Chapter 18
Bonnie
From being a place of excitement and wonder, London had changed rapidly to being too big.
Too full of people who had somewhere to go while I had absolutely nowhere.
Or any money to get home. I’d let myself get so wrapped up in Elijah, I hadn’t even brought my purse, believing him that I’d no need to spend money today.
I walked without direction, my brain buzzing with a single thought that refused to shut up.
Idiot.
Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
The pavement blurred beneath my feet, and I moved through crowds of strangers. Horns blared. Buses rattled past. Someone laughed nearby, the sound bright and careless. Asshole.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
I’d been so stupid.
The moment I’d seen Elijah Westwood in that department store in Deadwater, I should have known exactly what he was.
The rich and powerful couldn’t help but be deceitful as fuck.
Men like him didn’t chase women like me unless they wanted something. And the moment they were done? They moved on.
The memory of that woman tangled in his sheets burned in my mind. Blonde, dainty. Younger than me. And comfortable enough to be sleeping in his bed.
My throat tightened.
I felt sorry for her, the blonde beauty. She had been waiting for him, not seductively, just in his sheets as if she had the right to be there. That told me everything. She wasn’t new. That was my claim.
I was the other woman. The bit on the side.
God, I’d been such a fool.
The city whirled around me, and I slowed in front of a huge department store window. Lights glowed behind the glass. Mannequins posed in silk lingerie sets, arranged on raised platforms in a dramatic display of lace and satin. Deep red. Ivory. Black velvet with delicate straps.
My feet stopped without permission.
For a long moment I simply stared.
The designs were beautiful. Technically perfect. Every seam positioned to shape the body. Every curve deliberate. Exactly the kind of display I’d imagined when I used to sketch designs late at night in my tiny shared flat. The kind of display I’d dreamed about seeing my own work in.
My chest tightened even more painfully.
That dream felt further away than ever.
I’d been so close.
To a future, to having a boyfriend, to a life that was changing for the better in all ways.
And now?
Now I was standing on a London street, heartbroken over a man who’d probably forget my name in a week.
A bitter laugh escaped me. “Well done, Bonnie.”
I’d managed to fail at both my business future and my love life in record time.
The reflection in the glass caught my eye. My hair was windblown from walking too fast. My cheeks flushed from anger and humiliation. I looked exactly how I felt.
Lost.
A prickle crawled up the back of my neck.
I frowned. The feeling was familiar. That strange awareness of being watched.
Slowly, I glanced to my right.
A woman stood just outside the store entrance. Store attendant. Black suit. Perfect hair. Expression carefully neutral. Except her eyes were fixed on me.
Oh.
Right.
I raised both hands instinctively. “I’m only looking.”
The woman didn’t smile. Instead, she lifted her phone. And spoke quietly into it.
My stomach sank. Fantastic. Apparently staring too long at expensive underwear made me suspicious now. I turned quickly and walked away. No way was I dealing with another confrontation today.
I’d probably burst into tears and embarrass myself all the more.
I picked up speed on my flight down the street. Past cafés and clusters of tourists taking photos. Past a group of office workers spilling out of a pub.
The feeling of being watched didn’t fade.
A car screeched somewhere behind me.
I didn’t turn. No need for another reminder that the world wasn’t friendly today.
Then a door slammed.
“Bonnie!”
My stomach dropped.
I spun around.
Elijah. Standing in the middle of the street beside a dark car, chest rising and falling hard as if he’d been running and not chauffeur-driven. His gaze locked on to me instantly.
Relief flashed across his face.
Oh hell no.
Every instinct in my body fired at once.
Run.
People shouted when I darted into a crowd. My shoes slapped the pavement. Adrenaline surged through my veins. Not again. I was not having this conversation. Not after what I’d just seen.
Behind me, Elijah swore. “Bonnie!”
I ducked between two taxis waiting at a crossing, cutting across the road before the lights changed. A horn blasted. Someone yelled.
I didn’t slow down.
My heart pounded, and I whipped down a side street, weaving past pedestrians and coffee shop tables.
Footsteps thundered behind me. Too close. Dammit. The man had legs a mile long.
I sprinted harder, lungs burning now.
It was a twisted and cruel reminder of the game we’d played in Deadwater. The basement. The moment he’d locked eyes with me across the room. The way he’d moved through the chaos with calm certainty. He’d caught me then. He wouldn’t catch me now.
I skidded around a corner.
Chanced a glance behind. Nothing. He wasn’t there. Just an empty street full of side alleys and bins. I’d lost him? Emotion churned inside me, and I spun around.
Straight into a wall of muscle.
Strong arms closed about my waist before I could dodge away. “Got you.”
“No!” I shoved against his chest. “Let me go.”
Elijah tightened his hold, his breath rough and jagged. “Stop running.”
“Stop chasing!”
People nearby slowed to stare. Oh great, a public scene. My favourite.
I shoved at him again. “Go back to your girlfriend.”
His entire body went still. “No.”
“Oh, you forgot? The one in your bed,” I snapped. “Blonde. Perfect. Clearly very familiar with your sheets.”
Frustration dawned across his face. “Bonnie.”
“Don’t,” I cut in sharply. “Just don’t.”
I tried to get away. He held on tight. Not hard, but firm enough that I couldn’t slip away.
“Listen to me.”
“I won’t.”
“You walked into a misunderstanding.”
I laughed bitterly. “Of course I did. Silly me. Women just randomly appear in your bed all the time. My stupid fault for not asking the right questions about who else you’re sleeping with.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not sleeping with her. I barely know her. She’s the daughter of my mother’s friend.”
“Oh, fantastic. Family history. That makes it so much better.”
“She’s staying there temporarily. I’d been told but didn’t know any dates, and I just didn’t think.”
I didn’t want to believe him. “Right.”
“Bonnie.”
“Stop saying my name like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m supposed to believe you.”
Silence stretched between us. The London street bustled, life carrying on. Cars passed and people gawked, but none of it touched the storm twisting in my chest.
Elijah’s grip on me loosened, and he gave me space. “Please.”
I looked away. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“I need you to.”
“Why?”
“Because losing you isn’t an option.”
My heart stuttered. Damn the way he could say things that made my resolve crumble. “I saw her,” I whispered. “In your bed.”
“I know, baby. I’m so sorry that happened.”
“And you expect me to just, what? Smile and accept that explanation?”
“No.” His gaze held mine. “We’re in a relationship, but we haven’t had any conversations about boundaries other than the game’s rules.
Here’s one we can try. I expect you to listen, just as you would me if it were the other way around.
But we’re just working this thing out, so you have every right to be angry at me. ”
My chest rose and fell, a sob wanting to escape that I would never give up. Part of me was ready to run again. But the other part…
A stupid part had started trusting him.
It had me hesitating.
Elijah inched closer again. Not enough to trap me this time, but enough that his voice eclipsed the city noise. “Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.” His eyes searched mine. “Then you can decide whether to walk away.”
My throat tightened.
And for the first time since leaving his apartment, I stopped wanting to run from him.