Page 166 of The Keeper

His too-wide mouth curled in a smirk. “Victoria.”

All my bad ass talk about ripping him a new one and scratching his eyes out remained just that. Talk.

I studied him. Really memorizing his features, his body, his size. I imagine he would have been seventeen or eighteen the summer we went to the bonfire. I wondered if he was this big then.

Broad shoulders, big hands, muscular build. Rotten images of his hands around my sister’s neck when he pushed her into the wall consumed me, rendering me breathless.

“You’re a beautiful woman,” he growled.

“Fuck you,” I spat.

He tsked, leaning forward. “I should gag that spicy mouth of yours right now. I didn’t get to do all the really kinky stuff with Charlotte.”

I doubled over from the searing pain in my stomach.

No. No. No. No.

He knew. She thought she’d fooled him but he knew.

Oh, Charlie. It was all for nothing.

He’s dangerous.

I clapped my hand over my mouth to muffle the wailing sob threatening to burst from me.

“Oh, come now, Victoria,” Jordan patronized, standing up. “I indulged in your sister’s sweetness. Did she tell you how eager she was for it? Especially when she told me she was you? I knew she wasn’t. But I didn’t want to ruin her fantasy. The fantasy of being someone else, acting like someone else. It turned her on. I barely had to do any work to get her ready—”

“Shut up,” I shouted. “You took advantage of her. You threatened her. You forced her—”

“I forced nothing,” he countered.

“You took my sister from me.” My whole body shook. “You took her innocence. You took her like you take everything else.”

“Did Xavier tell you that? Did he make it sound like all I do is take things away from people? Did he tell you how he punched me and nearly broke my jaw because his girlfriend wanted to fuck me? Because she made the advances?”

“You’re lying.”

He scoffed. “Did he tell you how she hated it when he’d be rough with her? The fucking prick didn’t know how to control his urges, no matter how much Bennet tried to teach him.” His brown eyes flicked over me, pausing briefly at the ring hanging from my necklace. “Did he tell you he stole my fiancée from me?”

I staggered backward, giving myself breathing room. Jordan’s imposing frame filled my sight. The things he said. I didn’t believe one word. I couldn’t. None of it made any sense.

“Xavier Maddox has a reputation for a reason,” he glowered. “He loves the attention. Loves the footballer way with women. He’s discreet, I’ll give him that. You won’t find many kiss and tell articles about him. But he’s not what you think.”

“You’re lying,” I repeated, my voice shaky and weak.

“Am I? You should ask him.” A wicked smile pulled at his lips. “Oh, right. Xavier is being noble and righteous these days. He thinks he’s protecting you by distancing himself. Classic move.”

The insistent blaring of a car horn sledgehammered its way through this abhorrent conversation.

When Jordan put his hand on my shoulder I shrank away from him.

“And just so you know, I’ve forgiven you for not selling me Briarcliff Cottage. I was really annoyed with you there for a bit but I think this will work to my advantage anyway.”

My mouth dropped open in shock. He grinned.

“Be careful, Victoria. You never know who’s watching.”

“Hey.” I heard Hannah’s loud, concerned voice. “There you are. I’ve been driving all over the goddam city looking for you.” She approached us, holding her phone up like she’d been talking to someone. “Everything okay here?”

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