Page 114 of Devious Kingpin
I didn’t dare move any further, the blade dangerously close to ending his life.
CHAPTER46
Dante
The look of betrayal she wore sliced through me.
Looking at her hurt. Hearing the tremors in her voice hurt. It tore at my chest; it suffocated. My jaw clenched as I stared at her. The sight of her glimmering blue eyes staring at me with so much pain that it suffocated me.
I stood up, putting my hands into my pockets. They shook with the fear of losing her.
Fucking Christ.
I had to get a grip. Studying her face, I searched for words. I couldn’t find any. Maybe I could start at the beginning.
“Let me explain, Wildling.”
She was on me in the next breath. I fought my instinct to block her. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hurt her, so I forced my every muscle to remain still while she held a blade to my throat. And by the look on her face, she wanted to slice it.
“Shut the fuck up before I shove this knife up your ass,” she gritted on a hiss, blue lightning flashing in her eyes. “Or down your throat. And don’t think I won’t,” she threatened, although she really didn’t have to. I fucking believed her. “In fact, I’ll enjoy it very much.”
Jesus H. Christ.
I’d worried about Sasha Nikolaev’s unhinged ass at my wedding. No wonder he smirked, the fucker probably knew Juliette was just as nuts as he was.
But then I knew that. Didn’t I?
The evidence was right in front of my face all along. Stealing. Kicking me in the balls. Destroying Grandfather’s car.
But then she repaired it, too, my reason whispered. My rationale made no fucking sense. Bottom line was that Juliette was slightly unhinged. Wild. Deadly, even.
Although in this instance I couldn’t blame her. I’d hurt her. I’d betrayed her.
A buzz of trepidation crawled up my spine and snaked into my veins. My little brother was right. I should have told her and begged for forgiveness. She shouldn’t have found out this way.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!Fuck!
A thousand icy needles pierced my skin and into my heart at the hate in her eyes. My heartbeat spiked with a panic I hadn’t felt in so long it stole my fucking breath from me.
“So what now?” Roughness edged my tone, my heart pounding hard enough to bruise me. “That’s it? We’re not going to talk it through?”
She glared at me, then smiled. Darkly. “Talk about what?” she hissed. “How you drugged me?” The vein in her neck pulsed, her hand holding the knife slightly trembled. “Did you grope me while I was all compliant and under the influence?” She sneered. “You must have realized it was the only way you could get me to bed, huh? You’re just like them.”
Them.There was my confirmation. Secrets she kept close to her heart. Comparison to them felt like a bullet to my heart. Fury and tension knifed through my gut. Getting stabbed hurt less than this.
“I didn’t touch you,” I gritted. My jaw clenched so hard it shot pain to my temples. “Not even when you tried to gropemeand rip my clothes off.”
“You fucking lied to me,” she roared, her bottom lip trembling. The sharp blade of her knife pressed harder against my skin. Warm liquid trickled down my throat and I guessed she cut the skin.
I could taste her anger on my tongue. It simmered and simmered, until it exploded. Like a volcano.
“Did it ever occur to you to askmeto marry you?” she roared. “Or to askmeout on a date?” The pain on her face was like a punch in the gut. “No, you didn’t even bother to ask me what I wanted. You went to my father. Why? Because you wanted to force my hand?”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
It didn’t matter. I’d shattered her heart. Maybe I deserved her wrath.
Except, I loved her. I couldn’t live without her. It took every ounce of effort to swallow past the lump in my throat.
