AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When he stood up straight and turned a cold, disinterested look in my direction, my heart leapt into my throat and stayed there. I nearly choked on it. The blood pounding in my ears drowned out the clapping hands around me.
He wasn’t supposed to be there. Lilly said he couldn’t make it. If I’d known, I would have never agreed to go. I knew I’d have to face him eventually, but I needed more time. I wasn’t prepared to see him that night. I bit my lower lip and resisted the urge to leave the crowd and slink out the back door.
But it was too late for that. He’d already seen me. I met Dante’s eyes across the room. Judging by the fierce frown on his face, he wasn’t happy about it. His eyes slid over me, slowly, from head to toe, but his expression never changed. When our eyes met again, he turned his head away. Like I didn’t even exist. Not a wave or a smile, or even a hint of welcome. The cold, impassive look in his eyes to knock me to my senses.
Damn him.
Five years ago, I left a life I loved because I needed to get away from Dante Calegari. Now, I was home to stay and I’d be damned if I was going to let him scare me again. He could give me the cold shoulder all night and it would suit me just fine. I wasn’t there to see him anyway.
I could do this. It’d been years. I could treat the past like what it was, old reminders of a different life. I’d show him that I’d moved on. Just like he’dorderedme to. Yep, I had followed his directions to the letter.
“Get on that fucking plane,” he’d growled in my ear the morning he and Lilly dropped me at the airport.
So, I did. I flew to England and forgot about him.
I turned to the bartender and exchanged the soda for another glass of wine. I was going to need more liquid courage so I could keep believing the lies I’d just told myself.
