Page 35 of Deceitful Promises

“Oh.”

“I thought you wanted to go home.”

I stand up, walking through my open-plan prison and into the living room. “A lot has happened, okay? Am I just supposed to make decisions likethat?” I snap my fingers.

“Give her some space,” Mom says quietly.

“You don’t have to decide right away.”

“Is there anything else?” I say with my back turned.

Aiden sighs heavily. I want to turn around and see the intense look on his face so badly, but I purposefully keep myself aimed away. “No, speak tomorrow.”

He leaves with heavy footsteps. I only let myself turn back when I hear the door close. I realize my mother is watching me closely.

“He’s not a bad person,” she says.

“He kidnapped me.”

“Hmm.”

That makes me smile more than it should. Thehmmmakes me think of Aiden. Even though he just left, I already miss him.

“Anyway,” Mom says, waving a hand, “he’s right. You don’t have to decide anything right now. Sit down, Anna. Let’s keep talking.”

I return to the table, drinking more of my mother’s attention and how she looks at me as though I’m the only person who matters. I never realized how badly I needed that.

CHAPTER 15

AIDEN

It’s a mistake to use a heavy bag just for punching. I also use it to harden my elbows, knees, and headbutts. Martial artists make mistakes in fights. They fight within their rulesets. I’ve drilled the best way to bite an attacker, the best way to blind him, and dirty, ugly tactics that save lives if I’m separated from my weapon.

After another savage round, I turn to find Dad looking at me with an approving smile.

“What news?” I growl.

“None,” he replies. “You’ve been in there for hours. It’s almost time for dinner.”

Sweat covers the floor. My head is swimming. I didn’t realize how hard I was working out until the interruption. It’s only now I feel my body aching, the pulsing of exertion.

“Molly and Anna have been spending a lot of time together,” Dad says. “They’ve been talking for hours. Molly texted me, very excited, thanking me. Anna seems desperate for a mother, and we’ve given that to her.”

“Anything from the brothers, or are you here to gloat?”

“I can’t gloat. You were right. If I wasn’t so damn selfish and I’d told Molly the truth from the start, we could’ve avoided this mess.”

“Hmm.”

“Are you going to join us for dinner? This was supposed to be a good day. There’s no reason we should let them spoil it.”

“Sure,” I reply. “Why not?”

I keep my tone as civil as I can. Dad leaves without another word. I hammer one more round on the bag and then go to the guest room and use the en suite. As the hot water blasts down on me, I can’t stop thinking of Ania, her slim legs, her small hips, the pertness of her breasts, making me feel like an animal as I imagine sucking her nipples, making her moan in that sassy way, rubbing her until she’s soaking wet for me.

My hand threatens to stray down my body, but no. No, I can’t. Fuck. I want to hammer her so badly. I want to drive into her hot, tight body, watching her beautiful face shape into pleasure, her dark hair splayed across my bed, her ballerina body bouncing up and down, sliding, gliding.

“Quiet,” I growl under my breath. “Quiet, quiet.”

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