Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
“I was, but I came back.” He takes a sip of his whiskey. “I must admit, I was slightly wounded you allowed him to expel me.”
I tilt my head. “You insinuated I cheated on him with you while knowing my memory is unreliable, so excuse me if I chose not to fight your battle.”
“Whoa.” He smiles, his expression shifty. “I insinuated nothing except for us spending time together again.”
“Try harder to fool me, V.”
“It’s true, though. We were so good together and I do want to rekindle our relationship. He’s bad news wrapped in sophisticated charm, and you know it. He’s lying to you about so many things.”
“And you’re in the loop, how?”
“I have my contacts.”
I narrow my eyes. “Have you been investigating us?”
“Him. He’s attempting to destroy my family business and your life, Ava. I think it’s logical for me to go after him. I don’t have proof yet, but I know for a fact that he did several shady things.”
“Since you have no proof…” I grab my cloudy pink mocktail and start to sidestep him.
He stands in front of me, forcing me to a halt. “You’re being oblivious and naive, a combination I never thought you’d ever be accused of.”
“And you’re being rude at my own party.”
“Ava.” He grabs my shoulders. “Please try to see reason. Surely, you’re not so far under his spell that you can’t think for yourself.”
“How dare you?” I shake his hands free. “Do you know my life, Vance? My predicaments? The hard choices I was forced to pick from? The decisions I had to make? The pills I have to take? The signs I have to watch out for? No. You only know the teenage version of me that pretended everything was perfect, but that’s far from the truth and that mythical version of me disappeared years ago. So don’t stand there and tell me I can’t think for myself. I’m not a fucking invalid!”
I whisper-yell the last part, my whole body shaking, and some of the drink spills on my fingers, turning them sticky.
“Hey, I’m sorry.” He softens his voice. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Well, you did and you definitely meant to. I’d like you to leave. Now.”
“Ava, please.”
“My wife asked you to leave. Either you do that with your face intact or you do it with your teeth falling out. Whether or not I break those hands you touched her with is subject to whether you remove your repugnant presence in the next ten seconds.”
A possessive hand drops on my back and I hate that his smell invades my surroundings and saturates my nostrils so that he’s everything I breathe.
I stare up at him and loathe that I missed his face—as cold and emotionless as it looks. I despise the safety I feel in his embrace or the nagging thought that he’s never made me feel less than normal.
Even when he hurt me.
Vance stares between us, a grimace stretched deep on his face. “You’re making a big mistake, Ava.”
Eli steps forward, but I grab onto his arm so that I’m almost hugging him. The last thing I want is for him to cause more public chaos and fall out even further with his dad.
Thankfully, Lan shows up and snatches Vance’s collar. “Your time’s up!”
I puff out a breath when he drags him out of sight. As I shift in place, my breasts brush against Eli’s chest and I look up to find his savage gaze on me.
Placing my drink on the bar, I untangle myself from his hold. “What are you doing here? You’re not invited.”
“This is my yacht.”
“Still not invited. Go away.”
“Isn’t the entire purpose of this party to get my attention and piss me off? Both have been accomplished exceptionally well.”
“I’d have to care about you to attempt to get your attention. It happens that I don’t.”
“Ava…” He grabs my elbow. “Don’t fuck with me.”
“Don’t touch me.” I jerk away. “Now excuse me so I can go dance.”
I show him a sweet smile and waltz to the middle of a group of guys from uni and dance sensually, making sure to rotate my hips and touch my waist. My fingers sink into my hair and I grow hot under his intense gaze, falling into the rhythm.
I haven’t even begun to flirt when Eli marches toward me.
What…?
He never stopped me before—he only watched from afar like a creep.
“What do you want—”
“My wife.” And then he lifts me up in his arms like I’m a doll and walks to the lower deck.
As soon as we’re inside a room, he throws me on the bed. I bounce on the mattress, then attempt to sit up.
I’m slammed back down when his weight crashes on top of me and his fingers wrap around my throat. “I’ve been patient, but you don’t want patient, do you? You want to be punished like a very bad wife.”