Chapter 17
ISEULT
I’ve returned back to my house and locked myself in my room in hopes that I don’t have to see Orgasm Man for the rest of the day. Hopefully he doesn’t return until the wedding.
Pacing, my cell in hand, I wrestle with what to do. Do I tell my father I know him and that we messed around?
No.
I let out a heavy sigh. That won’t change anything. He’ll just tell me that nothing can happen anymore and that Gio belongs to my sister now. I definitely can’t tell Eriu. All that will do is make her feel bad. She’s been through enough.
My God, I can’t even think about her marrying that man without wanting to gouge out my eyes.
Am I jealous? Is this what jealousy feels like?
Lowering myself onto my bed, I drop my face into my palms just as a soft knock interrupts me. I instantly know it’s Kora from the sound of it.
“Yeah,” I mumble. “Come in.”
Gently, the knob turns, and she appears in the threshold.
“Why are you in here?” She walks in and shuts the door behind her. “Shouldn’t you be with your family, meeting your sister’s future hubby?” Her lips curl up as she stands before me.
“I don’t feel like being there,” I mutter, peering up at her through the slice of my fingers.
She settles beside me and throws an arm around my shoulders. “And why is that, Red?”
I pull my hands off my face and shoot her an irritated glare. “Not important, and don’t call me that.”
Sitting up straighter, I scold myself internally for being so damn pathetic. He was just a hookup. He’s free to marry anyone he pleases.
Even my sister.
Totally fine. It’ll be great. I can’t wait until family dinners.
“Why are you here?”” I ask Kora. “I thought you were training.”
“I was…” She shrugs. “But I finished early, and guess what happened when I was about to leave and grab some food?”
“What?”
There’s a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
“Well, when I came outside, I saw this really hot guy running around like a crazy person, screaming for someone named Red.”
A shudder runs down my spine.
“Yeah.” Her gaze drills into me. “Can you believe it? I mean, who do I know that flipped her shit when someone else called her that?”
How could he be this stupid? He could’ve outed us to everyone! Now Kora clearly suspects. She’s not an idiot.
“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Maybe she’ll buy it. I never told her about him. What was the point? I never intended to see him again. Until he decided to show up and marry my sister. Why does the universe hate me?
“Cut the shit, Iz,” she huffs. “I know you’ve been extra cranky for a while now, and I couldn’t understand why. Not until this Gio told me that you guys met a year ago, around the same time your mood got a lot bitchier.” She laughs. “I can’t believe you kept him from me this whole time.”
“I’m always a bitch. Maybe you’re just imagining things.”
She raises a palm. “Stop lying to me. I’m supposed to be your friend, and friends are honest with each other.” She shakes her head. “He called you Red. It’s why you got pissed at Tiernan when he did the same, isn’t it? It reminded you of Gio.”
“Wow, you really are reading too much into this.”
“Oh, Iz, you know I love you, but you need to stop sabotaging your own happiness. I know you didn’t have it easy.
” She lowers her voice and grasps my hand in hers.
“I know your mom’s loss hit you hard and you try so much to keep people at a distance.
But you can’t spend your time living in the past. You have to surrender to the present and let it take you to a future you may not yet see.
I promise…” She squeezes my fingers. “…there are people out there waiting to love you. All you have to do is let them.”
“I’m not you, Kora.” My mouth forms a thin line. “I’m fine alone. In fact, I prefer it.”
Liar.
“Right.” She begins to stand. “Whatever you say.” Her eyes go to mine from behind her shoulder. “You’re not unlovable, Iz.”
A pang hits my chest.
“Yeah, I’ll remember that.” I snicker, hiding behind what I truly feel inside.
I hate it. I hate feeling and crying. My God, how much I cried when she died.
I cried so much, I didn’t know if I’d have tears left.
But once I stopped crying, I took the reins over my emotions and I stuffed them deep.
Crying gets you nowhere. Crying makes you weak and pitiful. And I wasn’t either of those things.
But having Kora as your best friend makes it hard not to feel. That girl is fucking emotions. She’s always saying crap to make me get this way—a sappy, stupid mess. But I can’t live without the girl. I’m stuck with her.
What does she know, anyway? Who the hell would want to love me if they ever truly knew me. Truly saw me. I’m not her. I’m not Kora. I’m not perfect.
Opening the drawer to my nightstand, I pick up my cell and throw it inside, needing to do something to distract myself.
Just as she gets set to go, someone pushes the door open.
“I’m done waiting,” says a voice I was getting used to avoiding.
But my heart races just the same, thumping wildly like it beats just for him.
“What the hell, Kora?!” I jump to my feet, fitting her with a horrified glare.
“You two need to talk. So talk.” She gives me a stern look. “I’ll be standing right in the foyer. So don’t try running.”
“Oh,” Gio scoffs. “She’s definitely good at that. Aren’t you, Red?”
Reluctantly, I take in those deep, dark eyes staring feverishly at me, and I don’t know if I’m angry that he’s here or happy that he made the effort to find me.
“Okay, you two. Behave.” Kora’s face goes all serious, but cracks with a small smile. “Or don’t.”
Then she slithers out the door like the conniving snake that she is.
As soon as she’s gone, I lock the door behind her. Just in case someone else manages to walk in.
If it wasn’t for her bringing him here, he would never have found me.
Our estate is so monstrous, you could hide underground for years and no one would be the wiser.
In fact, one of my father’s friends did exactly that when he was going to be arrested for embezzlement.
He hid out here for five years until he was smuggled out of the country.
No one knows about Caellach. There are rumors, sure, but that’s all it is. No one knows that it’s actually all right here, right below their feet.
“Why the hell are you following me?”
I shove at his chest, and he growls low, eyes daring me to try that again.
“You need to leave. Now.” I shove him again. “You’re my sister’s fiancé. You can’t be here.”
He doesn’t move. Doesn’t even budge. But the vein in his neck throbs.
“Touch me again, Red,” he taunts with a glare. “See what happens.”
I like the challenge in his gaze, so of course I shove again. Harder. Both palms against his hard, muscular chest.
And just as I do, he grunts, his hand snapping around my wrist, until he flips me around and wraps his arm around my stomach, pinning me to his front.
“Now…” His gravelly tone shoots down into my core. “This is a lot better.”
I try to fight him off, but I’m only pretending. My body’s fitted to his so tightly, I can feel his heavy bulge pressing into the small of my back.
“I’m very disappointed, Red,” he drawls, warm against my ear. “Or would you rather I call you Iseult?”
“Fuck you, Gio,” I hiss. “You should’ve told me who you were. We could’ve stopped this before we slept together.”
“You mean fucked?” He chuckles dryly. “Because that’s what we did, Red. We fucked. Or do you need a reminder?”
He delves his hips into me, and I fight the desire to groan.
All those memories of us together come slamming back to the surface while I try to stuff them back inside. Yet the more he touches me, the more his breath cascades up my nape, the more I forget why it’s wrong for him to be touching me this way. Or why it’s wrong for me to like it.
“Why did you disappear?” he asks. “I waited for you at your place for days. I kept coming back, wishing you’d return. I even changed the locks, hoping it would make finding you easier. But you never came.”
“You changed my goddamn lock?!”
“I sure as fuck did.”
He’s gloating. The insufferable man is gloating.
I release a heavy sigh. “None of this matters anymore, Gio. You’re marrying my sister. Whatever we were or weren’t makes no difference anymore.”
“Is that what you think?” He cinches his grasp around my willing body. “That I’m the type of man to let go of something I want that easily?” His voice grows gravelly, his lips dropping to my neck, coasting down to my shoulder, kissing me through my sweater. “No, Red. Me and you, we’re not done.”
And in an instant, he spins me around and throws me up against the wall, his palms caging me in, his wicked mouth nearing mine, hovering there.
Oh my God. This is not happening.
My body shivers. My insatiable thirst for him nears the edge, my breathing coming in burning gasps.
His hot, unsteady exhales against my trembling lips taunt me with things I shouldn’t want. But right now, it’s hard not to wonder if Kora was right. If someone like me could be loved.
His palm sinks around my throat, fingers wrapped around it, thumb pushing into my jaw as he grinds his teeth.
“I’ve waited over a year to touch you again.” His eyes search mine, gaze heated. And in it, I find intense emotions piercing right into my heart.
Before I can find it in me to fight him off, he slams his lips to mine and ends this unrelenting torture.
He steals my breath with a single, vicious kiss. The one I’ve wanted for too long.
With a moan, my hands climb into his hair, yanking and running my fingers through each strand I can grab on to, as though I can’t get enough.
He sucks my tongue into his mouth, grunting deep in his chest when I yank his dress shirt out of his pants and run my nails up his solid bare back.
His skin feels so good, hard muscle beneath my fingertips.
The way he kisses me, nipping and tugging, it’s like he’s trying to punish me for what I did, and I deserve it.
I need his punishment.
I crave it.