Page 61 of Vow to Hate You

“There you go,” he coaxed, his pace not wavering as I hovered right at the edge. “Come for your husband, baby.”

The loud music swallowed my hoarse cry when my climax hit. It didn’t slam into me like usual, but came in exquisite slow waves, and I soaked up all of it. He kept stroking me, prolonging this soft orgasm. While it was so different, it didn’t make it any less satisfying. My ab muscles clenched tightly as I rode out the blissful pleasure.

I finally sagged against him, and he pulled his finger from me before tugging my dress back down as well as he could while I was still sitting on top of him.

“You are fucking with my head,” he grumbled in my ear, sounding pissed off and turned on at the same time. “You sneak into my club, and I reward you. I’m going to have to work on my self-control when it comes to you.”

I scoffed. His self-control seemed pretty intact since he didn’t drag me to his office and fuck me like I wanted him to. I didn’t mention that as he lifted me off his lap, setting me on the cushion next to him. My panties were soaked, and I readjusted my dress as he stood up.

“I have to finish a couple things up, then I’ll drive you home. Watch the rest of the show, and I’ll get you when it’s over.”

I frowned at his sudden grumpiness. “I don’t need a ride.”

He ignored me. “I’ll be back in twenty minutes.” He leaned down, catching my jaw in his hold. “Why did you come here tonight?”

I grinned deviously, even if he couldn’t see me in the dark. “Do I need a reason?”

“Careful, Talie,” he warned tightly. “Play all the pranks you want but leave my club out of it. I built this place from nothing. I won’t let you ruin it for me.”

Dropping his hand from my face, he strode away before I could answer, leaving me there with my heart thudding. He loved this place like I loved playing my music. While I had no intention of messing with his club, he probably wouldn’t believe me if I told him. He didn’t trust me, and after I stole his money, I understood it.

Hisactions were the reason I ran all those years ago. We both did things that made a real marriage impossible. We could co-exist and have separate lives like I’d told him before. But the longer I was here, the more the lines were blurring, no matter how hard I fought it.

CHAPTER 25

talie

“Ready for the yacht trip next weekend?” Char asked as we walked down the sidewalk.

“So our parents can reannounce my marriage to Damian?” I muttered bitterly. “Oh yeah, it’s going to be great.”

“At least the bar will be fully stocked. We can make it fun.”

Other than our immediate families, the only other people who would be on the yacht were those who worked or were partners with our fathers and their families. While the yacht was gorgeous and had all the amenities, I wouldn’t be able to relax. Every time I stepped out of my room, I’d have to make sure I was presentable by my father’s standards.

“Are you going home tonight?”

My stomach flipped at the question. By home, she meant Connecticut. It was Sunday afternoon, and I hadn’t seen Damian since I snuck into his club. I’d been ignoring his calls and texts, not wanting to deal with him.

“You could tell him. How you were playing music at the club,” Char said quietly. “Damian might be part of this world, but he’s not that bad, Talie. He won’t tell Dad what you’re doing.”

“Maybe not. But he could stop me from doing it.” I opened the door to the hotel, and we walked inside. “You saw him the other night, Char. He was pissed. He’s worried I’m going to do something to embarrass the families and then it will get back to our parents.”

“Really?” she asked, a note of teasing in her voice. “Because from what you told me about the conversation, he was more interested inwhoyou were with, not what you were doing.”

I rolled my eyes. “He doesn’t care. It’s about control.”

When we entered the elevator, I caught my sister biting her lip. Which meant she wanted to say something she knew would get under my skin.

“Just say it,” I grumbled.

“You haven’t seen your husband for five years,” she stated. “I have. He came to every holiday dinner acting like the perfect son-in-law in front of Dad.”

“Of course he did. That’s how he is.”

“Talie.” Her voice was firm. “He always talked about you in a loving way. He cares about you. He let you stay out of the country when he could have made you come back.”

I bristled. “Made me. That’s part of the problem.”

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