Page 55 of Dare To Live

“I’m going. I’m going.” He grins and walks away through the throng.

The smile drops from my lips, and I turn to study the pieces of artwork on display that are up for auction tonight. My mother mentioned a few well-known artists had donated paintings, and it sparked my interest.

I appraise each picture, moving slowly along them, until I stop in front of one that hooks my focus.

It’s of a naked blonde woman asleep on a gothic-looking four-poster bed, blood-red drapes hanging from the frame. The floor beneath it is a carpet of white ethereal flowers, and pale moonlight floods through the window. A monster with twisted horns is lurking in the shadows. His grotesque face is turned longingly toward the sleeping figure.

The name tag beneath the artwork reads ‘Stolen Moment’.

“Sorry, sweetheart, I ran into a friend on the way back from the restroom, and it took me a while to extricate myself.”

I don’t turn at my mother’s voice but continue staring at the female figure in the painting.

“Are you going to bid on anything tonight?”

“It’s for a good cause, so I might. What do you think of this one?” She gestures at the piece that has caught my attention.

My gaze moves over the detail woven into the story. “It’s very dark.”

“Do you like it?”

I reach for the padlock pendant around my neck only to remember I never put it back on after my trip to the cabin. It’s tucked away in a drawer back in my apartment at home. “It calls to me on a certain level. A channel for my inner darkness. I can see the melancholy. The yearning. It’s beautiful in its sadness.”

My mother laughs. “When did you become such an art critic?”

I shrug. “I like to go and see the pieces Ivan displays at his gallery in L.A.”

Our attention returns to the creation in front of us. “So, you’d buy this and put it on the wall in your apartment?”

“There’s something haunting about it. I like it.”

“Maybe in your bedroom facing the bed so you can look at it when you’re touching yourself late at night.”

I stiffen at the familiar silky male whisper right in my ear.

I spin around and find Eli right behind me. His appearance catches me off guard, freezing me in place. I take in the black suit hugging his muscled form, the black shirt, and matching tie. He’s shaved since I saw him last. His beard is now cut back to a stubbled, sharp jaw. Long hair brushed and tidy, he looks every inch the millionaire he is, and not the mountain man from a few weeks ago. There’s an air of sophistication about him now, edged with a hint of danger.

There’s no surprise in his expression as he looks at me, his dark lashes sweeping down as he studies the demure black dress and heels I’m wearing.

“Eli!” Elena’s face lights up with delight.

My eyes dart between him and my mother. “What are you doing here?”

Eli nods to the canvas I’ve just been studying. “I donated some artwork for the charity auction, and Gabe invited me to attend.”

Of course, it’s one of his.

I groan silently, hating myself for not realizing sooner. “I should have recognized your work.”

One side of his mouth tips up. “You should have recognized yourself.”

I’m left gaping while my mother threads her arm through his. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

Eli smiles down at her, but his sardonic gaze is locked on me. “I wanted to surprise you.”

Has he come to torment me more?

Chapter 32

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