I didn’t know what to do. I’d wanted this before, when I’d wondered if Gavin would be a better match for me than my arranged spouse. Without even consciously realizing it, I found my eyes fluttering closed.
As soon as our mouths touched, with the softest brush of dry lips, I knew that it wasn’t what I wanted anymore.
I pulled back gently, not wanting to make a scene, especially in the crowded restaurant.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I can’t. I’m married. You know that. We—we can’t do this.”
Even though I was trying to smile, he looked like I’d just doused him in cold water.
“I don’t care. This wasn’t the plan when I first…god damn it.” He stopped and shook his head. It seemed like he wanted to confess something, but he stopped struggling for words and switched gears. “I feel things for you, Tori. And if you feel things too, we can work this out.”
I wasn’t used to this: having two men that wanted me. I was completely out of my depth, but even though I didn’t want to hurt Gavin, I knew that I was committed to Stefan.
Looking into Gavin’s eyes again, I rested a hand on his arm.
This was all my fault. I’d flirted with him like crazy at the club that night, and then continued to encourage him in the text messages we’d exchanged while I’d been figuring out where things stood with Stefan. It hadn’t been intentional—I’d been genuinely confused about my feelings—but there was no excuse for the fact that I’d put my friend in the middle of my marriage, made him think that maybe we had a chance when we didn’t. At least, not anymore.
“The truth is…I do feel things,” I confessed. “For Stefan. I love my husband.”
It was the first time I had said those words out loud. I felt a rush of conflicting emotions. I felt scared and lonely, but also empowered. Confident. Because now I knew what I wanted.
And what I wanted wasn’t here.
I watched the hopeful light in Gavin’s eyes fade.
“I’m sorry,” I told him gently, giving his shoulder a final squeeze.
Carefully, I turned and slid off my stool and then made my way through the crowd of people eating and laughing around us. Now that I knew how I felt, I was desperate to leave. I shouldn’t be here, with Gavin. I should be at home, with my husband.
I should be telling him how I felt.
Stefan
Chapter 24
Ipaced the living room, waiting for Tori to come home. Even though I had promised I would tell her when she was being followed, at times like these I was glad I’d become good at keeping secrets. Especially from her.
Though I’d considered pulling Dmitri out now that my wife and I had grown closer, in the end I’d decided to keep the security detail on her. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Tori—I just didn’t trust other people with her.
It was too dangerous out there, especially now that she was part of my world. I felt better knowing she was being watched considering the people I associated with through my work, and that went double for the people who associated with my father. The business we were involved in wasn’t one synonymous with safety.
And then there was my father himself. He had shown what kind of man he was when he’d crossed a line with Tori the other night. I wasn’t going to take any chances now. I wasn’t going to let history repeat itself. Nobody was going to lay a hand on my wife.
Still, I felt a small twinge of guilt for not being completely forthright with Tori. I knew she would be upset if she found out. But ensuring her safety was well worth her anger.
It was almost eleven, but I told myself I didn’t need to worry. After all, she had texted earlier to let me know she would be home late, and I knew her favorite library on campus was open all night long. It was completely conceivable that she was still studying, or catching up with the school friends she hadn’t been seeing as much lately. On top of that, Dmitri had been keeping tabs on her all day and the last I’d heard, she was still with her study group.
Suddenly, my phone started vibrating with a barrage of incoming texts. As I scrolled through the photos downloading onto my screen, I felt a shock of adrenaline. Then dismay. And then outrage. The pictures Dmitri was sending were of Tori—and Gavin. They were at a crowded restaurant, but their bodies were so close they could have been fucking. Their heads were leaning close, their lips a breath apart. Tori’s eyes were closed, Gavin’s hand on her arm.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and I didn’t know what to think. I was completely caught off-guard. I had thought the two of us were finally getting somewhere. We had been communicating—and connecting—like never before. Not just in the bedroom, but out of it as well. And now here she was, cheating on me behind my back? With this smug asshole?
My hand curled into a fist seeing his face again. I knew it was inevitable that he’d make his way back into Tori’s life, considering they were good friends and classmates. But something about him was off, and it wasn’t just the way he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants around my wife, or the fact that he’d been with her at the club the night she’d been drugged. He was hiding something. I didn’t know what it was, or what he might be lying about, but there was something about him that I didn’t trust.
I texted Dmitri back, demanding more updates. His response was that Tori had gotten in a cab and was heading home. Without Gavin. Dmitri, being the professional he was, had then sent me a picture of Gavin standing on the street by himself looking dejected.
It did little to calm my fury.
I continued pacing around the condo, knowing she’d be home any minute, my anger growing stronger with each passing moment. By the time I heard her key turn in the lock, I was practically vibrating with fury. I stormed into the foyer, flipping the bright light on overhead.
