Page 9 of Raw Deal

“You okay?” he asked.

“Why did you bring me here?” she repeated her earlier question. “You told me we were going to meet with your friends, family members, and business colleagues so that you can get their respect back.”

Laughter rumbled deep in his chest. “I never lost their respect. They may feel sorry for me because of you, but they still respect me.”

“Then what was that all about back there at the hotel? I’m not imagining that entire conversation. You were upset that you may have lost respect over me leaving.”

He shrugged his wide shoulders beneath the expensive suit jacket. “I may have slightly exaggerated, but the result will be the same. You will stay my wife until I get what I want.”

She blinked. “And what do you want, Nik? Seriously? What is this really about?”

“Stay here for a second.”

He ran across the field to a bench with a box piled high with stuff. She was grateful to have a moment to herself. Her mind had started down a dangerous road, and she couldn’t allow it to happen again. She was wearing his ring, but they were not married. Not really. Nik wanted vengeance, wanted to hurt her for hurting him. That was all. She needed to remember that.

A little over six years ago, Estelle Andropolis insisted on throwing her son an engagement party with just two weeks to go to the wedding. At first, he had told his mother no, but Estelle was used to getting her way. She continued to push until he gave in. Everything went as Estelle planned, and Chloe lost the love of her life.

If he only knew the truth...

“Nik, you have to listen to me,” Chloe had begged. “She’s lying!”

“I want you to leave Vegas,” he said in an icy tone. His entire body shook with rage, and she knew he was barely able to control the violence wanting to burst free. Until now, she’d never been afraid of him. “Get out of Vegas. I never want to see you again.”

Then he was gone.

His mother smiled in triumph. “Do what he says, dear. Go home before he decides to make an example of you.”

Chapter Six

Nik raced off the field to get a football, but he walked back to Chloe, taking his time. She seemed deep in thought. He didn’t want to disturb her. Hopefully, she was thinking about him.

The sudden thought ignited his anger, and he started second-guessing himself on bringing her to the stadium. He had wanted to see her smile again after the meeting with her sister put her on edge. Perhaps forcing her to tell Kristina they were married barely an hour after he hit her with the news was a bad idea.

Maybe he had that backward. Maybe bringing her to the football field for some fun was the bad idea. What was he doing? He had married her and tricked her into signing over her business to make her pay for destroying his life.

Fresh fear wafted over him. She was already getting under his skin. Why should he care if she smiled or not? He was supposed to be making her miserable.

He hesitated halfway back and studied her without having the scrutiny returned. She hadn’t changed much. Her skin remained a flawless ivory that glowed in the sunlight, and her eyes were still the same incredible green, a color that shouldn’t even exist in the real world. She had the rarest of eye colors, a perfect emerald green with gold flecks. He remembered reading about it somewhere and thinking of her.

Straight blond hair fell an inch over her shoulders. She still kept it parted on the side. His fingers itched to bury themselves in that silky hair the way he used to when they made love. He absently twirled the football in his hands while staring at her like a little boy with his face pressed against the candy store window.

Although her dress from yesterday had been pretty, she looked incredible in jeans. He remembered the way she’d felt about her body in the past. More than once she had complained about looking like a tom-boy. He hadn’t understood that. Still didn’t.

To him, she was just curvy enough. She had a lean swimmer’s physique with a flat stomach, perfect breasts, and a sweet bottom. Nothing on her was too small or too big. She reminded him of the Goldilocks’ story. She was just right... for him.

He warned himself to stick to the plan. Revenge. But his groin tightened at the memory of her in his bed. In his arms. It wouldn’t take much at this point to push him over the edge. He wanted her in the worst way.

Anger welled up inside him. He suddenly wanted to throw the ball hard without warning, maybe hit her with it. Then he saw her cheeks were damp. She’d been crying. The realization threw him for a mental loop and made him feel awful for wanting to hurt her. If she was anyone else, he’d suspect her of manipulation, but Chloe didn’t cry in front of people. Actual tears or fake, she didn’t use them to get her way.

He knew for a fact Chloe only cried in the shower.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

She jumped upon seeing him approach and turned away for a moment. When she spun back around to face him, the tears were gone. “What is the football for?”

He knew she was changing the subject on purpose, but he decided to allow it. Her smile hadn’t returned yet. Easing her mind and helping her to focus on the task at hand would serve him well. That was all he wanted, he assured himself. He just wanted to help her play her part convincingly.

“Go long,” he said, while taking a step back and lifting the football over his shoulder.

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