Page 243 of The Invite
Twirling a loose strand, he bends inches from my face. “We will goafteryou prove he doesn’t come before me for you.”
“Of course he doesn’t.”
“Then you shouldn’t have a problem proving it.” I shake my head, becoming uneasy from his menacing tone. His hand curls around my ponytail, holding me still. “You’re not Nessa tonight. You’re my little demon, doing her devil’s bidding.”
“August—” His thumb presses against my lips, shushing me.
“Why are you scared? He won’t know it’s you.” His soft words are used to manipulate. The baritone of it casts a spell on me, daring me to jump into his pool of deviance.
“I don’t want to hurt him.”
“I’d never ask you to. This is just a game.”
I bite my lip, contemplating the repercussions, which is insane.
Augustus pulls at my ponytail hard and collars my throat with his hand. “Who will it be? Your friend or the man you love.”
Oh god!
Déjà vu hits as Ace’s words ring in my ears. He was right. The situation he warned me about is here. It’s impossible for us to be friends because there’s no choice. It will always be Augustus for me.
“You.”
“Good little pet,” rasps Augustus. “Take me to his bedroom.”
“What?” I stutter at the unexpected question. He asked it so casually.
A knowing and taunting glint takes over his eyes. With a tilt of his head, he accuses, “Didn’t you spend the night here?”
No way. How does he know?
He hears my mind whirring for an explanation, and unapologetically confesses, “I have a tracker in the SUV.”
My jaw drops at his psychotic and stalkerish tendencies.
The depth of his obsession.
I was so smug that night thinking I was safe from him. It was all an illusion. Had I not listened to him and returned the next day, he would’ve come here to drag me back himself. Who knows what he would’ve done to Ace then?
“Did you think I was kidding when I said I have eyes on you everywhere? That I’d let my most prized possession be near another man and not know about it?” Pressing on the sides of my neck, he growls, “There’s no corner in this world, let alone this town, where you can hide from me, little prey.”
I believe him.
However, I hope he’s not here to punish Ace. I honestly don’t know what he thinks he can accomplish without the risk of a physical altercation occurring. Both men are well-built. Plus, Ace might call the cops on us.
If he only knew the lengths I’m going and the risks I’m taking to make them stay far away from him.
“August,” I rasp, clutching his wrist. “I might have been with Ace but I was thinking about you. All I wanted was to be in your arms so I could erase the memory of Amber’s death from my mind. There’s nothing to prove here. You’re it for me. Please, let’s go home.”
A shake of his head and I become nervous, losing all hope.
“The bedroom, Nessa.”
Shoulders slumping, I walk toward the dark hallway on light feet. Pin-drop silence except for the clock’s chiming plays in the background. The door to Ace’s bedroom is wide open andwhen we reach the doorway, I can make out his silhouette on the king-sized bed with black sheets draped up to his waist. A small lamp glows in the otherwise dark room.
I stop outside of it, my feet unwilling to move.
Augustus steps up behind me and nudges something hard against my palm. My fingers automatically close around it. Only to come close to dropping it when I recognize the object.
