by Alyson Hale
“I know I hurt you and your mother and sister,” Dad continues.
“Hurt” isn’t even the half of it.
“I broke our family beyond repair and made a mess of my life.” Dad clasps his hands in front of him and sighs. “I went about everything the wrong way when I came back, too. I never meant to hurt Kyri again by trying to bargain with Jace to get her to come with me. I just wanted to get my family back and didn’t know how to do it. I’m getting to the age where I’ve realized I’m not going to be around forever, and I don’t want to go through life alone anymore.” His deep brown eyes implore me not to cast him aside. “You were my little princess, Ely. I may have forgotten a lot of things, but I haven’t forgotten all the good times we had together.”
I drop my hands and keep my gaze fixed on them as I twist them in my lap. “I haven’t either.” Memories play through my head like a montage. I squeeze my hands together so hard they turn ghost-white. “But you fucked this up a long time ago when you did something I can’t forgive.”
The silence between us weighs a metric ton. He freezes in place, waiting for me to continue. I look him dead in the eyes, and a side of me I didn’t even know I had takes over.
“I remember the day you left.” A memory I never wanted to recall takes over my brain. “You were screaming at Mom, she was crying...I didn’t understand what you were saying at the time, but now I know: you were telling her she wasn’t as important to you as your career. You told her work was your number one priority, and she said you were a coward who couldn’t face the fact that you had a family.” Tears start pouring down my cheeks, and I have no power to stop them. “And then you tried to hit my mom. I saw it. She dodged, and you missed. Kyri grabbed me and stood in front of me so I couldn’t see anything else, but I heard you say you were sorry. You tried to make up for it, but it was too late. Mom said, ‘I won’t let you teach these girls it’s okay for a man to hit a woman.’ She packed your bags and you left.” I press my lips together to suppress the sobs. “I remember now. You’re not a man. You never were. You’re a monster.”
Before he can say anything else, I spring up from my chair and dash toward the front door of the restaurant. When I get outside, the limo isn’t there. I know Kyri said to call her and they’re waiting right here in town, but this is too humiliating. She was right, about all of it, and like a fool, I ignored her. She may not say it, but I know she’s going to be thinking “I told you so” all the way home.
Now I think I need that glass of wine, and I know just where to get it. As I hurry down the street, looking over my shoulder to make sure I’m not being followed, I call Lance. He’s also home for the holidays with his parents, and they always turn a blind eye to it when we sneak a glass of wine. When Lance’s syrupy voice sounds over the line, I start crying again.
“Hey honey. What’s wrong? Did it go that badly?”
“I’m coming over,” I sob. “Get out two glasses and a bottle of wine.”
◆◆◆
“Hold. The. Phone.” Lance’s brown eyes are impossibly big with shock. “Did you say you had sex with Eddie Turner?”
I scowl in his direction. We’re lying side-by-side on his bed with glasses of wine and saucers full of madeleines. If we didn’t have our hands full, I would punch him in the arm for being so thoughtless. “Yes, but you know that’s not what I came here to talk about.”
“I’m sorry, but if you keep talking now, everything after ‘I banged Eddie Turner’ is going to go in one ear and out the other. Now you owe me the rundown.” Lance leans toward me with his elbows on the pillow, flashing his bright, toothy grin in my direction. “What was it like? Was it rough? He looks like the kind of man who likes it rough.”
I growl at him. “Lance Demetrius Lowell, you are shameless.”
Lance sets his madeleines down and shoves my shoulder. “Come on, I need details! My bae finally got taken by the ‘real man’ she always wanted. This is a bigger deal than anything else in the world. This even tops global warming.” I give him a stern look. “Well okay, maybe not global warming, but everything else. I’ve known you since kindergarten and you’ve never been this reckless with the opposite sex.”
I chuckle. “Well, I guess reckless is the right word. I danced with him for less than an hour before I let him take me out to the limo.”
“So did he ask to see you again? What happened?”
I clear my throat. “Well, he asked me out on a date, but I told him it was a one-time thing and left.”
Lance’s eyebrows shoot sky-high. “You did what now?”
I chew on my lower lip and shake my head. “It wouldn’t work out. Eddie’s going on tour again in just a few short weeks. I don’t want to go through that, getting attached to him and having to say goodbye.”
Lance nods, disappointed. “I get that. Still, I’m jealous. My virginity story is nowhere near as glam.” Lance runs his finger around the rim of his wine glass and leans down to look into my eyes. “Are you okay?”
I sigh and drop my head into the pillow. “No. In fact, I’m worse off than I was before. I remembered what happened with my dad. I guess I had blocked it out, but when I saw him, it all came flooding back. Now everything I ever thought about him feels like a lie. And on top of that, I had to reject Eddie Turner.”
Lance rubs the back of my hand. “I’m sorry, honey. Sounds like you need a Supernatural marathon and a whole lotta wine.”
I turn my head to the side to look at him. “That was the plan.”
“I’ll turn the TV on,” Lance says with a nod.
Chapter 14
Eddie
I straighten my pin-striped blazer, feeling out of place among all the blue bloods in the sparkling ballroom. Everything is made of crystal, gold and mahogany. The tables are covered with crisp, white tablecloths and china. A pianist plays behind us on the stage, the tinkling sound adding sophistication and calm to the atmosphere.
We’re here because the four of us were invited to an exclusive private party with some actor I’ve never heard of and his circle of friends. They heard we were in town and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet us. This isn’t our usual gig, but we need the publicity for our tour to be a success, so we put on our formal—or formal-ish—attire and made an appearance at Cyril’s request. Now that he’s our band manager, things are changing, but they’re all good changes. I can endure a high-society get-together every now and then if it elevates our image.
I swill my champagne in my glass, too depressed to enjoy any sort of shenanigans my mates are trying to pull. Any time we get invited to some fancy-pants gathering, the four of us, especially Damien and Connor, love to create some sort of inappropriate mischief. One time in France, Damien threw his boxers up onto a chandelier and they caught on fire. That was quite the awkward confrontation with the firefighters, especially since they spoke broken English and didn’t understand it was an accident. Damien ended up spending a few hours in jail for arson until we got the funds allocated to bail him out. Another time, Connor ripped his trousers sliding down a railing. That was just funny; no harm done except to poor Connor’s ego.
Our outings are legendary no matter where we go, but tonight I’m finding myself unable to enjoy any of it. Not when the greatest girl in the world has told me she wants nothing to do with me. She won’t even talk to me to explain her reason why. I called and texted her multiple times after she left my loft. I even told her about tonight and invited her as my guest. I never heard from her, so I could only assume she wasn’t interested, gave up and came alone.
To add insult to injury, I’m the only member of the band that came without a date. Jace and Damien have their girls, and Connor has a girl on each arm. They’re all talking and laughing and sampling hors d'oeuvres without a care in the world.
Elyza must have one hell of a stubborn streak if she’s willing to pass up this party just to avoid me. Most women would chew off their right arm for the chance to sample this kind of luxury. I’ve been serve
d escargot, oysters on the half shell and baby shrimp risotto and the dinner hasn’t even started yet. She must not care about expensive dinners, fame or fortune. Why does that make me ache to have her even more?
I feel sick all over. This feeling is not going to go away until I see her face-to-face. She might not want me coming around, but my time is running out, and I’m not about to let her leave for college, a place where literally anything can happen, without knowing for a fact that she belongs to me.
I down my champagne in four long swallows, wipe the excess off my upper lip, and set the empty glass on a server’s tray as he walks by. I walk over to Jace and Kyri to let them know where I’m going. Kyri smiles and says she’ll tell her mum to expect me.
“And don’t let Elyza push you around,” Kyri says, wagging her finger at me. “She knows how to wrap people around her little finger. She goes back to school tomorrow, so this is your last chance. Don’t blow it.”
I smirk. Kyri doesn’t know me well enough yet to realize I’m an arsehole when it comes to taking back what belongs to me. Neither of us is leaving Atlanta until Elyza agrees to be mine.
◆◆◆
When I walk up to the Calloways’ house, the light in the garage is on and the door to the kitchen is wide open. I hear shuffling footsteps as I approach the open door. Ms. Calloway appears in the doorway holding an empty laundry basket. She looks up at me and smiles.
“Eddie Turner, what in the hell are you doing in my garage?”
I flash her my biggest charming grin. “Hi, Mrs. C., I came to see Elyza,” I tell her. “Is she here?”
Ms. Calloway’s gaze darkens until I almost feel afraid of her. “No, she isn’t. I haven’t heard from that girl since yesterday when she went into Atlanta to see her father. I don’t care how old she is, she’s getting an ass-whooping when she comes home for not calling me and telling me where she is. If I don’t hear from her soon, I’m filing a police report.”
My stomach turns somersaults. Elyza has been gone for twenty-four hours. Knowing that she went to see Rick before she fell off the radar does not comfort me one bit. “Do you mind if I stay here and wait for her?”
Ms. Calloway sighs in relief. “That would be wonderful, son. If I do have to call the police, I…” Her voice breaks. She swallows back a sob. “It would be good to have someone here with me.”
“Of course.” I follow her into the kitchen. She orders me to sit down at the table and eat a biscuit. After she disappears into the garage, I pop one of her sugar biscuits into my mouth and moan at the sweet, buttery flavor. I was just served the finest food the city has to offer, but I’d rather eat here any day. I guess this is what it must be like to go back to your mother’s house after a long time away. I’ve never had that. Cyril was never much of a cook, and when he did try it never turned out tasting like home, the way this does.
I’m about to polish off my third biscuit when I see headlights flash in the window. My heart pounds against the walls of my chest. Please, be Elyza…
I wait in the kitchen, not wanting to startle her, and listen to their voices reverberating against the walls of the garage.
“Where have you been?” Ms. Calloway asks.
“I stayed overnight with Lance,” Elyza replies.
Rage boils inside of me. She stayed with another man last night? I can’t believe it. Not even a week after losing her virginity to me, she went to bed with some other wanker. I must have meant nothing to her. Either that, or the more likely second option: I’ve been used.
Ms. Calloway chastises Elyza for a few moments, then Elyza speaks again.
“Sorry, I must have forgotten to call you. I thought Kyri would have told you.”
“Kyri never called. Please call me next time, okay? I worry about your safety, especially with you being in the city all alone.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Elyza says. Her mother walks back over toward the washer and dryer in the far side of the garage. Elyza’s footsteps move in my direction. She walks into the kitchen and gasps when she sees me.
I stand from the table to meet her. My throat is tight when I attempt to speak. “So…’Lance,’ eh?”
Elyza’s face turns red. “Eddie, what are you doing here?”
My voice is deep and commanding. I narrow my eyes in her direction, refusing to let her deflect off of me. “Just answer the question.”
Folding her arms over her chest, Elyza’s eyes spark with a challenge. “Yeah, I spent the night with my friend Lance last night.”
I ball my hands into fists at my sides. “So I got the brush-off from you so you could go and stay with some other man? I was just the impressive virginity story, is that it? You just wanted me to get it out of the way so he could have you without a hindrance?”
Elyza scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Even if that were true, would it matter?”
I narrow my eyes in her direction. “Yes, it would.” I move toward Elyza with my hands outstretched to take hold of her arms. She flinches away from my hands, her eyes wide with fear. I’m taken aback by her response to me. “Elyza, I’m not going to hurt you. No matter how pissed off I was, I would never lay a finger on you that way.”
Elyza peers into my eyes for what feels like an eternity. I can feel the frustration rolling off of her in waves. “What do you want from me?”
“I just want you to admit that what we shared a few nights ago wasn’t some worthless club fuck. It meant as much to you as it did to me. The only reason you would deny it is because you’re scared, and now you’re just running away.”
Her eyes glisten with tears. Her lower lip trembles as she takes in a deep breath. “Well, I guess that’s just how the Calloways do things,” she says. Her words end on a sob. I try to reach out to her, but she turns away so I can’t see her face.
I approach her slowly and lay my hands on her shoulders. She tenses immediately underneath my hands. Something’s wrong. She didn’t shy away from my touch like a frightened small animal before. If this Lance hurt her, I’m going to hunt him down and punch his face in. “Who hurt you?” I growl. “Who do I need to kill?”
Elyza’s sobs start in earnest. “My father.”
My inner angst goes dead silent. Ignoring my pain and anger over her sleeping with another man, I wrap my arms around her slight frame and pull her into my chest. Elyza turns and sobs into my crisp, white collared shirt, soaking it with her tears. I hold her until her sobs subside, kissing the top of her head and telling her it’s going to be all right, although I don’t know how. Kyri already told us what her father was like before he left them. If I had to guess, Elyza is just now realizing the truth.
“I’m sorry, darling,” I whisper, cradling her against me and wiping tears from her eyes.
“Eddie, what’s wrong with me?” She hiccups and leans her ear right over my heart. “No one ever wants to stay with me. I’m always everybody’s second choice.”
“That is not fucking true.” My words fall harshly in my emotional state, but I can’t contain them. “You are not everybody’s second choice. If you were, I wouldn’t be standing here like a desperate man begging you to be mine after having you for one night.”
Elyza pulls away to examine my face. Her hazel eyes study me intently, looking for signs of insincerity. I spot a hint of a smile pulling at her lips. I scoop her jaw into my palm and bear down into her lips with mine. If my words won’t convince her, maybe my kiss will.
Elyza’s lips start to move against mine. I groan into her lips, needing her sweet kisses more than air. She throws her arms around my neck and deepens the kiss, letting me lift her off the floor. She tangles her legs around my waist. I kiss her with abandon, wanting to make her feel adored and cherished and definitely my first choice.
Chapter 15
Elyza
I melt under Eddie’s touch, a bit embarrassed at how little it took to get me weak for him. All he had to do was tell me how much he wanted me and I lost all sense of resistance. I saw his calls and texts, but I was too muc
h of a coward to answer them. I wanted so badly to go with him tonight. Never in my wildest dreams did I picture him ditching an exclusive soirée just to come and ask me to be his again. How could a girl resist this kind of persistence from the man of her dreams? I was a goner the instant I laid eyes on him. I like to think of myself as a take-charge woman, but I’m still only human.
Eddie sucks my lower lip between his and teases it with his tongue. I twirl my tongue around his piercing, teasing him with a hint of what did to his cock after our first night together. His deep groan resonates into my mouth. I swallow the sound. I want everything he can give me before I have to leave. It’s going to be so hard to say goodbye, especially with the knowledge that he’s going on tour, where he’ll encounter thousands of beautiful women who want him in their beds as much as I do.
I still don’t know if I have it in me to trust him. If humans came with a trust mechanism, mine would be broken or maybe even nonexistent. But the idea of giving him up, letting the groupies and club whores have him when I could have him to myself; that’s unfathomable, especially when he treats me like I’m the only woman in the world who matters.
I reach down and rub his hardened length over top of his dress pants, enjoying the ease of access compared to his usual thick jeans. Eddie growls with need and bites down on my lower lip, creating a spark of pain that spikes my desire for him into oblivion. I take his hand and lead him down the hall to my bedroom. When we open the door, my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Well, look what we have here.” Eddie’s grin is merciless as he approaches the poster, which has been returned to its rightful place. I didn’t expect him to come back here after Christmas. I lock the door behind us and stand awkwardly as I wait for his full response. “I didn’t know you were a die-hard Bangers fan.”
