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  “I’m married to Liam, and you’re seeing—”

  “I dumped her. It’s over. You think I came here to tell you I love you when there’s another woman on my hook? No.”

  I shouldn’t feel relieved Charlotte was gone…but I was.

  “Leave him.” His eyes commanded me, issuing an order that had to be obeyed.

  “Damien—”

  “He’s a piece of shit. The second someone provoked him, he was ready to jump back into the ring—and he wasn’t even going to tell you. Who the fuck does that—”

  “He said he would retire—for me.”

  He lowered his hand, his deep breathing continuing.

  “I can’t just leave a marriage because you’ve decided you’re ready to be in a relationship. I promised to be with him until death parts us. I’m not going to break that vow just because you’ve changed your mind. People don’t take marriage seriously anymore—but I do. I won’t do that to him.”

  He shook his head slightly. “Even though you love me?”

  “I never said I loved you…”

  “Annabella.” His deep voice completely suffocated me.

  I dropped my gaze because I couldn’t take the intensity. “I gave you everything, and you didn’t want me…”

  “So, this is payback?” His voice rose, and it was a good thing no one else was in the ballroom with us. “You’re that fucking petty?”

  “No. I’m just saying—”

  “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved in my life. This is new for me, alright? Cut me some slack.”

  “And if I weren’t already married, then things would be different…but I am.”

  He sighed loudly and stared at the floor, his hands sliding into the pockets of his jeans. “Liam fucked up everything, and while I think he loves you, I don’t think he’ll ever understand how to be a man for a woman.” He lifted his gaze again. “He says he’ll retire, but how long will that last? Until there’s another bump in the road? And what we have…is stronger than whatever the fuck you have with him.”

  It was so damn hard to listen to this man say these things, that he wanted to be with me, that we should be together. I was so head over heels, stupidly in love with him, and here he was…asking me to be his. “I promised to be with him. And until he breaks that promise, I’m here. I never really gave him a chance because I’ve been so emotionally unavailable because of you.”

  “He wasn’t emotionally available when he fucked someone else—”

  “I forgave him and gave him a clean slate. Constantly bringing up the past isn’t fair.”

  “Fair?” he asked coldly. “No. This isn’t fair.” He moved closer to me, anger in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have run off and married him so quickly. You wanted to get back together with him? Fine. But you—”

  “And you shouldn’t have let me go, Damien. We can play this game all night.” I stepped back from him, my eyes growing wet. “I loved you…and I still do. I hate the energy between us anytime we’re alone in a room together. I hate the fact that I think about you all the time. I hate the fact that I have to concentrate so hard not to let you into my mind when I’m with him. I hate the fact that I miss you when I don’t see you for a while. I hate…everything about this.” A few tears escaped, and I quickly wiped them away with my fingertips.

  His anger was tamed by my emotion. “If you weren’t married, would you leave him for me?”

  I dropped my gaze and gave a nod.

  He sighed loudly. “Life is too short not to be with the person you really want, Annabella.”

  “I know,” I whispered. “But…”

  “Don’t you think he would step aside if he knew? If he really loved you, he’d want you to be happy.”

  I released a sarcastic laugh. “No. He’d fight to the death for me.”

  His eyes fell in disappointment.

  “And even if I wanted to…he would kill you.”

  “He wouldn’t, Annabella. And he would be my problem, not yours, so don’t worry about it.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m sorry…”

  He stared at me with drooping shoulders, as if he didn’t know what to do other than accept my painful decision. His eyes didn’t have the same light they’d possessed earlier. Now he was empty, like the sun had set and darkness ensued.

  If Liam hadn’t offered to sacrifice his passion for me, maybe I would feel differently. But I knew that Liam was dedicated to this marriage, that he loved me with all his heart, and he would be devastated if I left. Once he knew Damien was the man I’d picked over him, he would feel foolish, betrayed by everyone around him…including me. He was a good man, and he didn’t deserve that.

  Damien stared at me for a while before he moved in close, his hand cupping my cheek and his fingers sliding between the strands of my combed-back hair. His other arm wrapped around my waist, hugging me to him.

  I didn’t fight even though I should. I let him take me because I didn’t have the strength to stop it. I needed the comfort as much as he did. The man I loved felt the same way…but I still couldn’t have him.

  His forehead rested against mine, and he held me that way for a long time, squeezing the fabric of my dress with his large hand. It was right above my ass, touching me like I was his…even though we both knew that would never happen.

  His fingers found the clip in my hair and pulled it free, getting my hair to come loose and fall down my back. Now, it was just the way he liked, so he could feel it with his fingertips, touch me the way he used to. His breath fell on my nose, and when we were close like this, I got lost in time…traveling back to nights when he was mine.

  I wanted to stay there forever.

  His hand moved up my back to my bra strap, and he squeezed me there too. He didn’t kiss me, even though the thought probably crossed his mind. He lifted his chin and pressed his lips to my forehead, kissing me with his warm mouth.

  I inhaled a deep breath, treasuring the touch.

  He let his lips stay there for a long time, as if he didn’t want to step back and leave this beautiful moment. But when he did, he pulled away and looked at me, his green eyes fixed on me. His palm brushed against my cheek, and his thumb swiped at the corner of my mouth. “I love you, Annabella.” He looked me in the eye as he said it, taking the opportunity to tell me what was in his heart before he lost his chance altogether.

  I shouldn’t say it back. I shouldn’t feel this rush of affection, this heart-pounding pain all over my body. In that moment, I knew my feelings were Damien were true. They weren’t misplaced lust, confused infatuation. The love in my heart was pure…and I loved him with every fiber of my being. “I love you too…”

  21

  Damien

  I fell asleep in the leather chair, my feet on the desk and my head resting against my open palm while my elbow was propped on the armrest. Instead of going home, I headed back to work, getting lost in drugs and money to numb the pain radiating from my chest. I didn’t want to go home alone, and I didn’t want to go to a bar…so I just stayed here.

  A loud thump made me jolt.

  Heath stood in front of my desk, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. His tattoos were visible up and down his arms, and the smirk on his face told me how much he enjoyed catching me off guard. “Baby didn’t get enough sleep last night?”

  I pulled back the sleeve of my shirt to check the time on my watch. “Why are you here? It’s morning.”

  “I’m not a vampire.” He glanced around my office and checked for the black duffel bag of money that was usually waiting for him. “Where’s my shit?”

  I had been so caught up with Annabella that I forgot about the biggest bill I had to pay every month. “I’ll have it for you tonight.”

  “I want it now.”

  “I haven’t done accounting yet.” I pulled my feet off the desk and straightened in the chair. Sleep was in the corners of my eyes, and I wiped it away, still half asleep. “You caught me at a bad time.”<
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  “Then should I hit up your father instead?”

  This was a terrible way to wake up—to be full of rage.

  He smiled when he got a rise out of me. “If you think your father is safe in your cathedral, you’re wrong.” He grabbed a folder off my desk and threw it down. “You have everything you need right now. I’m not leaving until I get my money.” He slammed his forefinger into the surface of the desk. “You already wasted enough of my time. I’m not letting you waste any more of it.”

  I got to my feet and held his gaze, my hands tied behind my back as if I were a prisoner behind bars. Was this how Hades felt when he was stuck with Maddox? A helpless hostage who could do nothing but obey? It was worse than torture, having all your pride stripped away like it never meant anything in the first place. I’d been stabbed, beaten to within an inch of death, and that was still preferable to this.

  If only Bones hadn’t retired out to pasture like a goddamn pussy.

  Heath stared at me with his ice-cold blue eyes, prepared to make good on his word if I didn’t cooperate. He was still livid at the way I’d thwarted his plan, and he would make me pay for it every single day until one of us was dead.

  But that person was going to be him…someday.

  I grabbed the folder on the desk and pulled it to me. “It’s gonna take at least thirty minutes.”

  “I’ve got time. Have one of your cronies get me a cup of coffee.”

  “They don’t do—”

  “Or you can get it.” He fell into the chair across from my desk and smiled, enjoying every second of this.

  I held his gaze and felt the bloodlust in my veins, the desire to give him so many paper cuts with this folder that he bled all over the floor until he died.

  “What are you going to do, Damien?” He loved to taunt me. “Get my coffee? Or bury your father? If I give him back, of course…”

  Days passed as a blur.

  I spent my time at home, not going to the office because I didn’t want to be the recipient of Hades’s looks of pity. I didn’t want to meet my clients and pretend to give a shit. I just wanted to be alone, to drink and watch whatever garbage was on TV.

  Hades called a few times, but I didn’t answer.

  He texted me too. I never answered.

  I was tempted to call Charlotte so I wouldn’t have to be alone. It was also spiteful, because I knew Annabella was jealous of her. But if I did that, I would get involved with a clingy woman again.

  I was home when someone knocked on the door and let themselves inside.

  I didn’t move from my spot on the couch. All I did was turn my head and see Hades enter my bedroom. Patricia never told me when he arrived because he had unlimited access to my property. He was the only person who could come and go as he pleased. Except Annabella…when we were together.

  Hades walked across the room and headed toward me, in jeans and a t-shirt. His short dark hair was rigidly styled, as if he’d skipped his workout after the office and headed straight to my place. “Who’s winning?”

  “Do you care?” I was a soccer fan, but he wasn’t.

  He helped himself to the scotch and took a seat. “You want me to get straight to the point, instead?”

  “No.”

  “Your dad talked my ear off when I came inside. He gets along with Patricia well.”

  “Yeah. He was really stubborn about it in the beginning, until his room was spotless, his sheets were always clean, his laundry was always hung in the closet. And he’s a big fan of her cooking too.”

  He got comfortable on the couch and watched the game, resting his ankle on the opposite knee. He took a few drinks before he set the glass on the table beside him.

  “You aren’t gonna finish that?”

  He shook his head. “Trying to cut back.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve got another kid on the way…”

  “Didn’t matter when Andrew was born.”

  “Well…time to grow up.”

  “Fuck, that sounds terrible.”

  He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. He stared at the floor for a while, the light from the fire blanketing his skin in a distinct glow. “Sofia told me what happened.”

  The room filled with tension, with discomfort that neither one of us could ignore. “And how does she know?”

  “Anna told her.”

  I wondered exactly what she said.

  He continued to stare at the floor so he wouldn’t put me on the spot. “But she didn’t say much about it. Sofia asked, and Anna just said you guys couldn’t work it out. Didn’t give any details.”

  Now I had to fill in the blanks.

  After a few minutes of silence, he lifted his head and looked at me. “So?”

  “You’re gonna interrogate me?” I took a deep drink of the scotch, letting the fumes enter my nose at the same time.

  “How many times have you interrogated me?”

  Touché.

  “It’s been four days. I’ve given you your space.”

  “Well, I’m sure you already figured out that she shot me down.”

  “Yeah, that’s obvious,” he said. “But it’s not obvious why.”

  I put the drink down and decided to get this inevitable conversation out of the way. “I told her how I felt—and she wasn’t happy about it. I told her to leave Liam, but she refused.”

  “Why?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.

  “Because she made a promise to him…and can’t break it.”

  “Even though she loves you?” he asked incredulously.

  I nodded.

  He sighed. “I don’t agree with that logic.”

  “Neither do I, but I understand it. She said she gave me everything, put her heart on the line, and I had the chance to be with her then. But I waited too long…and now I lost my chance.”

  “But you didn’t feel that way about her at the time—”

  “I know. But she wouldn’t change her mind. She won’t ditch Liam just because something better came along. It pisses me the fuck off…but I also admire her for it. She’s nothing like me. She keeps her word. She’s loyal, far more loyal than you and I are.”

  “But she’s showing her loyalty to the wrong person.”

  “I agree with that.”

  He faced forward again. “We could kill him.”

  I released a sarcastic laugh. “No.”

  “I could do it. Make it look like an accident. When he pulls up to an intersection, we’ll have a semi—”

  “Hades, no.” That would only hurt her. “The only reason I’ve been sticking my neck out for their relationship is because I know she cares about him. She still loves him. And I’m not gonna kill someone she loves just to get what I want.”

  He gave me an incredulous look. “That’s not the Damien I used to know.”

  “Well…I guess I’m different now.”

  He turned to the TV and chuckled.

  “What?”

  “Looks like you’re pussy now too.”

  I couldn’t believe this shit was happening.

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You just going to give up?”

  “I don’t see any other option.”

  He turned back to me. “If you love a woman, there’s always another option. Liam is a loose cannon. Put him in a bad situation, and he’ll fuck up everything on his own. Remember how quickly he changed his mind about death fighting? He was about to jump into the ring on the spot.”

  “He gave up fighting altogether.”

  “What?” He leaned back against the couch. “He said that?”

  I nodded. “Told Annabella he would retire for good. So, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.”

  “Damn…” Hades was probably annoyed that this affected his business, but he didn’t voice that.

  “There’s nothing I can do. Just let it go.”

  Hades turned quiet, sinking into the sofa as if the
conversation had really expired. He watched the TV passively, thinking about something else. Minutes passed, and I drank my scotch while he relaxed in my living room, probably out of words. Then he leaned forward again and turned to me. “Hold on.”

  I took another drink until the glass was empty. Then I set it down for good, cutting myself off.

  “What was the fortune the gypsy read to you?”

  I hadn’t thought about my experience in the purple tent for over a decade. My memory was watered down from all the booze over the years, the concussions to the head, and the broken bones. The thought of her suddenly made me turn cold, because I knew how much his fortune had changed my best friend’s life. It’d nearly killed him, because once he found the woman he was doomed to love forever, it almost destroyed him. All his priorities changed overnight, and he wasn’t the same powerful man anymore. He became a slave to his queen. Fuck, I refused to let that happen to me.

  “Damien?”

  “It’s been so long…I can’t quite remember.”

  “Well, try.”

  I searched through the fog of my murky brain and came up with nothing. “Hades, I can’t remember. It was about a woman, but I can’t remember exactly what.”

  “Why do I have a feeling Anna is the woman she was referring to?”

  “Fuck, I hope not.”

  “We have to return to Marrakech. Tomorrow.”

  Jesus, were we really doing this? “Maybe it’s better not knowing.”

  “If that were true, yes. But you do already know…deep down inside.”

  I sat with my father in the dining room. “I’ll only be away for a few days. You won’t even know I’m gone.”

  He took a few bites of his soup before he responded. “Then why are you telling me?”

  “In case you need anything, you’ll call instead of going to my bedroom.”

  “I don’t go to your bedroom anyway. Too many damn stairs.” He grabbed the saltshaker and poured it into his soup.

  I sighed. “Father, you really shouldn’t—”

  “Stop sounding like your mother.” He dumped even more salt into the soup—just to make a point.