Page 61 of Knight's Desire

“What do you mean, dealt with? I want to understand, David. I think I deserve an explanation as to why you tormented me and kidnapped me.”

The smile dropped from his face and was replaced by a hard look, like his face was carved in granite. “Youdeservean explanation? Well, so do I.”

Despite the stuffiness of the room, Hope felt chilled to the bone. David believed she owed him…something, and for some reason, he’d chosen her to live through this delusional fantasy. Her brain tried to work through what she could have done or said to cause him to fixate on her, but their interaction was so minimal, she couldn’t think of a single reason.

Play along. The internal voice piped up from nowhere, and she believed playing into his delusion was her only chance at this point. Pretending she agreed with him that they belonged together wasn’t an ideal option, but she was out of ideas.

“I know. I do owe you an explanation. I’m sorry. I’m just not ready to talk about it just yet. Could you…I mean, I think it would help if I knew more about what all of this is. I’m confused, and I want to be on the same page with you, David. I really do.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “You know what this is about, Hope. Do you think I wanted to take such drastic measures to get you back? Why did you force me to prove that we belong together? I know you felt it the first time we met. It was like being hit by lightning, the charge, the electricity…It pulled us together. You felt it, didn’t you, Hope?”

“Y-yes, o-of course. But then you gave my account to Parker.” She latched onto his earlier comment, hoping it would keep him talking.

His face reddened in anger, his eyes taking on a glaze, distant look. She messed up by mentioning Parker, and all she could do was brace herself for whatever his reaction would be.

“You must have thought I didn’t want you. Is that why you played hard to get? If it wasn’t for that bitch – well, she’s not anyone we have to worry about anymore. Believe me, sweetheart, assigning your account to Parker was a necessity. I had no idea he’d seduce you. He only did it to make Naomi jealous. I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t risk you not believing me, so I had to drive a wedge between the two of you.”

“With the flowers?”

“And the calls. And the accounts that had him working overtime. I knew eventually either he would become jealous, or you would want more from the relationship than he was willing to give. My plan worked until you let that bodyguard seduce you. I could see it in your eyes. His spell over you wasn’t going to be easily broken. I had to get you away and remind you that you belong to me.”

He snapped out of his angry haze and pierced her with a leer that made her skin crawl. He took a step closer, and her mind raced as she tried to think of something to distract his lecherous thoughts.

“It’s making so much sense, but you mentioned a woman who kept you from taking my account. Was that a client, or Naomi, or someone I know?”

The anger returned, and with his reddened face came clenched fists and angry pacing. His movements were jerky, and Hope prayed he didn’t lash out at her.

“No! I don’t want to talk about her! She was supposed to be the one, but then I met you. I realized I had it all wrong. You are the one. She tricked me and tried to ruin my life.”

He whirled around and hurried over to her. He grasped her hands in his before she could react, and his grip was too strong for her to pull away. His eyes were wild, too large and too hazed to be normal.

“I’m sorry I waited too late to realize what she’d done. That’s why I had to step away. I had to take care of her. She won’t be a problem. I promise you, no one will come between us ever again. I swear to it.”

She fought against the fear that had her stomach twisted into a knot. “I believe you. It’s alright, David. It’s just us. No one else is here. We have all the time in the world now.”

Just when she didn’t think her words sank in, David relaxed and dropped his hands. He stepped back and schooled his expression to be more like the confident psychopath who’d first stepped into the room. Hope’s heart pounded in her chest as she waited for his next move.

“Well said, sweetheart. Now, if you will excuse me, I want to see to our meal.”

“Our meal?” She was amazed she was able to keep her voice from shaking.

She wondered if he meant for his smile to be charming. To her, it was more sinister.

“I think those of you in this business refer to it as a rehearsal dinner.”

His steps were measured as he disappeared into the shadows. She held her breath, waiting until his shoes stopped clicking against the floor, but the next sound she expected to hear never came. She never heard a door open or close.

Her eyes landed back on the mannequin dressed in the wedding dress, and tears pooled in her eyes and fell in heavy rivulets down her cheeks. Her fate at David’s hands became crystal clear. The dress was meant for her. The rehearsal dinner was a cruel kick-off to what he believed would be their life together.

And if she didn’t cooperate, she would meet the same outcome as the “she” he referred to. Hope wished she could believe that when he said he took care of her, he meant he broke up with whoever he was with before, but deep down, she knew that’s not what he meant.

She and Parker never spoke of David very much, so she knew next to nothing about him. She could only guess who the “she” was, but that wasn’t important now. She had to figure a way out. Brick was likely looking for her, but she couldn’t stake her life on whether he’d get to her in time.

It was up to her to escape. Her only option was to play into the delusion and win David’s trust. Once he let down his guard, she’d convince him to release her, and she’d make her move. It wasn’t a solid plan, but it was the best she had.

I’ll make it back to you, Brick. One way or the other…

Chapter Twenty-Six

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