Page 53 of The Devil's Pawn

Spinning on her heel, she disappears into the crowds. Tobias screws up his face. “Like I said, bitter plum.” He sticks out his arm. “Shall we?”

I could not disagree more with his assessment, but as I see little point in arguing, I let him lead me onto the dance floor.

I think, though, that I may have found myself a friend.

Chapter Nineteen

ALEXANDER

If I could drag my wife away from this ball without causing a scene, I would. I can’t tear my gaze away from her. She’s stunning. Her elegance as Tobias sweeps her around the dance floor takes my breath away. And that dress. I’m driven mad with desire I can’t act upon. It’s as though my father knew something on an instinctual level when he chose her as my bride. She was born for the role.

It’s taken me far too long to accept that I want her.Need her.The child situation is a separate issue that I can fix, and I will, but I can’t stay away from her for much longer. The way her pupils blew wide when I had my hand around her throat has given me a punishing erection that makes my balls ache. If I don’t come inside her soon, I’m going to explode.

My icy demeanor and superior self-control are all I have. They’re the things that keep me on the right side of sanity unless I’m killing a mark. Then I let the madness burst free. But Imogen pushes me too close to the edge, and fucking her is all I can think of to keep the tenuous balance between reason and insanity.

My long-term plan remains the same: force her into asking me for a divorce before my father starts to question the lack of a pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy her in the meantime.

The dance ends, and Tobias leads her over to a group made up mainly of Consortium members. Thankfully, Donovan isn’t one of them, especially after what Imogen said about seeking him out. He’s one of the few who’s brave—or stupid—enough to flirt with her if she begins to flirt with him, and murdering the heir to the Sinner Dynasty with so many witnesses is the dumbest thing I could do.

She’s holding court, and even though I want to snap the spine of every man captivated by her, pride fills my chest. She belongs to me, and they’re hanging onto her every word, even the women.

“Alexander, what are you doing standing here all alone?”

I groan as Lady Suzannah Conlin, an ex of mine, approaches. She must have come as someone’s plus one, because there’s no way my father would have invited her now that I’m married to Imogen. None of my exes were on the guest list for that very reason, and out of all of them, Suzannah is the last one I’d choose to spend any time with. Our split was an acrimonious one, made worse by her threatening to kill herself when I broke things off. I don’t take kindly to threats, idle or otherwise, as she discovered.

“Who did you bribe to get past the front gates?” I drawl.

She rakes a blood-red finger over my crisp, white dress shirt. “I’ve been thinking about you. How’s married life? Ready for some extra-marital activities yet?” She gives this ridiculous tinkly laugh that grates on my few remaining nerves.

I grip her wrist and remove her hand. “No.”

She pouts. “Where is the mysterious Mrs. De Vil, anyway?”

“None of your business.” I step away, but Suzannah never did know how to take a hint.

She grabs my hand. “Alex, come on. Don’t be a bastard. I miss you.”

I hate the name Alex, and she knows it, but I don’t give her the satisfaction of rising to it. “Let go of my hand or you’ll get a front-row seat to how much of a bastard I can be.”

She instantly releases me. Before she can start jabbering on again, I walk away, and as I do, I catch Imogen staring at me, jealousy burning in her eyes. Even though she has nothing to be jealous of in relation to Suzannah, or anyone else, a thrill races up my spine.

Well, well, Little Pawn. Looks as though you want me as much as I want you.

You’ll have me. Soon.

I slide my phone from my pocket and send a text to my personal doctor instructing him to come to Oakleigh in the morning. I don’t care that it’s a Sunday. I’ve made the decision, and now I want this thing done.

Niall, a member of the estate security team, stands prominently by the exit, scanning the room. Not that we expect trouble at these events given the curated guest list, but Suzannah’s attendance is proof our process is fallible. I make my way through the crowd toward him, and he straightens as I approach, hands laced behind his back.

“I need you to escort someone from the premises.” I point to Suzannah, uncaring that she’s looking right at me. “Her. Make sure she doesn’t speak to anyone on her way out.”

“Of course, Mr. De Vil.”

She spits some kind of venomous tirade at me as she passes by, her elbow in Niall’s firm grip. I put out an arm to stop them.

“If you ever set foot on any De Vil property again, I will have you thrown in jail and ensure you rot there.”

A torrent of abuse pours out of her, but I’ve already walked away, and by the time I join a group of business associates, Suzannah is long gone.

---