Page 58 of Broken

I take her warm hand in mine. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elena.”

Nathan’s father sidles up to us, offers a brief greeting to Elena, then tells Nathan he needs him to meet someone.

Dipping his head, my husband dusts his lips over my ear. “I’ll be back soon. Be good, my little siren.”

I turn my attention back to Elena, who links her arm through mine and proceeds to give me the inside track on all the most notorious people in the room.

It’s been almostan hour since Nathan disappeared with his father, and while I’ve had a lovely and incredibly informative time with Elena, I’m missing my husband and wondering where the hell he went. Making my way through the crowd, I scan the sea of faces until I spot him standing near the bar, talking to a tall blond woman. She throws her head back and laughs,revealing a set of dazzling white teeth behind full red lips. Then she squeezes his arm and takes a step forward, pressing her perky boobs up against his chest.

“Um, hi,” I say when I reach them.

Nathan doesn’t miss a beat. Slipping his arm around my waist, he pulls me to his side, and the blond steps back. “Deandra, this is my wife, Melanie.”

She looks me up and down, her lip curled in the hint of a sneer. “I heard you got married. Such a shame.”

I snort and wait for Nathan to tell her to go to hell, but the arrogant jackass only smirks. I’m sure this is the type of woman he dated before me. Impossibly beautiful and inherently confident. “Pleasure to meet you too,Deirdre.Enjoy yourself withmy husband,” I say with a saccharine smile before I shrug out of his grip and walk away to find someone who actually wants to talk to me.

I’ve only taken a few steps when he grabs me by the wrist and discreetly pulls me to his side again, heeling me like a disobedient puppy.

“Get your hands off me,” I say through gritted teeth.

He ignores my demand and marches me out of the ballroom. As soon as we’re in the quiet hallway, he releases his grip on me. “What the hell was that about?”

I open and close my mouth. “Seriously? She was rubbing her tits against you and then said you getting married was a shame, and all you did was smirk at her.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “I didn’t smirk at her.”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Pretty sure you did.”

“Okay, I smirked, corazón, but not at her. Not like that. Deandra is very well-known in these circles.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She hits on every man she talks to. Provided they’re rich, of course.”

“She was rubbing herself against you.”

He shakes his head. “She stepped in for a hug, and I would have stepped back had you not arrived like my pint-sized protector to stake your claim.” His lips twitch again. “Which was hot as fuck, by the way.”

“I did not stake my claim.”

His eyes roam over my body like he’s not paying all that much attention to anything I say. “Seemed like you did.”

Damn, he’s infuriating! “You called me a whore.”

Now I have his full attention. He glares at me, his brow furrowing. Then he grabs my arm and drags me into an alcove, maneuvering me until we’re partially hidden by an antique suit of armor on display. “I did not call you a whore.”

“You said—”

“I said…” He hisses out a breath and yanks me closer until my body is pressed flush against his. “That I would fuck you like my perfect little whore. That’s an entirely different thing, Mel.”

I know it is, but I’m annoyed and on edge. I think about Deandra and the way she looked so good standing with him. “And have you fucked many whores?”

He rolls his neck and it cracks, making me wince. “If you’re asking if I’ve ever paid for sex, the answer is no.”

“Liar.” I scoff, and it seems to snap something in him. Before I can blink, he spins me around to face the wall and pins me there, my cheek pressed against the cool brick as the warmth of his chest covers my back.

He catches my earlobe between his teeth and tugs gently, a low growl rolling out of him. He pushes his body into mine, and I’m pressed flat to the wall with no room to move. “Don’t call me a liar.”

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