Page 43 of Burning Your Lies

Ray doesn’t wait for me, leaving the room in a hurry.

It’s just me standing in the room, wondering who the hell these dead men were and why Ray committed murder for a man he barely knows.

I jump when a hand touches my shoulder. I smile at Brynn. “Is everything okay?”

She strokes my face. “Yeah. I’m just getting a little tired. And it’s hard to breathe in this dress.”

The devil that haunts my dreams and lives in my fantasies appears behind her. “Are you leaving before sharing a dance with me, Mr Rivers?”

The temptress knows I can’t say no to her. I nod my head. “Of course not, Mrs Ray-Hayes.” I offer her my hand, but look at Brynn. “Five minutes?”

Her lips barely turn upwards. “Of course.”

With her hand in mine, I lead us to the dance floor. Like pieces that were made for one another, she fits perfectly against me. I inhale her intoxicating scent and welcome the memories of her in my arms. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

She looks up at me through her lashes. “How was your poker game?”

I ponder whether to tell her Ray killed a man in cold blood. I wonder whether that would make her run from him as she did from me. Ultimately, I decide to pocket that bombshell for another day. “Your husband won.”

Savannah glances at him as he drinks in solitude. I feel the tension in her muscles relax the longer she looks at him. And Ihatethat her undivided attention isn’t on me.

“I trust you were kind and welcoming to Brynn.”

She scoffs at me. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

My hand trails further down her back, stopping just above her ass. “Perhaps you’re jealous of her. I mean, I am taking her home to my bed tonight.”

Her gentle laugh feels exhilarating. “She looks undoubtedly beautiful tonight. Sexy, even. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Most certainly.”

“So, explain why you’ll be thinking of me when you undress her?” The smugness in her eyes should repulse me, but it turns me on. “She will never be me,” she whispers.

I press her harder against me. “What makes you so sure?”

She cups my face. “Because I know I’m the best you have ever had. There is no one else like me. It’s why you’re addicted to this dangerous game. It’s why you just can’t stop playing with fire.”

“You weave a wonderful tale, Miss Hayes,” I whisper into her ears.

“A tale it is not, Mr Rivers. Because I know something she doesn’t. I had something even your wife never got.”

“And that would be?”

“Thediamond. No woman has ever been worthy of wearing your mother around her neck.” She lets go of me and bows. “Sweet dreams.”

I watch as she sways her hips back to Ray. They exchange a few words before he holds her hand and escorts her out of here. Shewas just toying with me. She asked for that dance to get under my skin and it fucking worked.

My blood hums with vengeance. I am done playing her game. She is going to fold, whether or not she likes it. Asking Brynn to wait a few more minutes, I make my way back to the poker room, hoping to find Rowan.

“Back for another round?” he asks with a grin.

The entire room has been reset. The dead bodies are gone. The blood cleaned up. The poker chips back in perfect lines. The cards are stacked.

“That was fast.”

He winks. “Did you need something?”

“How much for your services?”

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