Five
Her Phantom
Sin
F uck. She was sexy as sin.
Wickedness in disguise as she walked into the room and captured the shadowy creature inside of me. She awakened a darkness I never knew I held until her. A phantom unconfined by his obsession.
All I could see was her. Bright, shining, and spellbinding. She illuminated my eyes until they went blurry.
Shit.
No.
That was the glitter from her damn dress hugging all her curves, and she was a goddamn goddess dressed in black. Perfect for me.
I watched with hungry eyes as my prey held onto Mr. Chamberlain’s arm and flashed a fucking gorgeous smile toward everyone. Her eyes twinkled in the light and made the crowd the center of her world. She hexed every person with a heartbeat until the organ stopped beating. But I saw the fault in her smile.
A pain far too great—she had locked the truth inside, buried her suffering deep in her core and kept the sadness prisoner. Shackled away in her hollow soul, there was a brokenness I wanted to make whole.
There was a quick flash of panic when she peered up at her fiancé, and she held her breath while time seemed to stand still. Her busty chest wouldn’t move, and I knew she wished in her blackened heart to be anywhere other than here. Her delicate neck was stiff without a throb as her pulse slowed down, and I wanted to make it speed up. I craved to see the little pebble palpitate in her throat beneath her skin from my touch. I would spark a light and set her world on fire. But I wouldn’t burn her universe, leaving it dull and turning it to ash.
I was a man starved with a strained erection against my slacks when she finally took a breath. I imagined all the things I’d do to her, all the ways I’d make her mine. As she continued on, I instantly became obsessed. Attracted. Addicted. Whole-heartedly fucking consumed, and I had to have her.
Mr. Chamberlain introduced his fiancé and gave a speech, but I wasn’t listening. My future was clear, and she was the apple of my eye. I’d sooner rot in the core of hell than let anyone else have her. Liv Valencia would be ours.