by E. L. Todd
“I’m here if you need help.”
“I know, Dad. But I can handle this on my own.”
Dad nodded. “I know you can, son.”
***
I’d been silent for two days. I didn’t say much to Lexie, or to anyone for that matter. I was too pissed to socialize with the rest of humanity. My mind was obsessed with one thing.
Revenge.
I couldn’t lay a hand on the guy because it would cause more damage than satisfaction. Being one of the wealthiest men in the country stopped me from doing a lot of things. I could lose my company if he had a good lawyer. My hands had to be kept to myself—otherwise I would love more than I could afford.
But I wasn’t going to do nothing.
I went to the office where Lexie once worked and walked up to the desk. The secretary recognized me from picking up Lexie for lunch. Judging the fear on her face, she knew what happened. “Where’s the new guy?” I didn’t know this guy’s name or what he looked like. That was all the information I had.
“Mr. Peterson?”
“Yeah. What’s his first name?”
“Uh…do you have an appointment?”
She already knew the answer. “Tell me his first name. And tell me where his office is.” I didn’t threaten her, but the coldness in my voice would frighten anyone. I leaned over the counter to intimidate her further.
She finally cracked. “John.” She nodded to the hallway. “First door on the left.”
“Thank you.” I headed down the hallway and located his door immediately. It was shut but his voice was heard from inside. It sounded like he was on the phone. Just hearing his voice pissed me off. I imagined the things he must have said to my future wife. I imagined the way he must have stared at her ass.
Fucking shithead.
I opened the door without announcing my presence and stepped inside. My shoulders squared and my jaw clenched. My eyes didn’t blink because they were focused on the man in front of me. He was young, probably my age. He wasn’t bad to look at it. He should be able to get dates without harassing people. I shut the door behind me without making a sound, not wanting to attract attention.
He looked up and held the phone to his ear. He eyed me with a quizzical expression, having no idea who I was or why I was in his office. “Uh, could you wait outside please?”
I walked to his desk with my hands by my sides. My first instinct was to punch him right in the face and break his nose. Instead, I snatched the phone and slammed it down onto the receiver.
He stiffened at my actions, knowing I wasn’t the typical visitor. “I don’t know who you are but—”
“Conrad Preston.”
His eyes dilated in recognition. He didn’t recognize my face but he recognized my name.
“And I know exactly who you are, John.” I planted both hands on his desk and leaned forward, my face staring down into his. My crisp suit was more expensive than anything he owned. I stared him down with pure loathing, telling him I would murder him if I could get away with it. “You might know me better as Lexie Lane’s fiancé.”
When I mentioned Lexie, his recognition turned to fear.
Like a viper, I snatched him by the tie and dragged him across the desk, flipping him onto his back so he was directly underneath me. I kept a hold on his tie until he struggled to breathe. He couldn’t cry out because his throat was restricted. I stared down at him without any sympathy. “You know what happens to men who touch my girl? Who talk to my girl?” I tightened the tie further. “Do you, John?”
He yanked on the tie as hard as he could, trying to get some air.
“Let’s just say they die just like this.” I constricted the tie further.
He started to choke.
“Pull this shit on another woman, I’ll know about it. Don’t fuck with me, John.” I finally let him go and watched him cough until his throat went coarse. He clutched his throat as he tried to catch his breath. “And don’t you dare fuck with Lexie again.”
***
I walked in the door and hung up my coat.
Lexie laughed from the kitchen. “Oh my god. And then what happened?”
“I told him no,” Macy said. “What do you think happened?”
“So you didn’t take diamond necklace?”
“Uh, yeah. I took that shit so quick. But I wasn’t giving him a date.”
Lexie laughed again. “Poor guy. He’s obsessed with you.”
“And I’m obsessed with jewelry. But there’s no amount of diamonds that will get me to go out with him.”
I would never get used to them getting along. It was the strangest thing ever. “Baby, I’m home.” I was in a sour mood but it would draw more attention to myself if I showered without saying hello.
Lexie came out of the kitchen wearing a casual dress. It had a low cut in the front and showed some of her cleavage. “Hey. You’re home later than usual.” She hooked her arms around my neck and gave me a soft kiss.
That touch softened me up a little. My hands gripped her hips, and I pulled her closer into me. Now that I put that prick in his place, I could relax. I wanted to get naked and sweaty with Lexie in our bed so I could fuck the rest of my anger out. But our roommate ruined that for us.
“Got held up at work?”
“Something like that,” I whispered. It was unfinished business, so I could get away with the lie. “Did you have fun today?”
“Macy and I were bored so we made a shit load of cookies. Hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m hungry for one—but not a shitload.”
“Well, make room.” She kissed me again, her eyes lit up like diamonds. She gave me a smile that was both sexy and sweet.
My cock grew hard. “I love you.” The idea of someone causing her grief put me in immense pain. I would do anything for this woman. I would do anything to make her happy and keep her safe. It was a selfless kind of love, something I didn’t know I possessed.
Her eyes softened and she touched my chest. “I love you too.”
I pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I’m going to get in the shower. Join me?” It was a question but I meant it as a command. If Macy had a problem with us boning in our bedroom she could leave. I didn’t care anymore.
“Can I give you a rub down?” she asked playfully.
“I was hoping you would ask.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Silke
The timer went off, and I pulled the sculpture out of the furnace. I used gloves thicker than dragon hide and placed it on the cement countertop where it could cool and harden further. Once it was room temperature, I would add the final glaze and color.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
I almost knocked the sculpture onto the floor because I was caught by surprise. I thought I locked the front door but I probably forgot because I was running late together. Arsen took too long in the shower and we barely got Abby to school on time.
I threw my gloves off before I turned to my first customer of the day. “You aren’t. I just—” I halted in mid-sentence when I saw Pike standing there. He wore a collared shirt with dark jeans. Vans were on his feet—the same ones he used to wear.
He was the last person I expected to walk in.
He put his hands in his pockets and approached the sculpture sitting on the counter. “I’m not sure what it is, but I have no doubt it’ll be great when you’re finished.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear as the nerves got to me. I purposely left my wedding ring at home because it would get covered in gunk if I wore it at work. Guilt washed through me in waves. I felt like a terrible person for being anywhere near Pike without wearing it. “Thanks…”
He examined it for a few more seconds before he turned to me. “The door was unlocked.” He stepped away from the sculpture and watched me with his piercing blue gaze. It wasn’t intimidating like Arsen’s. It was more thoughtful and expressive.
“Yeah…I always forget to lock it.”
> “I’m sorry. I should have knocked.”
“No, it’s okay. You’re fine.” My voice shook because I was nervous. When I saw him at the art gallery, other people were around so it didn’t feel so intimate. But now we were alone—completely. I would never stop feeling guilty for the way I treated him. He told me he loved me—and I left him. “What brings you here?” I tried to change the subject as soon as possible.
“I’m having dinner with the manager of Pieces and Cracks. I told him about your work and I thought I could make an introduction or you.” Pieces and Cracks was one of the largest art distributors in the world. They could get pieces in museums, galleries, and even stores. It was a big deal.
“Uh…you’re serious?”
He finally smiled. “Absolutely. I’ve been selling my artwork to him for years. But I know he’s interested in sculptures as well. I already put in a good work for you, but it would really help if you met him in person.”
I wanted to pass out—then and there. “I don’t even know what to say. That’s so nice of you.”
“Friends forever, right?” His voice didn’t contain his bitterness but the sadness was in his eyes. He discreetly glanced down to my left hand, searching for the wedding ring I wore to the gallery.
I wish I wore it now. “Friends forever…”
He stepped back and took a look around. He examined the brick layout of the wall in particular. “I love this firehouse. It’s been here since the twenties.”
“I know. I fell in love when I saw it.”
He turned back to me and cleared his throat. “So, we’re having dinner on Friday. Are you free?”
“Absolutely.” Even if I wasn’t free, I’d make myself free.
“Great,” he said. “I’ll text you the details.”
“Sounds good.”
Even though our conversation was over, he didn’t make a move to leave. In fact, instead of coming down here, he should have just called.
I tried to break the tension. “Seeing anyone?”
“Here and there…nothing serious.”
It didn’t seem like he had a girlfriend since we went our separate ways. I was the last serious relationship he had. I wished he would settle down with a nice girl and find his happily ever after. The fact he was still incomplete made me feel guilty.
“How’s Arsen?”
“My husband…he’s good.” I felt obligated to remind him I was married to a man I loved. I didn’t have my ring on so I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. “He’s working right now…Abby’s at school.”
He nodded. “That’s good.”
Why was this so awkward? At the gallery everything seemed fine. But now…it was just tense. “I should probably get back to work. Thank you for thinking of me.”
“Of course. I’ve always thought you were very talented. Always will.” He always spoke so eloquently and with maturity. He was the exact opposite of Arsen in almost every way. Only someone mature like Pike could be civil to me after the way I left him for someone else.
“Thank you…”
“Well, I’ll see you on Friday.” He turned away with his hands still in his pocket and walked out. He didn’t give me a backward glance as he left.
When he was gone I couldn’t concentrate. The guilt was eating me alive. What would I do about Arsen? If I told him Pike came by to see me he would flip out. And if I told him I was having dinner with him on Friday, he would flip out even more. Could I just not tell him at all?
Or would that cross a line?
***
“Hey, sweetheart. What brings you here?” Dad looked up from behind the counter at the tattoo parlor. “Have sculpture’s block?” He chuckled at his own joke even though it was terrible.
“Wanna get lunch?” I didn’t want to talk to him here—in front of everyone.
“Absolutely. Where should we go?” He hopped over the counter just the way Slade did.
“I don’t care. How about Mega Shake?”
“That’s never a bad idea.”
We walked together and made small talk about work. Dad said how excited he was for Olympia to get here. Then he talked about him and Mom going on a vacation together when things slowed down at work. We ordered our food and sat in the booth across from each other.
“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” He threw a few fries into his mouth.
Of course he figured it out. Dad could read me better than Arsen sometimes. “I have a serious situation on my hands and I don’t know what to do.”
“Are you pregnant?” Dad kept his voice contained but the hope burned in his eyes. He stilled during his meal, his entire focus on me.
“No.” I tried not to be offended by the assumption. “Pike came by the firehouse earlier today.”
Dad paused before he continued eating. “This doesn’t sound good.”
“He said he’s making me an introduction to a manager for a huge art distributor. It’s a big opportunity.”
“That’s nice of him. What’s the problem?”
I grabbed my soda and took a long sip. “You know what the problem is, Dad.”
The realization burned in his eyes. “Arsen is the jealous type. I’ve picked up on that. But what do you want, sweetheart?”
“Of course I want to go to dinner. Why wouldn’t I? It’s not just getting my foot in the door. It’s a huge opportunity to get my work in front of thousands of people—and get paid for it. It was nice of Pike to think of me at all.”
“Just tell Arsen that.”
Ugh. That’s the last thing I wanted to do. “I know what his reaction will be. He’ll throw a tantrum and be pissed forever. He’ll forbid me to go.”
“Then don’t tell him.”
It was tempting. “I could make up an excuse, do the dinner without him knowing about him, and then everything is great.”
Dad kept eating. “Problem solved.” He bowed his head and eyed his food, no longer looking at me. He gave me the guilt trip without actually doing anything. It was a quality only fathers possessed.
“But I’d feel too guilty…”
“Then tell him.”
“Ugh. He’ll be a little bitch about it.” I ignored my food because I wasn’t hungry anymore. I just drank my root beer instead.
Dad shrugged, still not looking at me. “How would you feel if Arsen did the same to you? Met a woman he used to date to further his career but kept it a secret?”
I’d be livid. “I get your point.”
Dad sipped his soda and finally looked at me. “So what are you going to do?”
“I really don’t want to tell him. It’s just going to lead to a fight, and he’ll forbid me from going.”
“Isn’t that better than him finding out about it later? And who says you don’t have to go?”
True. “I guess you’re right. But I don’t want to have the conversation at all. He’s so weird about Pike, which makes no sense since I left Pike to be with him in the first place.”
“It’s normally to be intimidated by your partner’s exes. Cut him some slack.”
“But we’re married now. He shouldn’t feel threatened by anyone.”
“I don’t know…Pike is an artist. He’s good-looking. He’s got that calm and suave thing going on. He’s successful and humble. I mean, the guy is a catch if you ask me. If I didn’t have a soft spot for Arsen, I would have been thrilled to welcome him as a son-in-law.”
Dad never seemed to like Pike when I first brought him around, which was unfair. But his instincts were right. Despite what Arsen did, he turned out to be the man I needed in my life. “So you think I should bite the bullet and tell him.”
“I never said that.”
“Uh, yes you did.”
“I just think you should respect your partner by always being honest. If you always tell the truth, you can never go wrong. When you start to lie and hide things it makes bigger problems.”
I hated the fact he was right. “Have you ever lied to Mom?”
&
nbsp; “About the number of beers I drink at night. But that’s about it.”
“Okay…I’ll tell him.”
“Cut him some slack, Silke. He knows what it’s like to lose you more than once. He’s probably just terrified of losing you again. He’s just in love. And there are worse problems to have than your husband being in love with you.”
***
I put it off all day long because I was a procrastinator. I dreaded the conversation that would lead to yelling and fighting. I avoided the terrified look in Arsen’s eyes. I just didn’t want to deal with it. I already went through the conversation in my head and it wasn’t pretty.
Arsen read to Abby like he did every night before he came into the bedroom. He removed his shirt and his pajama pants before he came to bed. His muscled shoulders belied his strength. He was a powerful man, the kind that could do a hundred push-ups without stopping.
I slipped out of bed before he lay down. “Shower with me?” I pulled off my dress and underwear and walked into the bathroom. I wasn’t in the mood to get my hair wet before bed, but the falling water would cancel out the yells our voices would carry to Abby’s bedroom.
Arsen complied instantly. He didn’t need an explanation when it came to sex. He followed behind me and dropped his boxers before he stepped into the shower beside me. He towered over me with his height, and his hair immediately became damp once he was under the water.
His hands found my hips and pulled my body against his. My tits pressed into his chest and I felt my nipples harden. I came into the shower with the intention of talking but now I was hot for him.
Stay focused.
He gave me a soft kiss before he pulled my bottom lip into his mouth and bit it playfully. His fingers dug into my skin then moved to my ass, gathering my cheeks in his palms. His cock was hard against my stomach, ready to lift me around his waist and take me roughly.
I wanted sex after the fight, not before. I stepped back and turned my lips away so he wouldn’t kiss me again. The water fell on the title and cocooned our conversation. We couldn’t scream but at least our voices would be dimmer. “I need to talk to you about something. I wanted to do this in the shower so Abby can’t hear us. And so we can’t walk away. When we’re done, we’re going to have sex then go to bed.”