Page 69 of Vow to Hate You

CHAPTER 28

damian

I eyed my wife warily as she slid out of the town car, her small smile causing suspicion to flit through me as I followed her out. She had been dreading this yacht trip ever since our families announced it. Which meant her positive attitude was a front for our parents—or she was planning something in retaliation for me leaving her without an orgasm last weekend.

She had been quiet all week, and I had no idea what she had been up to while I spent the days at work. Other than shopping. According to my billing statement, she’d filled her closet with designer clothes using the credit card I’d given her. I had a feeling she was blowing through money in another attempt to get under my skin. She should know better. Her spending barely put a dent in my monthly bills.

“Natalia.”

She didn’t react to me calling her name, continuing toward the yacht. With a sigh, I caught up to her, my hand landing on her lower back. She slowly tilted her face to look at me, and I arched an eyebrow at her bored expression.

“We’re about to spend three days on this boat. A place you can’t run away from me,” I warned, swallowing my amusementwhen a smirk grew on her lips. Oh, she was definitely up to something. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“Run away?” she repeated with a giggle. “Leave my amazing husband who stalked me and then left me on the edge?” She raised on her tiptoes until her lips brushed my cheek. “Why would I want to run away from you?”

Before I could say anything, Charlotte’s voice cut through the air, and Talie pushed away from me to greet her sister. I pinched the bridge of my nose, taking a few deep breaths. The last thing I wanted to do was act nice in front of my father’s business partners this weekend. Now I had to worry about whatever scheme my wife was planning. It was going to be a long weekend. Though not enough to regret what I did. If Talie wanted to flirt with another man in front of me, then I was more than happy to do all of that again.

Talie and Char walked across the ramp, going onto the yacht. My wife snuck a glance at me before disappearing inside.

“How’s married life?” Rhyett asked, stepping up beside me. “You two madly in love yet?”

Ash scoffed as he appeared on my other side. “When weren’t they madly in love?”

“We never even dated before we got married,” I reminded him as we headed toward the boat. “It was all business.”

“Does telling yourself that make you feel better?” Ash asked, obviously set on getting under my skin. “Because Talie has been the only woman who ever held your attention. Even when we were teens.”

I clenched my jaw, not saying anything. He would only argue more. And…he was fucking right. Whether I admitted it out loud or not, my eyes had always been on Talie. First, it was friendship, but that only grew the older we got.

I had never planned to act on anything because she was younger than me, and then when she turned eighteen, I stillleft her alone because she’d made it abundantly clear that she didn’t want anything to do with this life. But when the idea of a marriage came up to make us both happy? There hadn’t been any part of me that wanted to say no.

“Damian, it’s good to see you.”

My father’s voice instantly shot aggravation through me, but I forced a pleasant smile before turning around.

“This is Mr. Hart,” my father introduced the silver-haired man next to him. “We’ll be having cigars with him after dinner tonight.”

Great.I’d rather spend time with Tali and her pranks than be stuck in stuffy conversations about business. Even if this weekend was to celebrate my marriage and Talie being home, my father would use it to expand his fortune like he always did. My two best friends scurried away like a couple of traitors as my father began droning on about a topic I had no interest in. But like the dutiful son I was, I listened intently as we boarded the yacht.

“How is your wife?” Christian asked before puffing on his cigar. “Your mother and I haven’t seen much of you two since she came home.”

“She’s adjusting,” I muttered. “She’s been at school a long time.”

“Too long.” He stubbed out his cigar carefully. “She never should have left.”

I raised the glass to my mouth. “Why drag up the past? It’s over.”

“Is she pregnant yet?”

I nearly choked on my whiskey. After wiping my chin, I set the cup down on the small table in front of our plush chairs. I clenched my teeth, my pulse thudding rapidly. Blowing out a heavy breath, I attempted to swallow my agitation. It didn’t matter how old I got or how successful—my father would look at me as nothing more than a kid who heeded his demands.

“No,” I finally answered. “She’s not.”

His eyes flashed with annoyance. “Why?”

“I’m not a twenty-year-old fucking kid anymore,” I snapped, my self-control nonexistent like it always seemed to be when it came to Talie. “When my wife and I decide to have a baby, it’ll be our decision. No one else’s.”

“Is that how you always speak to your father, or is it only when you’re alone?”

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