me, recovering from a wound that was inflicted during one of your schemes.”
And with a heart that was so broken she had thought that she would never recover.
“Exactly,” Xander said, holding out a hand as if that was to explain everything, “you were hurt. And I didn’t want you ever to be so hurt again.”
“Very well,” Juliet said, her shoulders dropping as the fight left her, and suddenly she was just tired. Tired and ready to move on from this. Ready to never see him again. She could only pray that he had been hired for this one night alone, for she didn’t think she could continue to see him day in and day out. “You left. I’ve moved on. Our lives have gone their separate ways. I just need to know something, Xander.”
“Of course.”
“Are you just here for this party?”
Xander scratched his head in that way of his that she had always found most endearing, and she steeled her resolve against him.
“I’m here for… awhile. Until we find what we are here for.”
“Which is?”
“Ah… I’m not sure I can say.”
“Of course you can’t.” She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to shield herself from him as dread began to grow deep in her belly. “I must change and return to the party,” she said, even as she wondered where Annabelle was. “You should go. You might be missed.”
“Juliet,” he said in supplication, and she lifted her brows, inviting him to say something, anything. To apologize for the past, to tell her that he had made the biggest mistake of his life. To plead for her forgiveness and explain that he was here because he had to find her again and make everything right. Because he still loved her.
And when he said all of that, she would laugh. Because she would never forgive him. Never. He had hurt her far too greatly.
Her imaginings were just that, however — imaginings. It was as she thought. He had nothing to say. No explanation. No excuse. She walked across the room and wrenched the door open, holding it for him in a sign that it was time for him to leave. He lowered his head in resignation as he walked toward it, pausing in the frame, inches away from her. “I’m sorry,” he said, and then continued down the hall.
Juliet shut the door behind him, leaning her head against it.
She was sorry too. For she knew that as much as she told herself otherwise, she had never gotten over him. And she knew that, despite her best intentions, she never would.
* * *
A Jewel for the Taking is now available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.
Also by Ellie St. Clair
Thieves of Desire
The Art of Stealing a Duke’s Heart
A Jewel for the Taking
For a full list of all of Ellie’s books, please see
www.elliestclair.com/books.
About the Author
Ellie has always loved reading, writing, and history. For many years she has written short stories, non-fiction, and has worked on her true love and passion -- romance novels.
In every era there is the chance for romance, and Ellie enjoys exploring many different time periods, cultures, and geographic locations. No matter when or where, love can always prevail. She has a particular soft spot for the bad boys of history, and loves a strong heroine in her stories.
Ellie and her husband love nothing more than spending time at home with their children and Husky cross. Ellie can typically be found at the lake in the summer, pushing the stroller all year round, and, of course, with her computer in her lap or a book in hand.
She also loves corresponding with readers, so be sure to contact her!
www.elliestclair.com
ellie@elliestclair.com
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