Page 28 of Mastered by Them
I want him to touch more of me, all of me. “Troy…”
He dips his face toward mine, his lips so close I can feel their warmth.
“Here we are with a few more gowns I think you’ll like—oh!” Cherry exclaims. “So sorry, I can come back.”
But the moment, the almost-kiss, is ruined.
10
Troy
The shopping trip ends without Dani choosing a dress. Am I a bad guy if that makes me happy? Watching her try on dress after dress after dress was pure torture. She twirled, she posed, she adjusted sleeves and skirts.
She looked like a bride. Beautiful.
Except for one glaring problem: she never smiled.
What the fuck are the two families thinking?
And why don’t I just bundle her into my truck, take her to my crappy apartment, and hide her there forever?
She watches the passing city as I drive her home.
Words jam in my throat. Run away with me. I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of your family.
“Where…” She tucks her hair behind her ears. “Where’s Edmund today?”
“Working. Putting out fires. The Vorsongs sabotaged another shipment.”
“Whiskey into the bay again?”
“No. They set a truck on fire, full of clothes and other luxury shit the Laytons distribute. Edmund’s talking to the driver and everyone else he can find. The Vorsongs shouldn’t have even known about that truck.”
She nods, her mind obviously somewhere else.
At a stop sign, I glance both ways to check the coast is clear. But a woman standing on the curb makes my entire body go cold.
Amber. It has to be her. Although her eyes are hidden by sunglasses, she has the same honey-blond hair, held back in a low bun like always.
The car behind me honks. I jolt in surprise and put my foot on the gas.
When I glance in the side mirror to look back, the woman is nowhere in sight.
Danica
A familiar car is waiting at the curb in front of my house. Troy swears under his breath as he parks behind it.
I can guess who’ll be stepping out of the car. Sure enough, there’s Edmund. His mouth is set in a solemn line, but it lifts in the barest of smiles when I hop out of Troy’s truck.
“Danica.” He strides forward, arms out.
I don’t know what happens to my brain. It must go offline. Because I step forward like it’s the most natural thing in the world to accept his embrace.
A second later I pull back, frowning. “What are you doing here?”
“I needed to see you.” He slides his hand from my shoulder, down my arm, to hold my hand. His fingers touch my engagement ring.
I should throw this ring in the sewer. He’s so obsessed with it, he’d probably jump in after it. Maybe he’d drown in there, and problem solved.
