Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
I choked on the champagne, nearly spraying the wolf in the face. Did he just tell his father I was his fiancée? I wanted to imagine I heard him wrong.
The wolf’s cynical gaze flew to me, suddenly no longer dismissing me as the flavor of the month. I didn’t know what Cole was after, but I figured it was best to smile and keep my mouth shut, which was exactly what I did.
Cole scowled, his fingers pressing against mine.
“Now is not the time to toy with me. You and I know this young lady isn’t your fiancée ,” Mr. Riley sneered.
All emotion winked out of Cole’s eyes. “You might control a large aspect of my life, but this is one part I refuse to let you govern. As I stated before, there isn’t anything between Gianna and me. There never will be no matter what negotiations you make behind closed doors.”
Who the fuck is Gianna?
“Do you have any idea the repercussions this little childish, rebellious stunt could cause?” his father hissed, lowering his harsh tone. “The risks? If there is one thing I’ve taught you, it is you don’t fuck with business.”
A chill stole down my back that had nothing to do with my lack of clothi ng. The atmosphere between father and son froze the air around us.
The fingers weaved with mine tightened. “But screwing with my life is still on the table. Marriage isn’t a business deal for me.”
My head volleyed between wolf and death—father and son. I felt caught in the middle of a timeless fight.
“Everything in life is a deal. Don’t be so foolhardy. I don’t want to hear anything else about an engagement unless it’s with Gianna. Is that clear? I will not let you ruin this family,” Mr. Riley stated as if this was the end of the discussion.
“You’ll do that all on your own,” Cole tossed back.
The wolf seemed to have forgotten I was there. I wished I could forget I was. Eyes as dark as coals pierced me with undeniable disdain, as if I was the sole reason his son disobeyed him—as if I would be the destruction of what he worked so hard for.
If he only knew I was nothing more than his next-door neighbor hired by his son.
Cole still fiercely clasped his hand against mine, and I’d nearly lost all feeling. I needed a moment to myself—a second to breathe and process what the hell was going on. With a gracious smile, I cut in. “Please excuse me. I need to use the ladies’ room.” Things had gotten too tense.
I turned to walk away, but Cole hadn’t released my hand. I glanced over my shoulder, lifting a brow, a crack forming in my heart as Cole looked at me like he didn’t want to let me go off on my own. Or perhaps it was he didn’t want to be left alone with the wolf. I gave him a reassuring smile, hoping it conveyed I could handle finding the bathroom without a chaperone.
The pressure of his grip lessened, his hand falling to his side. I passed him my champagne, leaning forward and brushing a kiss on his cheek before whispering, “You need this more than I do.” Then I turned and strolled to the hallway where I prayed I’d find a bathroom. Preferably unoccupied.
I turned the corner, my heels clicking on the dark wooden floors. God, what a mess. Why couldn’t I find a normal guy? With normal problems like what color shirt he should wear to work or whether he should have oatmeal or French toast for breakfast. How did I end up smack-dab in the middle of a family war? Not just any family but the fucking Rileys.
I was nothing but a pawn in Cole’s scheme to undermine his father, but then I thought about the large deposit sitting in my checking, and I suddenly didn’t care if Cole used me to defy his daddy.
I rounded another corner and assumed the bathroom would be there. Instead, I nearly got stabbed in the eye by a pair of antlers. Stumbling, I quickly leaned out of the way or risked getting injured by a mask.
The girl with the antlers poking out from the sides of her long, strawberry-blonde hair eyed me, so I eyed her back. “What the hell are you doing here?” she sneered, her greenish-brown eyes spitting fire at me.
I flinched, taken aback by her harsh tone, especially to a stranger. It raised my hackles. “Do I know you?” Was this Gianna? If so, I could see why Cole didn’t want to marry her.
A smug grin curved on her deep red lips. “I don’t need to know who you are,” she spat. “It’s who you came with that gives you away.”
So, she’d seen me with Cole and obviously didn’t like it. “And how is that?” I asked, folding my arms and reinforcing my stance.
“You’re the slut of the month. Nothing more.” She lashed the words at me like she was wielding a whip.
More like the summer, bitch , but I kept the comment to myself despite wanting to hurl the words in return at her. I had something better in mind. “I’m his fiancée.”
She choked. And then she let out a mangled laugh like a bird caught in a net. “Is this a joke? The Rileys don’t commit. Everyone knows that.”
I smirked. “Or they just haven’t met a girl like me.”
She snorted. “I’ll say. A trashy bitch like you can never last long in his world.”
My fingers twitched. I flexed them before squeezing them into fists. I could either dig my nails into my palms or follow through on the alternative—rip the dyed blonde hair from her skull. I fucking really wanted to go for option two, but a nice head slam into the wall would feel good too. “Let me guess, you’ve been trying to trap one for years. A bit of free advice because we’re such fast friends. Unprotected sex. Works like a charm,” I said, rubbing my belly affectionately like pregnant women were fond of doing.
Something betwee n a scoff and a gasp expelled from her throat. “That’s all you’ll ever be. A quick fuck.”
“So, I guess I should scratch you off the wedding list,” I shot back sarcastically. I wasn’t about to let some snotty, stuck-up brat insult me.
“I wouldn’t get comfortable,” she snapped. “Once his father finds out, you’ll be gone.”
“And I’m sure you’ll be eager to take my place. You seem like a girl who doesn’t like sloppy seconds. Will you be okay having him knowing he was deep inside me first?” I didn’t normally start catfights, but I also never backed down from one either. If she wanted to make a scene, I could accommodate her. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d been tossed out of places I shouldn’t be.
She firmed her chin, lifting it higher in the air and doing her best to pretend my words didn’t fire her blood. They did. I could see it in her eyes. “You’ll never be anything but a useless whore with or without the Riley name.” Her gaze flicked down, and I knew what she was looking for. It would be too obvious if I moved my hands. “Besides, I don’t see a ring. You’re probably a liar as well as a gold-digger.”
“Why don’t you take that ugly mask off so I can see your face?” I taunted.
“Did Cole tell you what happens if you break the rules?”
My silencing gave her ammunition power and smoke. She didn’t hesitate to use it, and I silently cursed, annoyed I’d let her fluster me with something as stupid as a fake engagement ring and a threat of an even dumber mask. But for just a few heartbeats, my imagination took hold and got the best of me. All I could see was a mob of rich assholes in creepy masks chanting I was a fraud and screaming I didn’t belong while they had me tied to a wooden pole with a massive fire burning under me.
“I’m guessing not,” Antler Girl smugly snapped, and as she brushed past, she clipped my shoulder.
Instinct had me whirling, ready to yank her back by her hair, but with a heaving breath, I stopped myself.
I never got her name.
Stunned, I stood in the hallway, the roaring in my ears slowly receding with each ticking second, and the sounds of the party returned.
Un-fucking-believable .
I shook my head and wrenched the bathroom door open, hastily shutting and locking it behind me. A long exhale followed, my tense shoulders lowering. I placed my hands on either side of the sink and gazed at my reflection.
From under the ebony, lacy mask, my cheeks were colored pink. My eyes were wide and smoldering.
I didn’t recognize the girl who stared back.
She wasn’t Arie Quinn.
She wasn’t me.
“Fuck this.”
My fingers went to the back of my head and fumbled with the knot Cole had made. I loosened the strings, tearing the mask off my face and promptly dumping it into the garbage can.
The elite and their rules can kiss my ass.
I wasn’t one of them.
I didn’t have to play their games.
E veryone stared as I made my way through the house, searching for Cole, and I couldn’t have cared less than if I were eating cardboard. Cole’s gaze found mine when I entered the room with its deep-chocolate walls and custom bookshelves decorated with handcrafted ornate details. I didn’t doubt for a second the room had hidden secret passageways. If you pulled out the right book, bam, a secret door would appear. The house was Harry Potter on meth.
Cole reached me before I had a chance to make my way through the room. He wore his scary expression, a hand under his jaw as he toyed with the hoop on his lip. “What’s happened?” he demanded, grabbing my elbow to lead me back the way I’d just come.
“Nothing. I just got tired of playing pretend.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Killer,” he hissed. “Tell me what’s upset you. Or who.”
Was I that easy to read? I thought I’d gained my composure in the bathroom, but I guess coming out without mask might have tipped him off. I contemplated lying but my social battery was fucking drained, and I want ed to leave. If giving him the truth got me out of here faster, then so be it. “It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Trust me, I can handle a little bullying.”
The gold in his eyes flashed fiercely like a lion at night protecting his pride. “You might be able to, but I can’t.”
“I don’t want to cause a scene,” I hissed under my breath while trying to maintain my cool.
His eyes broke into a wild storm. “You don’t need to behave yourself for me. Besides, I would be making a scene. No one here would bat an eye at it. I have a reputation, much to my father’s chagrin, of causing scenes.”
Something we had in common. “Can’t we just go?” I asked because I was tired of being on display tonight. I wanted to go home. My home. But I couldn’t.
“Who was it?” he demanded, and when I didn’t immediately point her out, he growled. “If you don’t tell me who it was, I’ll find out myself, and you don’t want that, because I won’t behave myself.”
Like a damn dog with a bone, Cole wouldn’t let it go. “I don’t know. Some chick with antlers. She wanted to remind me who I was.”
His hands went to my shoulders, eyes pinned on mine. “And exactly who is it you think you are?”
“Not your fiancée.” If he wouldn’t take me home, I’d find my own way back. Spinning, I stormed out of the house, not waiting to see if Cole followed. Dampness clung to the air as a cool breeze kissed my flushed cheeks in sweet relief. The ground was wet and slick. A storm must have come through the area while we were inside.
The only people outside were the two security guards stationed at the doors and the valet attendant. He glanced up as I fished through my clutch for my phone, intending to call for an Uber.
“You look like you could use this.” The young valet held out a cigarette pack, one of the slim white sticks poking out for me to take.
“Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but they make me sick,” I admitted.
“Rough night?” he asked, his eyes indicating the Gothic house behind me.
I never got the chance to answer. Firm fingers pressed into my arm right below my elbow and whirled me around. My nose pressed into a solid chest, and Cole’s kill-me-now scent filled my nostrils.
How foolish of me to think he’d let me leave on my own.
Peeling my face off Cole’s biceps, I glanced up, wishing I hadn’t. A storm brewed in those dark eyes, the flecks of gold like lightning striking across the night sky.
“We came together, and we’ll sure as hell leave together.” Cole’s hard gaze lifted over my head. “Summon my driver.”
I stepped back, catching the valet from the corner of my eye. He glanced between Cole and me, putting together who I’d come with. I swore I saw a flash of disappointment.
Cole waited until he left. “Killer?—”
“What are we doing? Why am I here?” I interrupted before he could finish growling.
“I told you it’s complicated.”
That answer wasn’t going to work anymore. “Get fucked, Cole.” I wrenched my arm out from under his fingers. Perhaps a little too hard. I misjudged the firmness he had on me. I lost my balance, and the next thing I knew, I was fucking falling on my ass, right into a mud pile.
Dirty water splashed up onto my face and arms, and for a jarring moment, the impact stole my breath. I didn’t move. I sat in the puddle, disbelief stunning me. Lifting my hands out of the thick, wet ground at my sides, I stared at my fingers.
Cole towered over me, his brow lifted, and I swore his lips twitched.
Embarrassment and anger flooded my system. “If you so much as crack a hint of a smile, I’ll tie your balls into so many knots you’ll never laugh again.”
He schooled his features, but I could see the amusement he suppressed, igniting the flame in my belly.
“Don’t just stand there. Help me!” I shrilled, holding out my mucky hand. Cole’s gaze flicked to my fingers before returning to my face that wore a less than pleased expression.
Without a word, his hands clasped with mine, tugging me effortlessly to my feet.
“This is your fault,” I grumbled, smearing the crap from my hands on a dry spot on my thighs. Water soaked my ass .
I didn’t want to look at his damn face. I had nothing left to say to him.
Fuming, I took off down the sidewalk with no idea where I was headed, only that it was far from Cole Riley. This time, footsteps followed me. I wasn’t having it.
“Arie, wait?—”
“Don’t Arie me,” I turned to face him before he could grab me as he seemed so fond of doing. I hadn’t expected him to be so damn close, and he hadn’t anticipated me halting. We collided, the side of my head knocking into his face.
Pain exploded. “Ow. Damn it,” I hissed, my hand immediately flying to the sore spot on my skull.
The daggers shooting from my eyes faded at the sight of blood on the hand Cole held to his nose. He pulled it away, staring harshly at the dark stain on his fingers. I’d given him a bloody nose.
Fucking fabulous.
“Oh my god. Shit. Are you okay?” I asked, my hands framing his face so I could look at the damage.
He didn’t pull away from my touch. I took that as a good sign. Using the end of my damp sleeve, I pulled it over my hand and blotted his nose. He winced, and I cringed. “Sorry,” I said softly. “If it makes you feel better, you’re the first guy I’ve made bleed on a first date.”
Cole shook his head. His fingers circled my wrist, pulling my hand away from his nose. “I’m fine, Killer. I grew up with two brothers. Bloody noses were a weekly occurrence in my house.”
I didn’t love the sight of blood. I liked the sight of Cole’s even less, but I was too damn over this disaster of a night to analyze my concern. When I bit my lip, his eyes ensnared mine.
The limo pulled up, its tires sloshing over the wet pavement, to save us from any further calamity.
After rubbing the side of his nose, Cole grabbed my hand. “Let’s go before one of us kills someone.”
Finally, something he said made sense.
Cole didn’t wait for the driver to get out but opened the door for me. I brushed past him, climbing inside, grateful to be leaving. If I never saw the Mirrored Mansion again, it would be too soon .
I slid over the buttery-soft leather, cringing at the mess I was sure to leave. The most expensive outfit I owned was fucking ruined, caked with mud. Why did I give a shit about clothes? It wasn’t my money wasted. Did I hate to see something so beautiful destroyed at the hands of a pompous asshole? Yes.
Not that it was entirely Cole’s fault, but I shifted most of the blame on him.
His thigh brushed against mine and stayed there, pressing his heat into me. My stomach fluttered, sending a pulse of awareness inside me.
I squirmed.
I couldn’t take the wetness any longer. I had to get rid of these clothes. I’d choose comfort over modesty any day of the week. Cole would have to deal with it. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen me in my full glory.
But if I’d been honest, it wasn’t only the clothes causing my discomfort.
Unbuttoning my pants, I worked on the zipper.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, brows furrowing.
“Calm down. This isn’t a ploy to seduce you. I need to get out of these wet pants. My kitty is going to wilt.”
“Kitty?” he smirked. “Cute, Killer, and we can’t have a wrinkly puss.”
“Funny. Just help me get them off.”
“That I can do.”
“Cole,” I scolded dryly, rolling my eyes as I attempted to shimmy the clinging material off my hips.
He grabbed my foot, slipped off my shoe, and dragged his thumb over my arch. I froze.
Why is that so damn attractive?
“Do that again,” I ordered.
“Do what?” he asked, his head angled to the side toward me. The limo lights dimmed as the driver pulled away from the house.
“Take off my other shoe,” I said.
“Do you have a kink, Killer?” he asked huskily, and I wished I’d kept my trap shut, but his hand moved to my other foot, removing the shoe. He let the ebony pump fall to the car floor, but his hand lingered, and I watched as tho se tattooed fingers glided up my ankle, massaging, and then skillfully worked back to my foot.
A zing traveled up my leg. I hated the way my body responded to anything related to Cole. His hands. His mouth. His scent. His voice. Everything about him got to me in ways that irritated and enticed me, causing a current of conflict to ebb and flow through my veins.
I groaned, my head falling back onto the seat and my pants only halfway down my hips.
A slow smirk full of temptation teased his mouth below the skull mask he still wore. Abandoning my task, I took off his mask, wanting to see his face.
“Lift your hips,” he commanded, angling his body so he faced me.
Pressing my back into the seat, I did as he asked. His hands flanked either side of my pants, tugging them down my legs. Once he got them to my knees, I lowered back to the seat as he worked the material that clung like a second skin off my body.
The wet pants thudded to the floor in a pile on top of the heels, leaving me sitting in the back of a limo in just my corset and a pair of practical panties. I’d gone for comfortable instead of sexy, not anticipating this situation. I was quickly learning when in Cole’s company I should always be prepared to find myself naked or nearly naked. It was becoming a bad habit I didn’t know how to feel about.
But right now, I was shaking with need.
His eyes never strayed from mine, and I waited to see what he would do next. Would he sit back in his seat? What did I want him to do? Kiss me?
This wasn’t part of our deal.
I’d made that clear, and yet, all those rules I’d told myself I wouldn’t cross were blurry as hell.
His hand roamed along my calf to my thigh, eyes full of shadows and unspoken secrets. How far would he go?
How far would I let him?
I’d always been responsible, put obligations first over my needs, and despite what everyone in high school or college said about me, I didn’t sleep around. I was the poorest prude in town. That wasn’t exactly accura te. I wasn’t a virgin. I just had standards when it came to who I let inside my body, and most of the guys in Fallen Oaks didn’t make the cut.
Did Cole?
Couldn’t I be reckless for one night? Was my freedom the reason I’d agreed to bargain with him? Had I taken the money so I could start living?
Screw it.
Twisting, I cupped the back of his neck with my hand as I closed the gap between us, fusing our mouths, and climbed onto his lap.