by Ann, Pamela
That he had. It was the hardest test I had ever encountered. True, I couldn’t deny the fact that, maybe if it weren’t for him, things would’ve gone entirely different than they had. But, this was Kyle Matthews we were talking about. The very man himself that had threatened me and should be bloody, fucking, merry grateful he hadn’t gotten her pregnant. What a sad bastard.
The thought of sitting through dinner, observing him making sentimental looks towards my wife, would drive me a little mad. Then again, if I said no, Sienna wouldn’t let this go. She’d probably hate me for it. After all, didn’t they say marriage was about compromise? Did it mean I had to bestow that act for the sake of our harmony as a couple?
Damn. Bloody. Damn.
“I suppose we could. If it makes you happy,” I conceded with a heavy heart—emphasis on quite the heavy heart.
The immediate smile that brightened her delighted face made me feel like I had done the right thing in agreeing. “It does. He’s my best friend, and I love him dearly.”
And there went my bloody mood completely. “Oh, you love him dearly?” I mimicked her words as I lifted myself off the bed, blatantly naked and quite in my emboldened state, even if I was in a foul mood. “Bloody fun-fucking-tastic. Should we toast on it?”
“Stop it. You… you’re the love of my life.”
“You say that now…” I sounded more accusing because I was a sad, jealous bastard. “He was your first love. He was your ‘everything’ at one point.” My insecurities were truly unbecoming, and still, I couldn’t help spilling everything away, making me look like a weakened fool with no control over his emotions. “I hate the fact he has those memories with you. I guess I’m always going to be jealous, no matter what. I just have to learn how to live with that. That’s what marriage is all about, is it not?”
“It is.” She slid off the bed and strode towards me before she gave me a smile that showed understanding, then she tiptoed and kissed me softly. “Thank you for agreeing, even though you’re not completely happy about it. You’re the man I chose to marry. You’re my husband. Mine and no one else’s. It makes me happy that this evoked some old emotions in here.” She tapped on my chest before looking at me again. “I thought you had forgotten how much you’ve wanted me. Shhhh…” She put a finger over my lips to stop me from saying anything. “I was worried, you see, that, after we exchanged our vows, things would change. And, after seeing you around in these events even though I know you’re not doing much to get attention, I know women want your… I’m just happy you haven’t been tempted to cheat on me, but you can’t blame me for feeling threatened. They are, after all, beautiful and gorgeous, and something new. Men tend to like that.”
“I’m not like other men.”
“I know you’re not,” she softly said. “That’s why I’m thanking you for agreeing to have Kyle over for dinner.”
Sighing, I hugged my Sienna, pouring my love over her. She was the most precious thing to me, and I would do anything to keep her safe and smiling. It was my duty to be the better man, to be the better husband. It was best I started making amends with my nemesis.
“We have to do this sometime, so might as well get this over with now. He’s a part of your life, too, and I have to accept that.”
“I’ll invite Toby and Lucy, just in case. You’re bound to go bonkers and might try to kill Kyle with a steak knife.”
I made a dry laugh. “Cara, you know me too well.”
She playfully tapped my chest, giving me the evil eye. “You better not, or you won’t get any sex for a whole month.”
That truly got my undivided attention. “A whole month?” I asked, aghast at the very idea. “But that’s a lifetime—”
“Precisely.” She wiggled her brows. “So, if you want me to be a compliant wife, who lets you do whatever you fancy in bed, you better behave.”
This wicked woman drove a hard bargain. “Bloody hell…” I pondered before eyeing her again. “But a month?”
“You better believe it.”
The Façade of a Ticking Time Bomb
Blake
With the rest of the day to get through before dinner with Kyle Matthews, I spent most of it thinking about the past while I was in meetings or in conferences. I hadn’t a clue why, but the thought of Matthews back in town brought out memory lane. I was so consumed by it I didn’t hear anyone knock.
“Mr. Knightly, do you have the signed Montano contract?” Luke emerged from the double doors, looking polished and put together on any given day. I doubted I had seen him looking less pristine. He was so unlike Chad, who was rambunctious and lived life to the fullest with a devil may care outlook in life.
Damn, I had work to do, yet my mind was busy rehashing the past.
“If you were Kyle Matthews, how would you feel about me?” I asked, thinking out loud.
His brows furrowed, confused for a moment. “Kyle? Sienna’s ex?”
I nodded, waiting for his reply.
He was clearly unsure of how to approach my question. “What made you prompt me to ask this question? Is he back in the picture?” he slightly pried. Since he was technically family by marriage to Chad, I considered him as such. This was me asking his opinion as a friend and not just someone he worked for.
“Sienna invited him for dinner,” I provided.
He made a curt nod, pondering the situation before finally responding to my earlier question. “Well, in that case, I’d probably despise you on sight.”
Count on Luke to be upfront. “That’s warming.”
“You did sort of chase after his childhood love,” he pointed out ever so clearly.
Matthews had cheated on Sienna and broken things off with her over the phone. What kind of a blasted fool would break a woman’s heart through a phone call after they had spent all those childhood years together? It was crass, and I had hated him since then.
“She needed a man, not a boy. Besides, could you blame me for wanting her for myself? I was already in love with her before she even had a clue about it. I pretended to be platonical with her, flaunting my dates to her face almost on a nightly basis, hoping I’d get some sort of reaction; but nothing ever did. It was hard to hide how I truly felt, but when I saw that opening, I went for it and won her over.”
“Well, I suppose I could say to brave it out and brace yourself for the inevitable. Besides, knowing Sienna, this would mean the world to her. And that means that you would be a bloody fool to cause any fights just to prove that you’re the alpha man. She wants you to make peace. This is a major part of her old life, and she wants to mend that broken cord, joining the past to present and future.” He gave me a pointed look, seeming unfinished with his lecture. “This is a test, Knightly, and you better be on your best behavior if you still want that pretty wife of yours to carry on your bloodline.”
Bloodline. My children… in five bloody years. Could she at least agree to one before having another with a five year hiatus?
“I suppose you’re right.” After I said those words, Luke didn’t bat an eyelid until he was back to talking business again.
Well, tonight ought to be interesting.
The Test of Limits
Blake
“Need a second helping?” Toby gave me a pointed look as I poured a second round of cognac.
The lad was obviously worried I’d go haywire, although he was worried for good reason. I always had a short fuse when it came to Sienna’s past.
“Hell, tonight’s a bloody special occasion. When was the last time I saw the blasted chap?” I pretended to ponder a moment before I scowled. “Oh, right, it was when my fist connected to his jaw after he had an all-nighter shagging my wife.”
“She wasn’t your wife then, nor was she your girlfriend. Seriously, have you forgotten your own shenanigans? You certainly didn’t pine over your lost love, either. You went and shagged any woman who sparked your fancy, which, by the way, went on for quite some time, in case you have forgotten those infamous misadventur
es of Knightly’s atrocious spiral out of control bender.”
I demolished my second drink. “I was heartbroken, you toff, in case that escaped your notice.”
“So was she. It was just unfortunate that you happened to be there when she came home from it. Besides, would you rather it was someone else? He’s been there for her in ways you couldn’t even fathom. You should be grateful she has him instead of no one at all. There are things that are hard to talk about, and it eats at you, it eats your soul.” Toby cleared his throat before giving me a reprimanding look. “Things could be so much worse. Think of Amelia for a second. It was tragic because she had no one to talk to.”
Amelia.
I couldn’t think of her or even hear her name without feeling a great deal of remorse. I was callous and could’ve handled her differently, had I not been so selfish with my own designs of happiness that never included her. She had come off as this confident woman who gave it as good as she got and never took anyone’s rubbish; therefore, when I proposed a no strings attached relationship I hadn’t thought once it could mean more to her than what it really was. After all, at first glance, she reminded me of myself—hungry for power and proving to everyone we would be able to thrive in the business arena. Yet, little did I know, the Spanish beauty was daydreaming about a future with me.
Subsequently, when the time came that I had to cut my ties with her, she simply went off her rocker and went ballistic on me. She tried to hurt everyone I cared about and became successful with her revenge. Even in death, she had left a big, gaping hole in the lives she’d affected. With such fierce vivacity, it was truly tragic how she had taken her life because I couldn’t give her what she had craved the most. My love.
Toby was right. Things could’ve gotten out of hand with Sienna, but with Matthews’s guidance and perseverance, she had come out okay. I might even admit she was much stronger this second time around than the first time we had attempted being together. She had always been feisty, provocative to the point of torture, and loved with her entire being. But the second chance we had been handed was something else altogether; everything became heightened ten times over. The feelings and emotions were amplified to the point it was hard to control them. It was either we learned to find a middle ground or we’d sink together. Like I previously mentioned, we were simply nonsensical.
“I’m not about to attack him or anything—far from it. I suppose one of the things that troubles me most was how I always felt threatened by him.” My admission was a huge revelation, and one I couldn’t fathom admitting at times. I was a prideful man, and the idea of being threatened by a man like Kyle Matthews was comical, yet it was the honest truth. “It’s quite hard to see him any differently, but I suppose I better start doing something about that before Sienna starts giving me the evil eye.”
“Very well.” Toby nodded towards me before he checked the watch on his wrist. “Can we get out of this forsaken library and join our better halves?”
Approximately fifteen minutes later, the guest of honor arrived. Lucy, Sienna, Toby and I were all there in the foyer to greet him, but it was Sienna who eagerly almost ran to him and gave him a huge hug. It only took one look to know that my wife had been missing him immensely. I wasn’t sure how I stayed rooted on the spot, however I did; even though every fiber in me screamed in protest, wanting to snatch her away from the man who had the capability of stealing her from me.
“It’s lovely to see you again, Kyle,” Lucy interrupted Sienna and Kyle’s mini reunion before Toby did the same thing.
“I heard about the wedding; congratulations to you both.” Kyle shook hands with Toby before his well aware eyes landed on me. “Blake.” He nodded in greeting before I inserted both of my hands in my pocket, willing myself to greet him back.
“Kyle,” I said without a smile as I looked him squarely in the eye. “Welcome back to London.”
Sienna came in between us, smiling before she gave me a you’re going to get in trouble if you don’t behave kind of glare and ushered Kyle into the house. I was the last one to follow, and all the while, I noted everything about them, wondering how in the world I had gotten in between their bond. Because, from where I was standing, it was obvious these two had more than friendship. It was apparent in the way he gazed at her, his eyes almost caressing with that longing look that gave away his feelings for her.
“Freya said dinner will be ready in about ten minutes,” Sienna announced as we all gathered in the living room, lounging with our drinks. She then turned to her best friend, ex-lover slash once almost fiancé. “How about I give you a grand tour of the house?” she offered while I was almost sure she was trying to kick me in the groin.
“How about not, Sienna. The man just barely got here, let him unwind and relax.” My temper was getting the most of me, yet I couldn’t help feeling miserable. Pretending to be noble wasn’t a strong suit for me. I was a Neanderthal at best when it came to the woman I loved above all else. Could anyone really blame me?
My suggestion was immediately brushed off by her overly bright smile and eyes ready to commit murder. “Never mind Blake. He promised to behave tonight,” she said out loud before she dragged Kyle away to her studio.
“You promised to behave?” Lucy chortled. “My, this ought to be funny. You already look pained as it is. Another hour of this and you’ll be on your deathbed.”
Was I really that easy to assess? To my friends, well, yes. They had known me when I was at my worst, and when I was at my happiest. Right this moment, however, I wasn’t sure which category best suited my emotions.
Toby strode over to join Lucy on the sofa, holding her close. “Give him some credit, love. As you can see, Kyle Matthews is still alive and breathing. He might be able to contain himself. After all, he’s trying to prove that he’s a good husband to Sienna.”
“You two aren’t helping at all.” Even my friends thought this was amusing. Well, ha bloody ha.
Trying to focus my attention on different matters other than Sienna and Kyle, I pulled out my phone to check for messages, and just when I was about to get engrossed in one, Freya came out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready to be served. Graciously thanking her, we all got up and looked about, wondering if Sienna and Kyle were to show up any second now. So when they didn’t, the same old inkling settled in the pit of my stomach.
Striding over to the staircase that led over to her studio, I pried my ears open for any indication of what they were up to, but my attempt at eavesdropping was in vain, for there was no sound coming from downstairs.
“Sienna?” I called out. “Sienna?” This time, I yelled a little louder. “Dinner’s ready, poppet.” They were downstairs, yet the absence of sound could only mean a few things. My mind was leading me to the gutter, and I tried to steer clear of it until I had spoken to my wife.
After waiting for a minute or so, she finally emerged, followed by a somber looking Kyle. Sienna’s eyes were red, and it seemed like she had been crying.
“Is something the matter, mi amore?”
She shook her head before giving me a brave smile. She had an air of fragility in her, therefore I didn’t press further. Glancing at Kyle, I was a tad taken aback when he looked apologetic.
“I apologize for the wait. We were catching up, and it seems like some stories are harder for Sienna to talk about.”
I stilled, knowing quite well which particular story he meant by that—Camilla. I was too bereft to say anything else except nod in his direction before we both followed Sienna, heading towards the formal dining room.
She was wearing a rich colored olive green dress that brought out the beautiful colors of her eyes. As always, she was impeccably gorgeous. My eyes drifted towards her swaying hips, noting that even the way she walked showed a dancer’s grace about her. Just in the nick of time, I also found Kyle Matthews’s eyes admiring the same thing I had been. I made a low, grumbling sound, hoping he’d get the hint that he shouldn’t extend my hospitality to su
ch insult.
I supposed it was a good thing Lucy engaged Kyle with a conversation about his work in the music industry. My friends could be such a pain in my arse, but at times like these, they knew me too well. I appreciated their joint effort in keeping peace, even if the tension between us men was blatantly obvious.
Dinner was served and the chitchat commenced. With my mood quite settled, instead of paying attention and taking part in the discussion they were having about the war going on in Middle East and Eastern European countries, I found myself more consumed by my thoughts than the conversation. I wondered how my own wife couldn’t confide in me, or if it was too difficult to speak to me about it, why she hadn’t at least mentioned something so we could get someone for her to speak to about what still troubled her. And yet, she had been in tears, talking about it with Kyle. What was I doing wrong that I couldn’t even get my own wife to tell me she was still haunted about what had occurred almost a year ago?
Truth be told, when I was away on one of my business trips, I would get dreams about what had transpired in that hospital room. It would appear in my dream, as if it was truly happening, and I would end up yelling for Sienna to run. Every time after I screamed, I’d wake up in a sweat. If she wasn’t with me, I worried, but as much as I wanted to protect her with a security team, she insisted she didn’t need one unless she left the country.
Could it possibly be because of Gareth? Sienna had trusted him, and in the end, she hadn’t seen his betrayal coming from a mile away. His treachery had possibly dug deep, making her wary of the people she surrounded herself with, security detail included.
If she’d let me, I’d do anything in my power to help her through if this was one of the major causes of her troubles. I knew what had occurred had been beyond demoralizing for anyone, however we made a pact that we were going to move on, and I wanted us to be in the same pacing in regards to the future. I was the main reason why these events all had happened to her, to us, in the first place.