“Well, one hundred thousand is an extraordinary amount to raise for the charity…” Paris began to babble, the excitement in her voice causing her to rush the words together.
“Five hundred thousand.” Riley’s words sent a collective gasp racing around the room.
Holly’s head spun and she fought to stay on her feet. Riley had just bid half a million so he could have a dance with her and take her to dinner… It was insanity.
Silence followed and Holly’s breath froze in her throat.
“That has to be some kind of record…” Paris stammered, her voice filled with amazement. “But if there’re no other bids…” She trailed off and still the silence continued.
Holly could only imagine the look on Marcus’ face, the rage in his eyes.
“Going once, going twice… Sold to Riley Reynolds…” Paris said, shock evident on her face at the turn of events and she wasn’t the only one.
Holly stood in the centre of the stage, her body refusing to cooperate with her commands to walk to the steps.
As though he could somehow read her thoughts, Riley appeared at the top of the steps and crossed the stage towards her. Her heart started to thump in her chest as he approached. Each step that brought him closer had her heart beating a little harder until finally she was sure it would crash right out of her ribcage.
“Riley, what did you do?”
“I did what I had to…” he said, a smile curving his cut lip.
Without thinking, Holly reached up to him, the urge to brush her fingers against his bruised face overwhelming. But he caught her hand in his and instead pressed it to his lips.
It was enough to jolt her from the dreamlike state she’d fallen into and colour flooded into her face as she realised she was standing on the stage in front of the entirety of Breaker’s Point.
The situation was already dire but she was making it worse by showing such intimacy towards Riley… She could only imagine what Marcus would do to her if she made an even bigger fool out of him.
“Riley Reynolds and Holly McCombe, everybody!” Paris seemed to recover, her voice filled with exaggerated happiness as she announced their names. But it was enough to bring everybody else back to their senses as the crowd began to clap.
Riley led her off the stage and down the steps into the main body of the crowd. The attention spans of those around quickly waned as Paris found her stride once more.
“What the hell were you thinking, Riley? Are you mad?” Holly said, keeping her voice hushed but he ignored her until they reached the back of the room.
“I needed to speak to you.”
“So you blew half a million just so you could talk to me? Marcus must have really rattled your brain last night.”
“I thought you’d be happier if I won the auction… Or was I mistaken in what I heard last night?”
Holly narrowed her eyes. What the hell was he talking about? She watched as he pulled a cheque book from his pocket and quickly scrawled a figure across the front.
“I don’t know what you think you heard last night but…”
He shut her down with a wave of his hand.
“Stop lying, Holly, I know you’re in trouble and I know you think you can handle it all yourself but you’re wrong.”
“How dare you! I’ve always known you to be arrogant and pig-headed, Riley, but I never expected this.”
She turned to leave and caught sight of Marcus staring at her from across the room. She jumped as Riley’s hand closed around her arm. He spun her back around to face him, the look in his eyes softer, gentler, and not at all the man she remembered him to be.
Holly looked away, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
So many regrets, so many mistakes and no way to change the past.
“He’s already pissed, so you walking away now isn’t going to make it any better,” Riley said, sliding his hand beneath her chin until he could tilt her face up to his. “And I did just spend half a million for a dance…”
“And dinner,” she said, trying desperately to keep the wobble out of her voice.
Riley smiled. “I didn’t think you’d want to risk it.”
“I want to… I don’t think I can. Riley, I’m afraid of what he’ll do to the people I care about, I’m afraid of what he’ll do to you for this.”
“You don’t need to worry about me, I can take care of myself. But I guess we could start with a dance and you can tell me everything.”
“I want to, but I don’t think you’re listening to me. Marcus is not someone to be messed with, the people he works with—they’re dangerous.”
“Tell me how you became caught up in all of this?”
“My father gambled away everything and Marcus bought the debt…”
Riley did his best to keep his expression neutral but Holly could see the anger bubbling just beneath the surface.
“It’s not his fault, he has a problem and Marcus is just making it worse…”
“But if Marcus bought the debt I still don’t understand how you got involved, no less engaged to him.”
“He threatened to kill my father if I didn’t, said he needed the McCombe name for his business…”
Holly’s words froze on her lips as Riley wrapped his arms around her and drew her out onto the floor.
She’d been so wrapped up in the situation, worrying about what Marcus would do, and what Riley’s proximity to her would do to her mind that she hadn’t even noticed that the auction had ended.
“You really don’t have to do this,” she said, the feel of his hands on her waist making her light-headed.
“I don’t have to, I want to,” Riley said, drawing her in against him as the music drifted over them. He dipped his head until his lips were mere inches from her ear.
“Do you remember our first dance?” he said, his breath tickling along her skin.
“Yes…” she said, her voice a breathy whisper.
Of course she remembered it. That night would be forever ingrained in her memory. A Christmas party thrown by one of the families on Cliff Road. She’d sat on the side of the dance floor watching the happy couples spin around.
It wasn’t that she hated dancing but a fall from a horse had left her with a sprained ankle and it simply hadn’t been feasible. Until Riley asked her. His sincere insistence that he could hold her had been enough for her to give it a go. And so they’d stood at the side, swaying back and forth to the music.
The memory washed over her like it had happened only moments ago and Holly let the happiness she’d felt back then settle on her.
Riley’s grip tightened on her waist and Holly stared up into his dark eyes.
“You’re as beautiful now as when I first set eyes on you that night.”
“Riley, don’t, please.”
Hearing him talk to her as though there could still be a future between them cut to the bone and all she wanted was to indulge herself a little longer in the lie they were spinning.
The music continued to swirl around them and it felt as though they were the only ones in the room. Deep down Holly knew that wasn’t true but it didn’t stop her from wishing it was. The evening would soon be over and once it was, she’d be back to square one with Marcus again. And this would be nothing more than a dream to hold onto late at night.
“Why don’t you want me to help you?”
“Because I can’t. I told you, Marcus has threatened the lives of those I care about, I won’t risk them, Riley. I can’t.”
“This is your father’s mistake, so why should you pay the price for it? Surely he doesn’t support what you’re doing. He must want the best for you?”
“The only thing my father wants anymore is complete and utter oblivion in the bottom of a bottle. Marcus lets him have that and so nothing else matters…”
“Holly, I’m so sorry…” Riley trailed off, allowing the silence to stretch between them once more.
The reminder of her reality left Holly with a sick feeling in her st
omach. There was a time when things might have been different, but not anymore.
“Riley, what happened between us?”
He looked down at her, his eyes filled with surprise as though he hadn’t honestly expected her to ever ask that question. But really, how did he expect her to simply let it go? He broke her heart. How could he think that she wouldn’t ever question his reasons for doing it?
“I was immature and I made a mistake.”
“You said that already. I’m asking why, why did you make the mistake? I thought we were happy together. I thought…” Holly’s words cut off and she stared down at the space between them.
She’d thought he was going to ask her to marry him but she couldn’t say that out loud. If she did, he’d think she was a fool. He’d given no hint or inclination that he was going to propose, but there’d still been something about their relationship that’d put the idea in her head.
“You thought what?” Riley’s voice had gone hard.
“It doesn’t matter, not anymore.”
He sighed, frustration furrowing his brow. The music came to an end and Holly stepped back out of his grip. There was no point in delaying the inevitable; spending more time with him would only lead to more heartache for something she could never have.
Realisation hit her then. None of it mattered. Even if Marcus wasn’t in her life, even if his threat wasn’t hanging over her head, she still wouldn’t be with Riley.
He’d ended the relationship between them and until Marcus had appeared on the scene, he’d shown no real interest in her. There was no future between them, in this reality or any other.
“What’s wrong?” he said, reaching out to her once more.
“I have to go, Riley. I’m sorry,” Holly said, stepping out of his reach once more.
Turning on her heel, she fled for the exit, the sound of Riley’s footsteps following driving her onwards.
* * *
Pushing out through the main doors, Holly sucked in a deep breath as soon as the cold night air rushed over her skin.
“Holly, wait!” Riley called after her.
Bunching the skirt of her evening gown up in her fists, she fled down the steps and out into the parking lot.
Of course it was completely pointless. Running from Riley would never be a good idea, his longer stride making it easy for him to catch up. His hand closed on her arm, jerking Holly to a complete stop as he spun her around to face him once more.
“Are you that eager to go running back to him?” he said, his voice filled with the anger reflected in his eyes.
The tears Holly had managed to keep in check finally started to fall, covering her cheeks and stinging her eyes as her makeup began to smudge.
“Is that what you really think?”
“What am I supposed to think, Holly? I pull you away from him only for you to go running back to him as soon as you can get away. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you wanted to marry him.”
Anger bubbled in Holly’s veins, anger and pain. His words cut at her, stripping away all the pretence she had managed to build over the years.
Her hand whipped out, her palm connecting with his face with a resounding crack that stung along her skin.
“I’m doing what I need to do to protect the people I love. All you’re doing, Riley, is playing at being the hero. Well, it’s too late for that. I don’t want or need your help, and I’ve told you that from the beginning.”
“You might not have asked for my help but you need it.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. There was a time when maybe I needed your help, a time when I’d have given anything to have you reach out to me. But not now. You waited until now, until I was engaged, to tell me how you made a mistake all those years ago. Why is that, Riley?”
He took a step back and Holly let him go, the tears still coursing down her cheeks. She’d thought she had no more tears left for Riley Reynolds but she’d been wrong.
“I didn’t know what to say… I didn’t know how I was supposed to make it better.”
Holly shook her head sadly, the anger she’d felt moments before slowly draining out of her.
“You could have told me the truth. Even now, even after everything, you still haven’t told me why you really did it. We were in love, weren’t we? I don’t think I imagined that.”
“We were in love, Holly, you don’t need to ask me that.”
“Then why? Why leave me, with no explanation, nothing…? Just an, ‘I can’t do this…’ Was it me? Was it you?”
“Holly, please, I can explain but you need to give me time. I told you I was immature and stupid. I didn’t know what I wanted back then.”
“But you do now, conveniently when I’m unavailable.”
Riley tried to reach out once more but Holly shrugged him off. She was tired, tired of all the lies, the half-truths, and secrets. What did it matter now? Why couldn’t he just tell her the truth? How was she supposed to trust him when he couldn’t even tell her the truth?
“Don’t, Riley. Don’t touch me. Marcus is dangerous and I know given an opportunity he’ll hurt me but nothing he could do to me would ever hurt as much as the pain you inflict on me. You’re far more dangerous to me then he’ll ever be.”
Holly caught sight of the headlights of Marcus’ car as they cut across the parking lot, silhouetting both her and Riley in the high beams. The sound of the engine ticking over filled her with dread and still she turned and headed to the car, leaving Riley behind to stare after her.
Chapter 9
Ripping the suit jacket off, Riley discarded it on the sofa as he strode into his office. Anger and confusion had clouded together, making it impossible for him to sort any of his jumbled thoughts.
Everything Holly had said was true. He knew he was a coward, but he just couldn’t figure out why. Why was it so hard to just tell her the truth? That all those years ago his manipulative parents had talked him into dumping the only woman he’d ever loved? Or was it the fact that he’d been stupid enough to listen to them?
“Why did you disappear?”
The sound of Anderson’s voice made Riley jump and he almost dropped the glass he’d grabbed from the desk.
“How the hell did you get in?” he said, whirling around to face his friend who stood in the doorway.
“You didn’t exactly make it hard, Riley. You left the front door open in your hurry to get in here and…” Anderson trailed off and waved his hand in the general direction of the glass tumbler Riley had started to fill. “I can only assume it’s so you can get wasted.”
“What does it matter, Anderson? Are you here to tell me what I can and can’t do in the privacy of my own home?” Riley said with a sigh.
He was tired, tired of always having to be the responsible one, the one who swooped in and picked up the pieces when a situation went to hell.
Not tonight.
Tonight he was going to sit here and drink until the ache in his chest was numb and the voice in his head silenced. Not that he truly held much hope of that actually happening. It was a stupid thought for a foolish man.
“I’m here to tell you what Marcus had to say, since it’s what you asked me to do.”
“I don’t want to know… I don’t want a part in any of it anymore. Holly made herself perfectly clear that she wants no help from me.”
“That never stopped you in the past. Something else has to have happened, Riley, what is it?”
Roughly grabbing the full glass of brandy he’d poured for himself, it sloshed over the edge and down across his hand. He didn’t care. He swallowed it down, wincing as it burned down through his throat and spread heat into his chest. Pouring another large glass, Riley kept his back to Anderson.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Anderson. All I want is a drink and some peace and quiet, which is why I came back here. If I wanted to talk I’d have stayed behind at the party.”
“She must have been pretty convincing to put you off so easily.”
Riley shot Anderson a look that would have made a lesser man cringe.
“I don’t want your lectures and I sure as hell don’t need your approval. She made herself clear, I’m merely respecting her wishes. Now if you could shut the front door on your way out, I’d really appreciate it,” Riley said, his voice heavy with irritation.
“Don’t come crying to me when this blows up in your face, Riley. If you really cared about her, then you’d do everything in your power to get her out of that bastard’s clutches,” Anderson said, his normally easy-going manner finally evaporating.
Riley watched from the corner of his eye as his friend strode out of the room, the slamming front door shaking the house to its very foundations.
The fact that Anderson had called Marcus a bastard hadn’t escaped Riley. For someone who was normally so laid back, Anderson had seemed particularly wound up about Stark, which meant whatever he’d learned while in conversation with him couldn’t be good.
Riley fought back the urge to chase after his friend. It wasn’t too late… But then the sound of Anderson’s car tearing across the drive told Riley he’d waited too long and his opportunity had passed.
Gripping the tumbler in his hand, Riley squeezed down on it until the glass shattered in his palm.
The cold shards sliced into his skin and he didn’t care. The two over-sized glasses of brandy had settled down over him, giving the room a comfortable hazy glow around the edges.
But even that wasn’t enough to quieten the voice in the back of his head. The voice that told him what a fool he was. The voice that spoke of missed opportunities and past regrets.
Slumping into the chair behind the desk, Riley scooped up the brandy bottle with his unhurt hand and took another burning mouthful of the amber-coloured liquid.
Perhaps if he finished the bottle it would help numb the pain of losing Holly. He drank, knowing deep down there was nothing on this earth that could ever take away the pain of losing the woman he loved.
Chapter 10
Marcus’ car pulled up to the front of the house and Holly sat frozen against the back seat.
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