by Mia Hoddell
I didn’t hear Tazia’s reply, and he released her with quivering lips to hand her over to Raine, who gave her a hesitant hug.
“Please tell me you have some embarrassing stories about this guy.” Tazia jerked her thumb in my direction, casting me a sly grin, which Raine matched.
Raine could list hundreds of embarrassing moments I’d rather not relive. I cleared my throat in warning but from the stubbornness in Raine’s eyes I had no hope in hell of persuading her not to spill my secrets.
“Does anyone want a drink?” I needed an excuse to get out of there before she began.
“I’m good,” Tazia said and Raine held up her still full glass.
“Well I need one.” I ran a finger down Taz’s spine. “You okay for a minute?”
She nodded and I fled to the safety of the bar.
I leaned on the bar top, tapping my fingers to the music while waiting for the bartender to return with my Jack and Coke.
“Hello, Dustin.”
I stiffened at the sickly sweet voice to the right of me and inhaled sharply. I refused to look at her, only focused on swirling the ice around the glass that had been placed in front of me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Why wouldn’t I be here? I always come to your last race of the season.”
“Didn’t you think us breaking up and my threat to get authorities involved were clear enough signs to stay away? Why on Earth would you think I want you here?”
“I’ll have a cranberry juice, please.” She directed her attention to the bartender and I snapped my head towards her. Not once had I ever seen her order a soft drink when we were together except for when…
My mind spun.
The ice rattled in my glass with my shaking hands and I placed it back on the bar.
My breaths came in rapid succession, nearing the point of hyperventilation.
Daring to glance down, my heart skipped a beat when I took in her slightly swollen belly.
Fucking hell, no.
My whole body started to shudder. Whether out of anger or despair I couldn’t be sure.
Elora followed my gaze and her hand moved to caress her bump, cementing the reality in my mind. All specks of hope that she had put on weight were crushed with that single gesture.
“Y-you’re p-pregnant.”
“Yes.”
I took in her size, trying to do the maths in my head.
Fear spilled into my veins.
“How long?” I hissed, my fingers flexing at my side. I clenched them and locked them against my leg, desperately fighting the urge to pick up my glass and hurl it across the room while I waited for the final blow I knew she’d deliver.
“Five months, give or take a few weeks.”
Although I’d prepared myself for it, I had to prop myself up on the bar to stop my legs crumbling under my weight. I curled my fists around the edge of the counter and inhaled deeply.
Fury took over me and I snatched Elora’s arm to march her from the room. She stumbled along beside me in her heels, struggling to keep up with my furious strides.
“Dustin, stop!”
I kept walking, her protests not even registering.
“Dustin you’re hurting me,” she hissed and tried to pull her arm free.
I loosened my hold marginally, and continued down the empty hotel halls until I stopped outside my room. Unlocking the door, only once we were both inside and I had her exit blocked did I release her.
“What the fuck, Elora? You had better start explaining this shit right now before I lose control totally!” I roared, finally allowing myself to snap now we were no longer in public.
“Explain what?”
“Seriously?” I took a step forward, fury pumping through my body. “You’re fucking pregnant!”
Her arm swung in the corner of my eye.
I caught her fist a split second before it hit my jaw.
I kept a hold of it and walked her back to the bed. With a hand on her shoulder I forced her to the mattress, trying not to hurt her.
“Explain.” I dropped my voice to a sinister, cool tone. “Now.”
“It’s not yours. You’re overreacting for nothing.”
“The timing works out perfectly.”
“It’s. Not. Yours,” she spat. “It never was.”
I stepped back, needing space so I didn’t do something I’d regret. “Of course it was never mine. You killed my baby.”
My fists clenched and unclenched around the air. Too much energy and rage bubbled within me. It needed an outlet and I happened to be in one of the most conservative regions of the world.
Elora took her gaze from her hands, her eyes holding remorse for once, even if it appeared cold.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“For what? Fucking me over, being a bitch, beating me, turning my life upside down, or denying me the right to know my child? Which?”
“You never had a child! I lied, okay?”
I stumbled back like she’d physically hit me and all of the air left my lungs. I rubbed at my chest, trying to ease the pain and hissed out my question. “Y-you what?”
“I lied. The baby was never yours and I never had an abortion. You were going to leave me and the real father didn’t want to know. It was all working out perfectly until he showed up demanding he be involved.”
I took a deep breath, turning my back on her so she wouldn’t see me crumble. I desperately tried to process her words, but things didn’t fit together. Her story changed too much. I didn’t know what to believe. In a matter of seconds she’d once again knocked my world off its axis and I didn’t know which direction to head in to right myself.
“What are you talking about?” I spoke slowly, each word taking all of my courage to force out. A part of me didn’t want to know. I had been moving on and she was going to send me straight back to the darkness. But how could I not question her after revelations like that?
“It was a one night stand. When I found out I was pregnant and told the guy he wanted nothing to do with the child. He had only been using me to get to you, yet you never figured it out.”
The hand she placed on my shoulder lightly came as a shock, having not heard her sneak up behind me. I flinched, recoiling from her and stalked to the other side of the room. I leaned back against the wall furthest from her, my arms folded across my chest tightly. “Don’t touch me.”
The tears that formed at the corners of her eyes only intensified my anger.
“Cut the fucking water works and finish explaining. You were at the part where you cheated on me.”
She sniffed and cleared her throat. “I knew you’d never abandon your child, Dustin. Even if you wanted to leave me, I knew you wouldn’t. I didn’t want to go through this alone so I told you it was yours.”
She was sick.
So fucking twisted.
She made me believe I had a child and then she’d killed my non-existent baby for what?
“You didn’t think to tell me you slept with someone else?”
She shook her head and all remorse vanished. It was times like this when I wished she was normal, then again if she had been normal I’d have never been in this situation.
“The other guy didn’t want me and you were leaving me too. If I had told you I cheated you’d have gone—”
“So you made me believe I was going to be a father? What kind of fucked up shit is that?”
“It was a win win situation for me. My baby got a dad and I kept you.”
“Then why did you tell me you had an abortion if you wanted me so badly? Surely you knew I’d never forgive you for that, not on top of everything else.”
Her jaw ticked at the reminder of her abuse. “The real father came back and he wants me. We couldn’t think of another way to convince you to leave. It was his idea and I did what I needed to.”
Dumbfounded, too many negative emotions poisoned my blood so I couldn’t form a logical thought. Nothing she said sounded logica
l, though.
“What you needed to? Because you couldn’t think of another way?” I ground my molars together. “How about ‘hey Dustin I cheated on you and the baby isn’t yours. I’m leaving you for the real father’? Anything would have been better than what you pulled.”
“It wasn’t my idea, Dustin. I went along with it because I couldn’t do this alone. The real father said he’d leave me if I didn’t, and you were leaving me with or without a baby.”
“Fuck, Elora. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? Who was he?”
Her expression became steely. “That’s not important.”
I went to protest and she shook her head furiously.
“I won’t tell you, Dustin. It’s none of your business.”
I strode over to the door and hauled it open. “Get out.”
I didn’t need any more answers. It didn’t matter who she’d slept with really. Our relationship had ended long before she cheated and pressing the issue would have only stirred my already erratic thoughts into a bigger frenzy. I knew I wouldn’t get an apology.
One thing Elora never did was apologise sincerely.
“Get out, Elora,” I spat again when she refused to move.
With furious strides she marched over and stood toe-to-toe with me. Fixing me with a burning glare her lips twisted into a sneer. “He was better than you. In every way.”
“He’s welcome to you. He sounds as crazy as you, but he must be worse if he’s buying your bullshit without getting you tested.”
“What does that make you then? You bought into it for a hell of a lot longer.”
“It makes me a lot of things: furious, bitter, fucked up. You don’t want to see what it really makes me though, Elora, because it will end with you being locked up and denied access to your child.”
Her face paled a fraction, the shock doing nothing to override the pulsating anger in my bloodstream.
“Now get out.”
She strode from the room with her head held high and her purse clutched beneath her arm. She sent me a final glare over her shoulder. “Have fun with your little girlfriend while you can, Dustin.”
I shut the door on her. When the lock clicked into place I collapsed back against the panel and a choked sob escaped my throat.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Tazia
“He didn’t?” I threw my head back and laughed, wiping away the tear which had escaped my eye at the tenth utterly ridiculous but completely hilarious story Raine told me about Dustin. Although I knew his magic tricks were bad, I had no idea of the scale. “He really wound up in jail and threatened with charges of indecent exposure?”
Raine nodded, not even bothering to stifle her grin anymore. “Granted, it helped that Aston Hattersey was the boyfriend, though it would have never happened had he either worn underwear, or given up on magic.”
My laughter died on my lips. “Shouldn’t he have been back by now? I thought he only went to get a drink.”
I scanned the room and couldn’t see him anywhere.
Raine withdrew her phone from her clutch and glanced at the clock. “He’s probably off talking business or something. Teo gets pulled away all the time at these things and it’s only going to get worse now he’s World Champion. Everyone wants a piece of the drivers and considering they announced Dustin’s contract today, he’s probably getting more attention than he’s used to.”
Normally, it wouldn’t bother me and I’d have assumed the same as Raine. However, his comments from earlier ate away at me. Wouldn’t he have told me if he was leaving?
“I think I’ll go and look for him.”
“I wouldn’t worry, Tazia. He’ll find his way back.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand. He saw Elora earlier and crashed out of his race because she messed with his head again. He’s barely been holding it together all night.”
Raine sobered immediately, her body stiffening as she scanned the room with more purpose. She must’ve not found him either because her gaze flicked to mine. “Walk with me over to Teo. He might know what’s going on.”
I didn’t know what was wrong with Raine, but I’d picked up enough in our short time together to know no one ever left her alone. I went with her without question.
“I haven’t seen him since I left you guys,” Teo said when we asked about Dustin. I caught sight of one of the men who had been in Dustin’s flat a few months ago.
“I’ll look for him, you guys enjoy your evening. I’ll let you know if I do find him.”
Raine rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be stupid, Tazia. He’s family, we’re not going to leave you searching on your own,” Teo said.
“But you two just got engaged. Don’t you want to celebrate?”
“We have all night for that.” Teo grinned and Raine socked him.
“Come on, Teo will talk to Tony and we’ll check with some of the others.” Raine took my arm and marched me over to the crowd I’d been eyeing earlier where Raffele was chatting with some girl.
“Hey, Rafe,” Raine said. He turned away from the woman he’d been charming.
“Raine! You’re more beautiful every time I see you.” He stooped down to kiss both of her cheeks then focused on me. “Tazia, right?”
I nodded, politely resisting the urge to pounce on him and demand answers.
“Where’s Dustin? I didn’t think he’d leave your side. I wouldn’t if you were mine.”
Well, that answered our question. “We were going to ask you the same thing. He’s disappeared.”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t seen him.”
Raine was already pulling me away. “I’ll catch up with you later, Rafe. If you see Dustin—”
“I’ll let you know.”
He refocused on the blonde next to him and Raine paused to find her next target.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I squeaked.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, Tazia.”
I spun, recognising Cale immediately. The accent would have been enough to give him away had I not.
“I heard you were looking for Dustin. He left the room with a redhead about forty minutes ago.”
I shared a knowing glance with Raine. Only one redhead would leave with Dustin.
“Thanks, Cale.”
He gave a curt nod and melted back into the crowd.
“I’m going to check our room. You tell Teo and I’ll text you if I find him.” I took off for the exit without waiting for Raine.
I already had my key card out when I reached our room. The light flashed green as I held the card in the slot and I opened the door.
What greeted me forced me to take a few steps back with a gasp.
Dustin sat on the floor, surrounded by what appeared to be at least two decks of cards spread out in a semi-circle. He had a pile left in his hand and was placing each card down individually, lining them up in order of size inside their sets.
He glanced up when I shut the door behind me. I expected to find that wild look I’d seen whenever he had his cards out, or at least some kind of pain. However, except for the tight set of his jaw his expression remained unreadable.
“Hey,” I said, dropping my bag next to the TV. “Are you okay? Cale said he saw you with Elora.”
Dustin stared back to the cards. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He began lining them up again, organising the deck in his hand. His movements became mechanical as he performed the same gesture over and over. Each card had a specific place and got laid out with precision.
I dropped to my knees in front of him. “Are you sure?”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Taz. Not right now.”
I bit down on my lip, debating whether to drop the issue. He obviously wasn’t okay, but the atmosphere felt volatile. Pushing him would only make him explode.
“What do you want to do then?”
He paused, his arm outstretched to place down another card. He retract
ed it slowly.
“I want you.” His eyes bore into mine with a fierce intensity. The moss green swirling in them made it impossible to break the hold he had over me. “I want to have fun with you.”
“What did you have in mind?”
Dustin slid his hand over the floor, sweeping up the card in a line. His lips quirked when he began shuffling them. “Strip poker.”
I swallowed hard.
The last thing I expected when I came down here was to end up in a card game. I assumed there’d be anger and crying.
Dustin must have caught my hesitation because he said, “I need you, Taz. I want to forget and you make me forget. Whenever I’m with you there’s only good, so take away the bad…please.”
“You have more clothes on than me, that’s not fair.”
Dustin placed the cards on the floor and within a second he ripped his shirt over his head.
He arched an eyebrow at me. “Better?”
I crawled over to him, adding a sway to my hips. His eyes followed my every move and the desire in them had confidence swelling within me. I couldn’t believe I was doing it, but one look at Dustin’s expression had me wanting to. If he wanted to forget, I’d try my hardest to make his wish come true.
I straddled his outstretched legs and linked my arms behind his neck. Running my fingers up into his hair, I gazed at him with a sultry smile. “Wouldn’t you rather skip the card game?”
I ground myself against him, feeling him starting to harden beneath me.
Dustin swallowed hard and his eyes darkened even further. Reaching down, he slid his hands over my back until they settled on my ass.
I moved my mouth to his ear and nipped at the sensitive spot below it. “Take what you want, Dustin.”
I trailed my lips down his neck to his bare shoulder. Biting gently, I heard his shaky exhale.
“Do you want to play with me, Dust?” I rolled my hips, the friction of his trousers against my panties causing a whimper to escape my lips. “Or do you still want to play with your cards?”
Dustin hauled us both off the floor, sweeping me up into his arms. He threw me on the bed, not bothering to be gentle. Frantically, he removed the rest of his clothes, kicking off his jeans when they became stuck around his foot. He gazed at me with a predatory look and kneeled on the bed, silently stalking up the length of my body, his hands working under my dress. Pushing the material up, he followed the trail with his nose, skimming my skin.