Don’t Lie to Me
Page 24
“I’m the only thing you want and the only thing you’re going to have.”
I came, screaming louder than I had before when I’d thought nothing could ever be so much—this was more.
His movements became jerking. The muscled shoulders under my fingers rippled and tightened. His tongue filled my mouth again and again.
I’d thought anal would be the kinkiest thing we could do together, but as it seemed to be with Avner, he made the things I wouldn’t expect tender.
He could have me roughly, the force of his lethal strength right there in his hands on my skin—every ounce of it tethered. He controlled all of that, but what frightened me was when he lost himself, it was the softest thing.
“You’re my deepest fucking desire.”
His cock stiffened in me. There wasn’t room in me for that with my pussy still contracting, and my ass so full. He filled me with his heat. His weight crushed me. I could barely take in the breath required to kiss.
Yet, somehow found room.
Room for breathing, and kissing.
And room for him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Emma
If he thought retail therapy was going to solve this problem, well...he was only partially right.
“She’ll take these,” Avner said from where he knelt at my feet, my calf in his hand. He slid the shoe from my foot, and put mine back on. “Anything else you want?”
Taking me shopping for the day may have been a welcome concession to being locked inside—but the absurdity of needing to be grateful for my boyfriend letting me out of his house was not lost. I needed to get my ass home, and then—boy, he was going to get a lesson in boundaries.
The sales woman stood right next to us, waiting. But it wasn’t her I needed something from, although her presence just might help.
I glanced between her and Avner, and flashed him a smile. “Yeah, I need to borrow your phone, Angelina’s waiting for me to check in with her.”
“I’m afraid there’s no reception in here.” His attention didn’t flicker from me, nor did he miss a beat. It’d probably been crazy to think something as insignificant as a witness would sway him. He’d made excuses up, down and sideways to keep me from making calls the past two days. Failing that, he’d used distraction, and bugger-me, he had the biggest, most infuriatingly effective distraction on his person at all times.
I leaned down to him, and smiled wider, and held my palm out. “Let’s give it a try and see.”
His eyes flashed dangerously.
Oh, he knew exactly what I was doing.
“I believe my battery is flat.” Avner glanced at the sales woman. “That will be all, thank you.”
She walked off, and I glared at him. Oh, the impossible, ridiculous man. It’d become abundantly clear he had no intention of taking me home tomorrow. Arguing I had commitments in my career, in my friendship, fell on unreceptive ears. But with my prescription finished, there were more important reasons to get home, and I’d be damned if I had to explain them to him like this.
“How about buying me new underwear?”
His expression heated.
“What’s the point when you don’t wear any.” His whispered words sent arousal crashing between my legs.
Dirty girl.
My body was a hopeless addict for what he gave me. “Some things can be fun to take off.”
He grinned and helped me to my feet.
The attendant rang up the bill.
My plan had come together on the way over here, and since even prisoners get a phone call, that little fact gave me the nerve to go through with it.
We went to the lingerie shop we’d been to on our last trip. I took a black lace teddy that sent his eyes glittering into the changing rooms.
“Do you need assistance?” the attendant asked.
“Yes, please.” My hands shook with anticipation. The entire luxury changing area was off limits to men. I opened the curtain. Avner would be so mad when he worked out what I was up to. In fairness, it was his turn.
He’d played dirty first.
The attendant smiled. “What can I help you with?”
Thank god everyone in these high-end stores spoke English.
“You know my boyfriend waiting out there?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded. Of course she’d noticed him.
“He really likes buying me underwear.” I smiled, or tried to smile. “So why not just bring me absolutely anything you think might suit me.”
Her smile stretched wider. Jackpot. She must work on commission. I almost felt guilty.
“Of course.” She started toward the door back to the store.
“Ah—” I stepped out of the cubical. “May I please have the pass to the bathrooms?”
She took the security tag from her neck and handed it to me.
“Just leave anything you think I’d like in the change room, and I’ll try it on when I get back.”
She nodded.
I wasted no time letting myself out the back door in the change rooms into the hallway shared with other stores.
I’d been to the bathroom here last time. Avner had no idea. The back exit had been all I’d thought of since I’d tried to figure out how the hell I might evade his watchful eye. I found the exit to another part of the mall, took the elevator to the ground floor and crossed the road to the flashy hotel opposite.
I’d observed every surrounding building as we drove in. My best chance was to leave the mall. It’d buy me a little more time. But with no money, no phone, no ID, I wouldn’t get far before he caught up with me.
I didn’t need long. Only had to let Angelina know what was going on. No way would Haithem let Avner get away with this. He’d talk some sense into him, or Angelina would be firing up their private jet to come get me. I strolled in, and turned my smile on the concierge and asked him if there was somewhere private I might use a phone.
He only hesitated for an instant, then showed me to a small room off the lobby. I lowered myself off boneless legs into the plush armchair, picked up the receiver and dialed the international calling code, then Angelina’s cell phone number.
“Hello?”
I let out a shaking sigh at the sound of her voice. “Angelina.”
“Emma, are you okay? We haven’t been able to reach you.”
No surprise there.
“Not exactly,” I whispered. “There’s something I have to tell you.”
“What’s wrong?”
I swallowed. “I need your help.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“Avner—”
The line beeped. I glanced at the receiver, then hung up and dialed again. The call rang, then dropped out as though her phone had been disconnected.
What the hell?
I dialed Haithem.
“Hello?”
“Haithem—” The line went dead.
Holy shit.
I dropped the phone, and stood. There was no doubt in my mind my calls had been intercepted. He’d noticed me gone and figured it out. He really wouldn’t go this far to trap me, would he?
I backed up. But he’d known there were only two people I could call. The door opened. My entire system stopped.
How the fuck did he find my exact location so fast?
Avner locked his phone and thrust it into his pocket. I should’ve guessed he’d have an app for this.
His entire being shook with fury.
I backed up. “Honestly, I did warn you I wouldn’t take to being held.”
He stepped into the room, features shut down, unresponsive. I shuddered. Who was this fuming man in front of me?
I hardly recognized him by the look on his face.
Rohan trailed behind him. I glanced at him. Avner needed backup...
Did they plan to carry me out of here screaming?
“Bloody hell, you big brooding bastard, what did you expect me to do?”
The door thumped closed behind them.
He moved closer, his gaze burning holes through mine. “Trust me.”
His answer struck right between my ribs. My body filled with pain, as though I was deep, deep underwater—as though my veins couldn’t take the pressure.
“No.” I shook my head, anger burned out to nothing. “I gave you the opportunity to earn that, and you threw it away.”
I met his gaze. I’d meant every word I’d promised. If he’d only answered my question—given me just that little bit of himself—an inch, I’d have delivered myself giftwrapped into his mercy.
I’d have told him the whole truth.
But he’d chosen to keep this distance between us, and right now that space seemed insurmountable.
“You were trying to leave me.” That mask of indifference slipped, and his whole face contorted, baring his teeth.
I rushed in and put my hand on his chest. “Yes, but—”
“You’ve broken every promise you made to me.” His voice was a deadly thrum between us.
He took me by the wrist, and removed my hand.
I stared at his grip, mind tripping over and over the sight as though it couldn’t be real—that Avner would remove my touch from him.
No, no, no.
Trying to leave, but not trying to leave him. Just reset the conditions. Yes, he was attempting to protect me, but we couldn’t go on pretending the way he was going about it would work out okay.
“Is this how badly you long to leave me?”
No wonder he must hate me. Thinking I’d sneak away and dump him coldly like that.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to get in a breath.
“Which part are you sorry for?” He came closer. “For breaking your word?” His voice went knife sharp. “For deceiving me?”
My chest felt slashed open. Moisture gathered in my eyes.
“Or are you sorry, Emma, for only pretending to care?”
Those words, cruel but on point, extracted my deepest fears. That I didn’t know how to care. That I didn’t know how to love someone.
I cried. Maybe I didn’t know how to trust.
Maybe I rendered myself unlovable.
“It’s not like that.” I spoke through the clutch of tears in my throat.
“Well, you win.” He came so close his breath blew hot on my forehead. I couldn’t meet his gaze. “I’m not going to make you stay anymore.”
My body went ice cold. I looked up at him, but it was too late. He backed up, his gaze already gone from me.
“Rohan will take you to the jet.”
“Avner...” I stared at him. What happened to all that irrational persistence? I never thought he could just let me go. “Don’t do this.”
“He’ll take you home.” He backed up all the way to the door. “And he’ll stay with you until this threat to you is solved. That part is non-negotiable.”
“Please, let me explain—”
“I understand perfectly.” He rolled his shoulders, opened the door then left.
I stared after him. He’d handed me what I’d asked for. He’d let me go. But my wish crumbled to pieces, just like my heart.
Avner
The pain radiating from my fist to my shoulder wasn’t half as sharp as the agony in my chest.
“You should have it x-rayed.” Marcus secured the bandage. “This isn’t going to do much.”
“I thought I could make her forget about leaving.” I glanced at my fist. A bead of red already blossomed on the white bandage. My hand survived the altercation with the wall better than the basement had. Two fist-shaped holes now decorated the space next to the elevator.
“That was your first mistake.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I’ve never met a woman who took kindly to being made to do anything.”
He packed up the medical supplies.
I could’ve made her stay.
“Answer me and I’ll give you all my trust. I won’t question you again.”
If I’d answered her damn question this could’ve been different. I opened and closed my fingers, testing the sting.
But we lost any chance of that the moment I discovered Narek was the one watching her. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her—more.
“It was the right thing. You attended the gala together, there’s a chance Narek has already connected the two of you. We can only hope he hasn’t connected our other interests in him. Unless she were to remain here, it’s best you cut all appearance of ties with her for now.”
“I know.” I squeezed my fist and was rewarded with a more solid blast of pain. Perhaps I’d been furious when I’d caught her escaping me—and it was only that fury that provided the will to look her in her tear-filled eyes, and break her heart. “It’s time to charter a flight back to Melbourne.”
We’d finish this. I’d deal with Narek.
Then I’d ensure Emma understood how this was going to be.
The only reason she’d believed a word I’d said was because she didn’t understand me well enough yet. If I’d given her all my truths, she’d have known without a doubt that what I’d given her could never be retracted.
We’d never be done.
I don’t abandon people I love in anger or in anything else.
I was hers as much as she was mine.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Emma
I glanced at Angelina sitting across from me in the hospital waiting room, and smiled at her like I hadn’t arrived home on Friday sporting my very own first grown-up heartbreak.
She leaned forward. “You sure everything’s okay? You still haven’t explained what that phone call was all about.”
“It was just...” I waved a hand. There was no reason to upset her, or spoil the excitement of her first ultrasound with my problems. “I needed relationship advice, but that doesn’t matter now.”
Since he dumped me.
I glanced away, eyes madly burning. My chest clamped. I rubbed my sternum. Jesus. The stress might just do away with me. No wonder women in movies sobbed over tubs of ice-cream. Breakups sucked ass. I wasn’t at the crying-over-tubs-of-sugary-dairy stage just yet, except that had more to do with the fact I’d never developed a sweet tooth.
But there was a good chance someone might discover me in an artisan deli somewhere, bawling over a cheese platter if he didn’t return one of my texts soon.
“Fine, but we will talk about this later, okay?”
I smiled again. “Sure.”
Haithem leaned over and spoke in her ear. I fished in my handbag for the emergency prescription I’d luckily found in my bathroom when I arrived home, and sneaked an extra tablet.
Angelina stroked Haithem’s hand and whispered something back to him.
“Are you sure you want me in there?”
Angelina looked at me. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
I smiled, trying not to pay attention to Rohan hovering in the corner. He’d been a constant shadow since I stepped off the plane three days ago—following me everywhere.
I couldn’t even begrudge his presence. At least Avner didn’t hate me enough to leave me on my own. My throat tightened.
“Angelina Soltan,” the sonographer called.
I followed them into the ultrasound room, and sat in the chair out of the way. The sonographer asked Angelina questions while covering her abdomen in jell
y. Haithem stood right by her side watching the screen.
“There’s baby’s heartbeat.”
Angelina laughed. Haithem leaned closer to the screen, then turned his attention to his wife. His smile was blinding.
I swallowed, and had to look away.
“Hold on...” The sonographer hit a few keys, and tilted the probe.
“What’s wrong?” Angelina leaned up onto her elbows.
I stood, studying the screen and seeing what it was before anyone could say it.
“Baby two.” The sonographer smiled at Angelina. “Congratulations, you’re having twins.”
Twins. Holy shit. I looked at Angelina. Her mouth had fallen open. The look on her face was two parts joy and one part unmistakable devastation. She covered her mouth. Her eyes streamed. Twins like she’d been before her brother passed away.
Haithem bent down and whispered words I couldn’t catch. She nodded, but kept crying while the sonographer finished taking measurements.
I held my throat, my own eyes burning but dry. This was too private.
“Everything looks great, but you’ll have to see your doctor for the report.” She wiped Angelina’s belly with a paper towel.
“Could you tell what they are?” Haithem’s voice was low and husky.
Angelina grabbed his arm. “I don’t want to know.”
He looked at her. Her face crumpled again.
“Okay.” He wiped her cheek with his thumb.
“I’ll give you all a minute.” The sonographer left.
The emotion in the room pushed in on me.
I stumbled over to them. “Congratulations guys.”
I kissed them both, then left them to be alone. Rohan waited in the passage. I walked right past him to the elevator. He got in beside me. I breathed out slowly, and sniffled back my feelings. They deserved this. I was happy for them, I was. Angelina had been through so much, she deserved to be so happy, even if the look on her face had said she couldn’t bear to accept it just yet.
My phone vibrated with a message.
I tugged it out. Please be good news. We still hadn’t heard back from Dean. The number wasn’t my lawyer’s. It was Avner’s.