Page 97 of King of Ruin

Then finding her deliberately hiding his identity...

It ignited something inside Xavier that reason could no longer suppress.

He hated the feeling. Hated how irrational it made him. Hated that the mere thought of another man occupying her attention was enough to make every muscle in his body tense.

Yet he couldn't stop it.

Jealousy coursed through him with a force that left his chest tight and his temper hanging by a thread.

Elise lowered her eyes for a moment before gently trying to free her arm from his grasp.

"Xavier..." she said softly, her voice as patient as ever. "You're misunderstanding."

She finally eased herself from his hold and smoothed the sleeve of her dress before offering him a small, reassuring smile.

"Let's go back to the party." She nodded toward the brightly lit deck where music and laughter still floated through the night. "It's getting late, and you've been away for quite a while. People will start looking for you."

With that, she turned to leave.

She had barely taken a step.

The last thread of Xavier's restraint finally gave way.

"If you have a lover," he said, his voice low enough to send a chill down her spine, "then leave me already."

Elise stared at him, her eyes widening.

His gaze never left hers as another bitter laugh escaped him, humorless and hollow. "Go live with him." The corner of his mouth lifted into a mocking smile that never reached his eyes. "From the way he was looking at you, he seemed more than happy to take you away."

"He's not my lover."

The words came out without a second's hesitation.

She looked at him as though she couldn't believe what she'd just heard, a deep frown settling between her brows. Hurt flashed across her face before irritation quickly followed.

"He's not my lover," she repeated, her voice firmer this time. "Why would you even think that?"

Xavier held her gaze, searching every inch of her face for the slightest crack in her composure. He wanted to believe her. God, he wanted to. But every instinct inside him rebelled against it. The secrecy. The evasive answers. The way she refused to say the man's name. None of it made sense.

"If he's not your lover..." His voice trailed off as he took another step closer, leaving almost no space between them. "Then tell me who he is."

She lowered her eyes for a fleeting moment before looking back at him.

"I've already told you." Her voice softened, carrying the same patience she always seemed to have with him. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

The words left him before he could stop them.

His jaw tightened.

"When the time is right, I'll tell you. But right now..." She offered him a pleading smile that only seemed to fuel his frustration. "He's no one important. Please don't force me like this."

She tried to walk past him.

Xavier moved before she had taken a second step.

He caught her by the wrist once more and stepped directly into her path, forcing her to stop. She tried to move around him, but he shifted with her, refusing to let her pass. When she turned the other way, he blocked that path just as easily.