Page 47 of Black Tie Billionaire
“How long have you...?” His voice trailed off, but she understood his question.
“Weeks. Since before the Grace Sanctuary fund-raiser. I made a deal with the devil to save you. I agreed to pretend to be in a fake relationship with him so he wouldn’t expose you. That’s why I couldn’t break things off with him. Because if I did, you would’vebeen destroyed. But that’s not all,” she whispered, eliminating the small space between her and the man who wore her brother’s face, but was a stranger. “He did all this because of Olivia. You remember her, don’t you?” At his stony expression, she nodded again. “Of course you do. The woman you seduced, used to get back at her brother, impregnated, then tossed aside. All for your petty hatredand resentment. Now, who wouldn’t Dad and Mom recognize?”
“You don’t understand,” he spat, but the anger in his eyes had been overshadowed by worry. By fear. Because he understood that his greatest enemy had the dirt on him, no doubt. “You could never understand...”
“Not understand what? How hard it is to live up to our name? To live under the yoke of it for so long that sometimes youfeel like your back’s going to break from the burden? Yes, Trevor, I do. The difference between you and me is that I’m choosing not to let it poison me until I make unconscionable decisions that hurt other people. I decided to help people rather than harm them. But just to get your way, you would steal that from me, too.”
For too long, she’d allowed him and the duty of being a Neal to dictateher life, her behavior, her decisions. No longer. She might have been quiet, but she’d learned from the best.
Not him. Gideon.
“I love you, Trevor. For the brother and man you were, I’m giving you a choice now. Come after Leida Investments or any of the businesses I’ve invested in, or my trust fund, and Gideon won’t have to leak any of that information to the press and SEC. I will. Hegave me a copy of the file, and right now, it’s tucked away safe. But if you dare touch anything that’s mine—and when I say mine, that includes Gideon Knight and everything he loves—I’ll take you down. And I won’t lose sleep over it.”
Trevor stared at her, shocked. But she didn’t wait for his response. He couldn’t say anything that would fix what he’d broken. She would just have to acceptthat some men changed for the worse instead of the better, and as much as it tore her heart apart, Trevor was one of them.
* * *
“I have to admit, Gideon, I never expected you to go totheselengths.” Madison tsked, appearing at his side, her familiar scent teasing his nostrils.
At one time, he’d found the floral fragrance alluring. Now it was just cloying. She trailed fingertips downhis arm and over the back of his hand. Tilting her head to the side, she offered him what she probably considered a coy smile. She didn’t pull it off. Not when he knew the real woman behind the mask.
He shifted his arm, knocking her hand away. Foolish as hell of him to think he could slip unseen into the closed-off room that reminded him of his den. He’d needed space and time to walk off thekilling rage that had consumed him when Trevor had alluded to Olivia.
If not for Shay, he would’ve put that bastard through the wall, his hands around his throat, and damn the consequences. But his name in that soft voice and the fear darkening her lovely eyes had stopped him. He’d put that hated emotion in her gaze, and he detested himself for it. Still, even with rage roiling inside himlike a volcano set to blow, he would’ve accompanied her to that meeting with her brother. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone. That protective streak toward her had only widened and deepened in the time they’d spent together. Yet he also understood she needed to have it out with Trevor, to stand up to him on her own. And she couldn’t do that with his life in imminent danger from Gideon.
Butright after he marched into an empty room to cool off with a glass of bourbon from the bar, Madison had appeared.
Goddamn, he didn’t have the patience to deal with her machinations right now.
“What lengths, Madison?” He lifted the tumbler to his lips, downing the last of the dark alcohol before setting the glass on the mantel. “I don’t have time for your games.”
“Time for me,” shecorrected, assuming a hurt expression. “That’s what went wrong with us, you know? You spent so much time at the office or out of town at meetings, I felt neglected. I missed you and couldn’t stand the loneliness.”
He snorted. “Is this your way of trying to explain why I walked in on you sitting on Trevor’s dick? Forget it, sweetheart. This guilt trip not only isn’t going to work, but it’smonths too late. I don’t give a fuck now.”
“We both know that’s not true, Gideon,” she crooned, clutching his arm. He stiffened, hating her hands on him. It felt...wrong. There’d been a time when he’d enjoyed her teasing caresses, her heated strokes. But now? Now his skin prickled and crawled as if his very body rebelled against her. These days, he welcomed the touch of only one woman. Shay.
Again he shifted away, dislodging her touch.
“If you’d answered any of my phone calls this week, you’d know—”
“I didn’t answer them because we have nothing to talk about,” he said.
“So you’re going to tell me that your love for me just died? Went away just like that?” She snapped her fingers, eyes flashing. “I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” he growled. “You killed it. Andyou don’t get a do-over. Get it through your head, sweetheart. I. Don’t. Want. You.”
Tired of this, he went to move around her, but she sidestepped, blocking him. Unless he wanted to grab her, pick her up and shift her out of the way, he couldn’t pass. And at the moment, the thought of putting his hands on her caused his stomach to curdle.
“Then what was this whole...act with Shay about?You don’t expect me, or anyone for that matter, to actually accept that you’re madly in love with her? The sister of the man who stole the woman you love? You don’t have to continue this silly pretense anymore, Gideon.” She shoved into his personal space, so her perfume clogged his nose, crawled down his throat. He grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from coming any nearer. She flattened her palmson his chest. “I love you. I made a mistake leaving you for him. It’s been you all along. And I know you still love me if you’ll go to these lengths.”
Screw this.He tightened his grip on her, prepared to move her. “Madison...” he growled.
“Yes, Gideon.” She moaned, and shooting up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her mouth to his.
Shock froze him. But justfor a second. Bile scorched a path to the back of his throat. Muttering a curse, he jerked his head back, circled her wrists and yanked her off him.
“Dammit,” he snapped. But any more words died on his tongue.
Shay stood in the doorway to the den, her shuttered gaze on them.
“Oh, Shay,” Madison cooed, panting lightly. “We didn’t see you there.” Perverse satisfaction threaded her tone.
“Shay,” he breathed, already leaving the unfaithful bitch he’d almost married behind, forgotten, and moving toward the woman with the wounded eyes.
“I’m ready if you are,” she said, her voice flat, hideously polite.
She turned on her heel and left, leaving a void in his gut.
