Page 66 of The Devil's Torment

Imogen pauses on the periphery to glance over her shoulder at me. She’s wearing this secretive little smile, similar to the one she wore when she surprised me with a hen party after telling me it was just the two of us.

What’s she planning now?

Turning back around, she bobs her head once, and the security guy on the left steps in front of the doors and opens them.

“Surprise!”

Grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat, Imogen grabs my hand and tugs me into the room. It’s packed with my friends, my parents, the entire De Vil family, as well as a few other people I vaguely recognize from my wedding.

Nicholas appears from the crowd, his arms outstretched, a grin as wide as the River Thames on his face.

“Happy birthday, Victoria.” He cups my face and kisses me, and a chorus of whoops and hollers fills the room. “You didn’t really think we’d forgotten, did you?”

“I-I… You…” I palm his shoulder, hard. “I’ve had a horrible day. Ididthink you’d forgotten, and I’ve beenmiserable.”

In a move unlike me, a raft of tears fills my eyes. If one of those bastards dares fall, I’m going to gouge out my eyes with a gambling chip. I blink once, twice, a third time, and they recede.

Horror snakes across Nicholas’s face. “Shit, God, I’m sorry. I just wanted it to be a surprise.”

“You didn’t even text me or call me. Not once.” I hate how needy I’m coming across. The last thing I want is for him to see through to my battered heart and realize my feelings for him run deeper than he thought they did.

He cups my face and kisses me again. “I am sorry.”

Eloise and Briony rush forward to hug me. “Babe, I told him you hate surprises, but it didn’t make a difference. He plowed on regardless.”

“We wanted to tell you,” Briony adds. “But your husband can be quite… persuasive.”

“Threats of a hot poker to the eyeball?” I sniff, and Nicholas laughs.

“Still got that terrible impression of me, huh?” He takes my hand. “Come on. Everyone wants to see you and wish you happy birthday.”

He coaxes me farther into the room, where I’m enveloped in hugs and kisses from people I truly thought had forgotten my birthday. Mum and Dad are the last to greet me, hanging back until I break into some clear air.

“Happy birthday, darling.” Mum presses a kiss to my cheek and a gift into my hand. “Open it later.”

“Twenty-four and married. Who’d have thought it?” Dad winks and kisses me too, and for a few precious moments, I feel like I matter to them. That I’m not second-best.

“Think you had a hand in that, Dad,” I say, sliding the gift box into my handbag.

“And look how it’s turned out.” He points his chin at where Nicholas is standing talking to Alexander and Imogen.

“I wasn’t keen on the whole surprise aspect,” Mum says. “But Nicholas insisted.”

Hmm. Bet he won’t make that mistake again.

Once everyone gathers into small groups, Nicholas reappears. He presses his forehead against mine, his arms sliding around my waist. “I’m sorry about not calling you. I wanted to. Truly, I did, but…” He lets out a heavy sigh, then lowers his voice so only I can hear. “You’re on my fucking mind all the time. The problem is, if I’d heard your voice, all I’d have wanted to do is come home and climb into bed with you and fuck you into multiple orgasms, and I couldn’t.” Leaning back, he stares deep into my eyes. “I didn’t think.”

Whoa… I wasn’t expecting that, but I’ll take it.

“No, you didn’t.”

“I promise I’ll never do anything like this again. And next time I’m away, I will call you no matter how much it makes me want to sack off work and race home.”

He’s saying all the right things, but after spending the entire day thinking no one gave a shit about me, I’m not about to let him off the hook that easily.

“You’d better.”

He flashes me those dimples, and my anger withers. “Am I forgiven?”

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