His delightful laugh perks my ears and takes my attention to his mouth. His delicious mouth, which I wouldn’t mind taking another taste of if he would just let me.
“I care nothing about the paper either. I do care about making a promise to Our Creator, though. I’m afraid I won’t be able to complete the act until we have. I love and respect you way too much.”
My mouth moves before my mind does. “How long until we can marry?”
His eyes sparkle. “Does that mean yes?”
“How long?” I look him squarely in the eyes.
“As soon as possible,” he answers.
I look into his eyes, making sure he’s serious. “I’ll be eighteen in a little over a week. We can go to Las Vegas and get it done.”
A frown covers his very gorgeous face and I don’t like it. I want to see that face only with happy expressions.
“I want a priest to do it, Alyssa. I have to insist. It’s not about the paper, which we will have too. It’s about a priest and a ceremony and our families witnessing it. It can still be on your eighteenth birthday. Please understand. I’ll talk more with you about it as we stay together throughout our engagement.”
Our engagement! That ring is gorgeous and so is he. Inside and out, he is, and he makes me feel like no one else could ever do.
“Yes! I will marry you, Eden.”
I can’t believe it!
His hands shake as he takes the ring from the box. I hold out my left hand and then I see it. The little heart-shaped diamond ring Kyle gave me.
Eden sees it too and frowns. “You’ll need to take that off, Alyssa.”
What am I doing? This will kill Kyle.
I search Eden’s eyes and find the spark I always feel with him. With a heaviness in my heart, I pull Kyle’s ring from my finger and place it on a finger on my right hand.
Eden smiles as he places his ring on my finger, which fits perfectly. That’s crazy, but no more crazy than what I’m doing now.
“Eden, my parents are going to freak out.”
Rising, he pulls me up with him and hugs me tightly. So tightly, I can feel his body trembling. Surprisingly, mine isn’t. Maybe I’m in shock or something. Maybe I died a little while ago and this is heaven. It seems a lot like heaven.
“You have made me very happy, Alyssa, my princess,” Eden tells me as he gently sways our bodies back and forth.
I hold my hand out as he hugs me, looking at the giant diamond he gave me, and it hits me like a brick wall.
I have to break up with Kyle.
CHAPTER 20
KYLE
Alyssa asked me to come over, but she still isn’t answering her phone or the messages I’ve left so many of in the last few days. As I pull into her driveway, I see that the damn jag is gone.
It’s late—nearly four in the morning. That girlfriend-stealing jackass must’ve left. She should be in her bedroom fast asleep, as should the rest of her family.
I back out of the drive and park along the side of the road, keeping my truck hidden from their view, should anyone wake up for some reason. Closing the truck door as quietly as I can, I walk up the steep driveway. They have a key hidden in a fake rock near the front door. I find it and let myself inside.
Not even one light is on downstairs, so I move through the living room and up the stairs with no problem. I reach her bedroom door and try the handle. It’s unlocked and I enter, closing the door behind me.
It’s too dark to be able to see if she’s in her bed. As I get to the side of the bed and press my hands to where her head should be, I find an empty pillow.
“Where the hell is she?” I accidentally murmur out loud.
The guest room is one door over. I assume that’s where the prick has been sleeping. His car’s gone, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gone.
God help me if they’re in there together! I have to see, though.
Moving out of her bedroom, I make my way along the wall to the door next to hers. I try the doorknob and find it locked.
“Shit!”
Crap, I said that out loud!
Why would the door be locked? I pull my wallet out and take out my bank card, snaking it between the door frame and the lock and gaining access to the bedroom. Again, I find it pitch black. I listen for the sound of breathing, but I hear nothing. I find the bed and feel around. No one is there either.
While thankful for not finding the love of my life in that prick’s bed, I’m still afraid of where I will find her.
I use the flashlight on my phone to see if the jerk’s things are still here. I hope he’s gone and this craziness will stop. I look around and find a leather bag sitting on a chair. It looks empty.
I open the closet and find his clothes, all very expensive. I have to fight the urge to take them out and toss them out the window. Ally would kill me, though, so I keep my temper in check.
Maybe she and this guy went for a drive. How very romantic.
I want to kill him!
I move out of the room and go back into Ally’s. I’ll wait for her to return home. Surely she’ll be back soon. Then she and I can talk.
At the very least, it will give me the closure I need if she’s breaking up with me. I just have to know. She owes me that much.
I sit on her bed and hold her pillow. It smells like her. Her hair always smells like lavender with a hint of vanilla. I miss her like I never knew was possible.
How is it she doesn’t miss me?
We made plans. How could she not speak to me when we’ll be leaving together in just over a week from now? Why would she do this to me?
She and I never fight. We get along better than any other couple I know. I know she cares for me and she knows I care for her.
The only downfall is how her parents act about her having a relationship. They seem fine with what’s going on with their friends’ son, though.
Why is he so well accepted by them?
He’s obviously from a wealthy home. Mr. and Mrs. Devlin never seemed to be the type of people who could be bought. Who knows, though?
I can’t say I really know them well enough to make that judgement. They’ve kept me at arm’s length. Scotty might be able to help me get to Ally.
He’s always been in my back pocket. The kid looks up to me. But he might be looking up to the rich guy now.
And what the hell with how strong that jackass is?
I mean, he stopped my punch like it was easy to do. Then he held me against my truck and I was powerless to move. I have no idea how he did that.
A light comes to life outside. Something moved near the motion detector, making it light up. She may be back.
I look out the window in time to see a giant black shadow fly by the window. I step back. I couldn’t have seen what I thought.
A loud clap of thunder makes me jump, as it sounds like it was just outside. The sheer curtains on her windows allow me to see one huge black thing move in front of the second-story window, followed by another.
A horrendous shriek fills the air, making the window panes rattle. I cover my ears as another shriek rings out. Then the bedroom light comes on and I’m thrown down on the bed, hands held behind my back.
“What the hell are you doing in my daughter’s bedroom?” Mr. Devlin shouts at me.
“Sir, it’s not what it looks like. I just need to talk to her, sir, please.”
A knee is in my back, holding me down. “I’ll call the police,” Mrs. Devlin says.
What? No!
“Please, don’t do that. I’ll leave. I can see now this was a bad idea. I’m sorry.”
Mr. Devlin ties my hands behind my back with something I assume is a shoe string. “No such luck, boy. The police will deal with you. I’ll prosecute you to the fullest. For all I know you’re here to rape and possibly kidnap my daughter.”
This man cannot be serious!
“Mr. Devlin, you know better than that. I would never hurt your daughter. Please, sir, let me up and I’ll leave.�
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He doesn’t answer me. My heart is about to explode. How can he think this is okay?
“Ally will be furious, Mr. Devlin. Please let me up,” I say, trying to get him to think about his daughter’s anger.
At least, I hope she gets mad at him. Crap, for all I know she might not be mad at him at all. She might be furious with me. She’d be right too. I should never have done this.
The sound of sirens makes me flinch. They really called them. I can’t believe this is happening.
“We’ll take him from here, Mr. Devlin.” I hear a male officer say.
I’m jerked up as cold steel cuffs are slapped around my wrists. The shoestring is cut off and my body is pushed up against the wall. Another officer enters the room and begins reading me my rights as the officer who holds me to the wall searches me all over.
My face burns with embarrassment. I have fucked up. My scholarships will be revoked and my future is no more, all because I snuck into my girlfriend’s house.
I overhear the officer who read my rights talking to the Devlins. “What was he doing in here?”
Mr. Devlin answers, “I think he may have had plans to kidnap her.”
What?
“No!” I yell.
The officer pushes me up against the wall so hard my lip must have busted. It throbs like hell. “Keep your mouth shut!” he yells.
I turn my head to look back at the officer. “I wasn’t going to do anything to her. I only wanted to talk, that’s all,” I say, though now I sound odd because of my busted lip.
In return, I’m smacked back up against the wall again and now my cheek stings. “I said to keep your mouth shut!”
I guess I should not say anything else. My face can’t take any more, and I remember hearing something about not talking to the police until you have a lawyer.
I’m shoved away from the wall and into the hallway. Mrs. Devlin hangs her head, refusing to look at me. Mr. Devlin glares at me, making me feel terrible for breaking into his home.
“I’m sorry,” I say, only to be pushed to move quickly down the stairs.
Both officers have me, one on each side as Ally’s father opens the front door. A light blinds me as the jackass’ car pulls into the drive. The passenger door flies open and Ally runs towards us.
She looks like a goddess in a white, flowing dress, her hair in curls which fly behind her as she runs the fastest I’ve ever seen.
“No!” she screams.
The officers pull me back and stand in front of me as my Ally thumps one of them on his chest. “Let him go! Let him go right now!” she shouts.
I’ve never seen her so mad. Her relentless poking of the cop in the chest pauses as he grabs her wrist, and then the jackass intervenes. “Release her now. And tell us what’s going on,” his royal assholeness says as he moves in behind my Ally, placing a protective arm around her waist.
The cop releases her hand and my Ally’s new protector takes it in his and looks at it.
“I’m okay,” she tells him as they exchange glances.
Mr. Devlin speaks up from behind us. “Take him away officers. I’ll deal with her.”
Ally looks up at the jerk holding her. “Eden, please make them let him go. I won’t allow this to happen.”
The guy looks at Mr. Devlin. “I want him released.”
“Don’t you want to know what we caught him doing?” Mr. Devlin asks.
The guy looks at Ally.
“No,” she says. “I know he’d never do anything so bad it should come to this. I have faith in him and I want him released and any charges my father has made dropped.”
The guy looks at her for a second. “As you wish, princess.” He turns his eyes to her father. “Drop the charges.”
And I’m in the twilight zone, because this whole thing just can’t be happening. As one of the officers unlocks my handcuffs, I watch the guy holding my girlfriend lift her left hand and bring it to his lips.
My heart stops beating as the porch light hits the large rock on her finger, making it glow like a torch, killing me.
“Ally,” I say, but all the words I know are lost and my mind is beyond numb.
Ally looks at the guy who has his mouth on her hand. “I need to talk to him, Eden.”
He nods and lets her go. I stand still as a statue as she comes to me, taking my hand, and leading me back into the house.
Her father sighs as we walk past him and says, “This is a bad idea, Ally. This should be dealt with tomorrow.”
Ally spins around and her anger is obvious. “You have stopped me from talking to him since the accident. It’s driven him to do things he’d never have done. I will talk to him tonight.” She turns back to glare at the officers. “As for the two of you, count yourselves lucky that I didn’t go ape-shit on you for what you did to his face. I’m sure it was uncalled for and we will be speaking to your captain about it.”
Wow! She is not the same girl I remember. What has happened to her?
Leading me to the dining room, she closes the door behind us and I can’t help but to hug her tight to me. “Thank you, Ally.”
Holding her feels so right. Her hair falls against my face and the silkiness sends chills down my spine. A gentle push from her tells me this is over. I let her go and it’s killing me.
“Kyle, we have to talk.”
I put my forehead on hers. “I saw it, Al. I saw the ring.”
Tears fall off her cheeks, hitting the hard wood floor between us. Mine soon join hers as we stand, foreheads together, holding hands in silence.
“This wasn’t planned. I don’t expect you to understand, because it’s something I don’t understand myself. I do love you, Kyle.” Sobs rack her body as she falls apart, taking me with her.
My arms wrap around her and she wraps hers around me. We cry for all that’s lost, all which will never be.
My heart hurts in a way I never imagined. A permanent pain that only time will heal, but I know it will always ache a little for what I’ve lost.
“Do you really love him, Al?”
She nods her head, I suppose she’s still unable to talk as she still shakes against me as she cries. Somehow that knowledge makes this easier.
“It took you eight years before you could tell me you loved me. You’ve only known him for a few days and you already know. That must mean something. Did he tell you he loves you too?”
She nods against my chest again and her body shudders as she sobs again. I have to relieve her of the guilt I can tell is tormenting her.
I kiss the top of her head, and as hard as it is, I set her free. “It was never meant to be, Ally. I’ll have love in my heart for you forever, but you have to go on the path your life is supposed to take. My path is not the one for you. I’ll be okay. I’ll miss you, but I’ll make a life for myself. Don’t worry about me.”
“Oh, Kyle.” Her embrace tightens as she lets loose another round of tears.
Mine have dried up with the realization that my hanging on to her is hurting her. Somehow, being strong for her helps me to take this in a better way.
I want to dry her tears, so I sit down on one of the dining room chairs and hold her on my lap. Luckily, the table is pre-set. I take a linen napkin and dab at her streaming eyes.
Her eyeliner, which had looked so pretty, now runs down her reddened cheeks. At least I can see that she really did love me, because no one would cry these many tears over someone they merely liked a lot.
“Oh my goodness, Al. You would not believe how much makeup has run off those pretty eyes. A river of black runs down your cheeks. Let me clean you up.”
I dab and wipe as she looks sadly at me. “I’m really sorry,” she says as her voice catches in her throat. She’s trying very hard to stop crying.
I smile at her. “Don’t be sorry, sweetie. It’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault. How much makeup did you put on? This stuff is everywhere. I don’t remember you wearing so much, but you had enough of this goop on to cover th
ree girl’s faces,” I tell her with a chuckle.
She hits at my chest. “Don’t tease me, Kyle.”
I tweak her little nose. “Who’s teasing? There’s a lot of run-off and it’s threatening your pretty little white dress,” I say as I wipe some more black trails from her neck and a little ways down her chest. “Wow, Al, this is the lowest cut thing I’ve ever seen you wear. And, baby, you are wearing the hell out of it. I almost passed out when I saw your gorgeous self jump out of that car.”
Her tears have stopped and her eyes twinkle a little. She grabs another napkin and holds it over her cleavage, which is exceptional. “You rogue. I’ll wipe this area.”
I laugh and she giggles, making me feel better. Although I’m a long way from being okay with this, I won’t hurt her by dragging it out. I’ll suffer in silence and wait for the pain to pass.
God, I hope it passes.
CHAPTER 21
EDEN
“I’m sorry she’s putting you through this, Eden,” Alyssa’s father tells me.
My eyes follow my mate as she leads her soon to be ex-boyfriend out of the living room. “Don’t be. She’s going to break up with him. I can be patient while she does that.”
Her mother, Toni, laughs. “You sure about that?”
I turn to look at her and smile, then I look at David. “I asked her to marry me and she said yes.”
Toni’s jaw drops and David comes to shake my hand. “You pulled it off. I wasn’t sure you could in time for the change. I couldn’t be happier. This will go so much easier for her now. I’m so sorry about making this harder than it had to be. I can’t apologize enough,” her father says as he pumps my hand up and down and pats my back.
“Let him go, David. I want to give him a hug,” Toni says. He moves back and she grabs me up. “I’m so happy, Eden.”
I allow her to hug me until she’s content, then I pull away from her and sit down. “Now we need to figure out when we should tell her who and what she really is. I have what I wanted—her to agree to marry me on her own. Now she has to be told and I could use your advice on that,”
His Sweet Torment: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 115
