This Cruel Love (A Dark Hearts Stand-Alone Novel Book 2)

by Nikki J Summers

  “She really is the golden goose, isn’t she?” A familiar voice at the bar spoke to us.

  “How long have you been lurking in the shadows?” I asked Cillian, as he shifted off the bar stool he’d been perched on and made his way over to us.

  “Oh, I heard the lot, Tink, and I gotta say, I’m impressed.”

  “Impressed? How?”

  He waggled his flirty eyebrows at me and pointed over at Jackson. “Impressed because, in two minutes, you managed to achieve what this hulk hasn’t been able to do for two months.”

  “Come again?”

  “The mayor? The contracts? This idiot has been trying to get his applications signed off for months. One chat with you and the mayor’s all, ‘let me look into that, I’ll sort that out for you’ and let’s not forget the invitation to his house.” Cillian leaned down to whisper in my ear, and I noticed Jackson flinch slightly. “Tell me, how did you do that?”

  “Do what? Get an invite to my Uncle Mick’s house?”

  Cillian almost choked on his whiskey at my confession. I don’t know why, it’s not like I was consciously keeping it a secret.

  “He’s your uncle?” Cillian laughed at the irony of it all.

  “Yes, kind of. I’ve known him since I was eight. He’s my little brother Nate’s godfather. He plays golf with my dad every Friday, and Gloria is my mum’s best friend.”

  “Holy shit, you could’ve had this wrapped up hours ago.” Cillian looked amused, but Jackson just looked pissed.

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” he hissed over his whiskey tumbler.

  “Tell you what? The mayor is my dad’s best friend? It’s not the kind of thing you go around telling people, is it? If I’d known he was your mark for the night I might have. Then again, seeing you grovel was much more fun.”

  His nostrils flared as I spoke, and he threw back the last mouthful of his whiskey.

  “And you think you don’t fit in with these people? You’re as fake as them, you just don’t like to admit it.”

  I went to argue, but he stalked away, leaving me and a smug-looking Cillian alone. Why did I suddenly feel ashamed? I had nothing to feel guilty about.

  “I had no idea he was working for a charity.” I tried to break the ice by talking about something positive.

  “Yeah… about that.” Cillian twisted his feet to stand opposite me. “Best not to mention it too much. It’s a sensitive subject.” He grinned, but his eyes were hardened and impassive.

  “Why? Because he’s scamming the charity?” I had a very low opinion of Jackson Caine, that was for sure.

  “No. It’s personal.” Cillian looked at me like I was filthy for thinking such a thing.

  “Well, sorry for thinking the worst. It’s not like I’ve been given any reason to think otherwise.”

  Cillian huffed out his annoyance, then smiled and shook his head. “You know, he’s not all bad.”

  “You could’ve fooled me.”

  “Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? He wants to fool you. Do you think he wants to show any hint of his softer side? He probably thinks you’ll use it to destroy him.”

  “What soft side? The one that extorts money from innocent people, or the one that breaks into apartments in the middle of the night? Anyway, I’m not like that. I don’t destroy people, he does.” I had to admit that I felt offended that anyone would think I was capable of destroying another person. I might be able to argue and banter with the best of them, but I wasn’t a total bitch.

  “There’s a lot more to him than he likes to show. He doesn’t trust anyone. Loyalty hasn’t been very forthcoming in his life so far. If that comes across as destructive, then so be it, but it’s not all black and white, Ryley.”

  “Honesty, loyalty, and all that means is everything to me. If you don’t have trust in your life, then what sort of life is that?”

  “Exactly.” Cillian put his drink down and took my wine glass from my hand, placing it on the bar behind us. “Shall we?”

  He hooked his arm out for me to take hold of, which I did. A bristle of excitement spiked down my back at the thought of pissing Jackson Caine off. Cillian led me to the dance floor, where quite a crowd had gathered to show some rather dubious moves to the band’s rendition of New York, New York. He pulled me to his chest with one arm, and held his other out for me to hold as we started to sway on the dance floor in amongst the sea of people.

  “You know, I’m still trying to figure out your very strange friendship. You’re complete polar opposites. It’s all just… weird.” I pulled back to look into Cillian’s playful green eyes.

  “Why is our friendship such a surprise to you?”

  I shrugged and bit my lip. “Because I doubt anyone would want to be friends with him out of choice.”

  Cillian laughed loudly and swung me around before he answered.

  “He might come across as an ogre to you, but he’s not. Not all the time, anyway.”

  “Are you kidding? He gives ogres a bad name.”

  Cillian stepped back and twirled me around before spinning me back to his chest. “He plays a good game,” he whispered into my ear. “But when push comes to shove, he’s always there for anyone who needs him. He’s helped me out in more ways than I care to remember. I owe him a lot.”

  I narrowed my gaze at Cillian to try and see if what he was saying was bullshit, but he was being sincere. Probably one of the few times he’d ever been sincere in his life, but he was. The veil soon dropped back down though, and the saucy Cillian was back in play before I could even blink.

  “Yeah, well, I’m jealous of people that don’t know him. It’s gonna be a long three months for me at Casa Hades.”

  My candid approach seemed to fire Cillian up.

  “Don’t worry, Tink. I’ll be around to make it more bearable for you.”

  I peered into his flirty eyes, fearing he’d taken my openness for something else completely.

  “No offence, but you aren’t my type and I’m no cheat.”

  He beamed back at me. “Ryley, you are beautiful, but you’re not my type either. You have way too much to say for yourself and I like my women more… compliant.”

  “Doormat more like?”

  “No. Submissive never equates to doormat.”

  He cocked his eyebrow at me, but I had no comeback. Nothing. Cillian was a Dom? Well, that was one way to shut me up. I suppose having five sisters made him crave control, and be hyper sensitive to a woman’s needs at the same time. I started to blush thinking about it.

  “Relax,” he whispered into my ear. “I’m not about to tie you up on the dance floor and start spanking you. Although, saying that out loud isn’t helping my resolve tonight.”

  I let my rigid shoulders sag slightly. So, he was a Dom. What did that matter to me? At the moment, he was the only friend I had that was in on this whole situation, and I had a feeling I’d need him for my survival.

  “So… do you both? I mean, are you both-”

  “No. He’s not into that scene.” Cillian nodded over to where Jackson stood leaning up against the bar, scowling at us. “I showed him what it was all about, but it was never his thing.”

  I was shocked. If either man appeared dominant, I’d have said it was Jackson. Maybe I did have a closed mind.

  “That’s shocked you, hasn’t it?”

  I nodded, but it hadn’t changed my opinion of the man himself. Jackson Caine was still a loathsome, sadistic loan shark and man-whore. I was swimming in the shark pool, and I had to keep my wits about me if I was going to survive.

  “Ryley Emerson? Is that you?”

  A tall guy, dressed as impeccably as the rest of the men here, stood to the side of us on the dance floor. His weasel features hadn’t changed since childhood though, and he still smelt of desperation and way too much cologne.

  “Mason? Mason Lovall? Wow, I haven’t seen you in years. How are you?”

  Cillian and I stopped moving, but he still held me to him as I acknowledge
d Mason, but prayed he’d go away as fast as he came.

  Mason Lovall was that guy in high school. The one most women tried to avoid in the corridors and at every party. Rumour had it he was the biggest sleaze out, who couldn’t take no for an answer. I’d been lucky, though. He was in the same year as my brother Travis, so I’d been way too young for him. I was just a kid back then. From the look of his smarmy face tonight, he hadn’t changed much. He looked me up and down and spent a little too long gazing at my chest, before he looked back up at my face.

  “I’m doing good, really good. Better for seeing you tonight though, Ryley. Can I cut in?”

  Cillian looked at me for a reaction. I could tell if I said no, or gave him any indication that I wasn’t okay with it, he would’ve shot Mason down. I nodded, but the short sigh I gave was enough to tell Cillian to stay close by. He could tell I wasn’t one hundred percent down with it.

  As Cillian stepped back and Mason stepped up to grab me around the waist, a waft of his cologne invaded my senses and I couldn’t stop myself from sneezing. I was able to cover my face with both hands and save my embarrassment. Cillian chuckled. He got it. I stifled a laugh myself as Mason frowned.

  “I hope you’re not coming down with a cold, Ryley. It is quite chilly in here with the air con, and that dress you’re wearing…well-”

  He stepped back to admire my dress, and the body filling it, no doubt. Goosebumps erupted over my skin. Not the good kind either. This man was bad news. I looked over Mason’s shoulder to where Cillian stood, and he raised his eyebrow in question. He wanted to know if I needed saving. I couldn’t brush Mason off yet though, that would have been too rude.

  “I’m fine. So, tell me, Mason, what have you been up to since high school? Travis only really stays in touch with a few of the guys from his year. I haven’t heard anything about you.”

  Mason took this as his red flag to bore me for the next five minutes, telling me all about his role in his father’s business. He filled me in on every minute of his life, including his last relationship and how long he’d been single for. All details I had zero interest in. Mind you, it was hard to concentrate when I was so mega conscious of the fact that his hands, splayed on my back, kept creeping further and further down towards my ass. Mason obviously hadn’t changed. He was still a sleazebag with the grabbiest hands in the city. I didn’t know how much longer I could wiggle out of his hold and keep it P.G thirteen. So I gave Cillian the wide-eyed look that said, ‘help, I can’t keep this octopus off me any longer.’

  “You’re making me feel jealous now,” Cillian said, as he stepped forward and took my hand from Mason’s shoulder, draping it over his own and reclaiming me.

  “Oh. I didn’t realise you were together.” Mason didn’t look in the least bit remorseful.

  “Yeah, like that’d stop you,” Cillian whispered as he manoeuvred me well away from Mason’s grasp.

  “Sorry?” Mason looked slightly pissed off. I think he’d heard.

  “I said-” Cillian’s face went bright red with anger, and I knew he was going to repeat himself word for word, so I stepped in.

  “It was lovely to see you, Mason. I’ll tell Travis you said hi.”

  Mason grimaced and walked off the dance floor, but his putrid aftershave took longer to disappear.

  “I’m not saying his cologne is overpowering,” Cillian said, gesturing to a piece of artwork sat on a windowsill, with two stuffed birds in a white gilded cage. “But those birds were alive before he walked in.”

  I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “Don’t knock it. At least it serves as a deterrent for all womankind. No woman in her right mind would want to stand too close to him for any length of time with that stench.”

  “She’d probably pass out. Although, from what I’ve heard about Mason Lovall, he’d quite like that. He’d use it to his advantage.” Cillian’s jovial mood altered slightly.

  “Do you know him?”

  “I know of him. Now, he’s a guy who gives assholes a bad name. Stay away from him, Ryley.”

  “I intend to,” I replied with conviction. “He’s gross. He seriously creeps me out.”

  “Me too.”

  Cillian’s easy manner and sense of fun was infectious. I enjoyed being around him, and it helped to take my mind off missing Justin. Before speaking to Cillian, I’d been carrying a lead weight around in my stomach. Fearing the worst about Justin and all that he was going through. However, being with Cillian made me feel lighter, less on edge. It wasn’t to last.

  “Twinkle toes, we need to get a drink before we both pass out.”

  He spun me round one last time before we both left the dance floor and turned to face the bar. I went to walk forward, but bumped into Cillian’s solid back as he stopped dead in his tracks and cursed under his breath.

  “Shit.”

  “What?” I peered around him as he winced.

  “I think I fucked up.” He looked down at me and grimaced. “Sorry.”

  I had no idea what he was on about until I looked back at the bar and saw Jackson Caine with some random blonde woman draped all over him. She was stroking his chest and rubbing herself up against him, and there was a lot of flesh on show to rub, believe me. She licked her ruby red lips as he whispered something into her ear and batted her huge eyelashes as she laughed. Without missing a beat, he turned straight towards us as we stood watching and gave me the most savage, evil smirk.

  I wasn’t jealous. I had no reason to be jealous. This was Jackson Caine, and this was what he did. But in front of my aunt and uncle, and other people here who thought we were together? That was what bothered me. He was disgusting and he was making me look like a weak-ass girlfriend by virtually making out with another woman under my nose. Why would he do something like that? Didn’t he realise that by ridiculing me this way, he was undoing all the good work he’d done tonight? People wouldn’t trust him, and they certainly wouldn’t support him if he treated his girlfriend like this. That girlfriend in question was me, and these people all knew me. They knew my family. They knew I wouldn’t put up with crap like this from anyone. There was only one thing I could do.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off the two of them, but when he ran his hands up her thigh and under her short skirt, I lost it.

  “Excuse me.”

  I pushed past Cillian. He tried to make a grab for me and call me back, but I was too fast.

  A passing waiter was carrying a tray of drinks, and I grabbed the biggest glass I could see. Without a second thought, I walked right over to where Jackson and his lady friend stood and I took a deep, fortifying breath.

  “You. Fucking. Asshole,” I snapped, and threw the drink in his face, part drowning the other woman as I did. I felt no remorse. In fact, it felt bloody great.

  A whoop went up behind me as I turned on my heels and stalked out of the room, and out of the building into the cool evening air.

  I smiled to myself, picturing Jackson’s face as the red wine splashed over him and stained his white tuxedo shirt. If the room were questioning the validity of our relationship before, they’d be in no doubt now. I’d never stand for cheating. Even if it’d been Justin all over that woman tonight, I’d have done the same thing. So I’d played my part of the dutiful girlfriend perfectly.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  I heard Jackson shouting, literally bellowing behind me like a mad man. But I wasn’t about to stop and have it out with him in the street. I jumped into a waiting cab and told the driver to put his foot down, leaving the angry ogre to his party and his new friend.

  Maybe I should’ve headed back to Justin’s apartment, but I didn’t. I think the wicked side of me was looking forward to throwing it down with Jackson when he eventually came home. I hadn’t expected him to charge through those doors minutes after me, though. His face was so red he looked like he might burst a blood vessel at any moment.

  He slammed the door shut with so much fury it felt like the apartment rattled, and
I flinched in surprise. His presence made trickles of fear run down my spine. I rubbed my chest to calm my nerves and took a deep breath before I looked him in the eyes. Boy, was he pissed, and he wasn’t afraid to show it either.

  “You are a fucking crazy woman. What the hell was that?” He stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, his muscles taut, and his eyes blazing with fire. He was a formidable force when he was angry like this, but I was fuming too, and I wouldn’t let him intimidate me.

  “I’m crazy? Me? I’m not the one that’s just fucked up their reputation tonight, and for what? To secure your next hook up?”

  He growled and pulled his hands out of his pockets then ran them through his hair, tugging in frustration.

  “I don’t even know where to start with you.” He held onto the back of his neck and shook his head. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I wasn’t looking for a hook-up. That’s not what I’m about.”

  Yeah, I wasn’t convinced about that. After all, he did take great pleasure in telling me he’d had hordes of women begging to get into his bed when I first met him. I doubted that’d changed in the week since he’d met me.

  Or maybe he’d lied.

  “And second, I wasn’t the one making a fool of myself on the dance floor,” he growled. “Looking like a flirt, a tease, and fucking up my business in the process.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help it. What was this guy on? Because it certainly wasn’t planet Earth. In what universe was it a crime to dance with your fake boyfriend’s best friend? To laugh at his jokes and be… well, friendly. I said that exact thing to him, and he frowned like I’d spoken a different language. Obviously, I had. I spoke rationally and he spoke crazy.

  “Where I come from, a woman doesn’t flaunt herself like that with her boyfriend’s friends. You looked more into him than me.”

  “Maybe that’s because I was! You didn’t exactly do anything to make me warm towards you. I’m sorry my acting was so shit, but guess what? I like Cillian. He makes me laugh, and yes, I wanted to dance with him. Being with him makes me feel good about myself and it took my mind off Justin. You? You’re about as warm and cuddly as a porcupine. Dancing with you would be like dragging a bag of cement around. My acting skills don’t stretch that far, I’m afraid.”