AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought maybe there was a reason to stay.”
I walked closer, crowding his space.
“Nah. You need to live your life for you, Zoe.”
The bastard still wasn’t looking at me.
“That’s exactly what I want to do. With you.”
Maddox slowly turned his head, narrowing his eyes. “What does that mean?”
God. Men could be so dense, as well as pigheaded. Exasperated, I did the only thing I could think of that would grab his attention. I rose onto my tippytoes, gripping his jacket with both hands and capturing his mouth. Almost instantly he stiffened but didn’t budge at first. Until I pushed my tongue past his lips, exploring his heated mouth.
He grabbed my arms, pushing me away forcefully, gasping for air as he threw a look toward the direction where Daddy had gone. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Kissing you. What does it look like?”
As he stretched his arms out, pushing me backward by another foot, I glared at him.
“You’re a child. This can’t happen,” he growled, his fingers digging into my skin.
I jerked away, humiliation creating a horrific wave of nausea. “I’m not a little girl any longer, Maddox. I’m eighteen. I’ve fully grown.”
He rolled his eyes, breaking the connection completely and taking another step away from me. “You need to get on that plane, Zoe. You have your entire life ahead of you. You’ll find someone better suited to your needs. I am not that man.”
With that, he’d turned away from me. I’d been crushed beyond belief, barely making it onto the jet before tears had begun to fall. Yeah, he’d made certain I’d known he didn’t want me. God. I was such a fool. It would be easier to hate him. That’swhat I needed to do. If he didn’t want to even acknowledge my significant accomplishment, then fuck him.
Stop it. You’re acting like a child.
I’d blame it on the wine I’d already consumed but that would be a lie.
I shored my shoulders, greeting the guests as I continued moving through the house, doing everything I could to shove the fucking asshole out of my mind.
“You look lovely, dear,” an older lady I didn’t know said as I passed.
“Doesn’t she now? She’s all grown up,” her companion added, although the tone sounded haughty to me. “A perfect image of her mother.”
“Thank you both for the compliment,” I said politely, although the bad girl inside of me wanted to be catty, clawing out their eyes. Great. Now I had murderous thoughts about unknown guests at my own party. I needed to grow up. Maybe I needed to sidle up to one of the good-looking guys that I’d passed. At least I’d been noticed by a couple of them.
“The apple of her father’s eye,” the first woman said, and I could swear they were sizing me up. I wasn’t certain why they were here other than it was apparent this was the party of the year. Or maybe I should say spectacle.
My father had certainly invited the most powerful and influential people in the city. The mayor. The chief of police. Well-known artists. There were even a couple of celebrities and musicians. I’d often wondered if they attended the events my father had thrown out of enjoyment or because they knew notaccepting the invitation wouldn’t be good for their health. I’d known most of my life people were terrified of every male within my family. I’d found it mostly amusing, although I’d heard enough stories to know how dangerous they were.
Especially Maddox. He was the Wiseguy of the organization, the one man you didn’t want to cross. Maybe I just had a thing for bad boys. It suddenly felt as if everyone was staring at me, something I’d always hated.
Without being asked, I moved to the music room, the lovely location overlooking the pool. I headed to one of the sets of glass doors, peering outside. There were twinkling lights in all the trees, the warm evening inviting, several of the guests enjoying the festive atmosphere outside. I’d never felt so lonely in my life or so out of place. It was strange to be home after almost five years. The fact my father hadn’t changed anything about my bedroom since I’d left for college was a stark reminder of just how much time had gone by.
I ran my hand over the smooth surface of my baby grand, tickling the ivories as I took a deep breath, placing my wine on top. A recital, huh? Well, at least Daddy hadn’t tried to coerce me into playing something he preferred. This had always been one of my few happy places, somewhere I could pretend I’d grown up in the perfect nuclear family. A mother and father, a baby brother or two. A normal life. That just hadn’t been in the cards. It never would be.
I was a mafia princess after all. My father could put a spin on the world I’d grown up in, but the standoffishness of everyone at my graduation party was just a stinky reminder that I’d always be inside a glass cage being studied as if I was a science experiment. Escaping to New York hadn’t done me much good. It hadn’t beenany different there. I’d come to realize that I’d never be able to lose the name or my family’s reputation.
“I missed you, old girl,” I whispered. And I had. My beloved piano had gotten me through times of depression and worry, loneliness, and my own heightened level of anxiety. Music had been the healing force, not having a mother taking a significant toll on me. More than I’d ever let my father know since his grieving had almost destroyed him. I was thankful every day that he’d met someone like Raven.
If only I had a strong force in my life.
There was no reason for me to be sad on this day. I’d just graduated from college with a double major, even if the combination was bizarre. I had my whole life ahead of me. Then why was I melancholy? I sat down, taking a few seconds to think about what I wanted to play. After placing my fingers on the keys, I closed my eyes.
Music was in my heart, buried in my soul. I didn’t need my eyesight to feel the music, to bask in the moment as I got lost in chords and adagios. As I began to play, the peace that always accompanied the moments I was able to steal for myself washed through me.
