Page 152 of Once an Angel
in the house a door closed. And locked.
That muffled turn of the key was Justin's downfall. He slammed out of the room and climbed the stairs two at a time, not caring anymore who heard him traverse the darkened corridors to Emily's room. His thigh struck a table, overturning it. The photographs toppled and struck the floor in an explosion of shattering glass. His long strides devoured the carpet until he stood outside her door once again. Sometimes he felt he'd spent half his life there.
Justin didn't waste time knocking or toying with the knob. And he definitely wasn't in the mood to beg.
So he simply lifted his leg, and in one powerful motion, kicked the door down.
Chapter 34
Someday you'll hear my voice whispering
on the wind. . . .
Emily pressed her palm to her thundering heart. Justin stood in the doorway, the splintered door lying
like an altar of pagan sacrifice at his feet. The shattered lock dangled from its mooring. He stretched out his arms and braced his weight on either side of the door frame. His lazy grin never reached his eyes.
"Hello, darling. I thought you might need some coal for your fire. Or has someone else been stoking
your flames these days?"
His clothes were rumpled. His untrimmed hair hung in shaggy disarray. His eyes were red-rimmed and wild from desperation and lack of sleep. He was everything the polished and urbane Nicholas Saleri
could never be.
She broke away from his compelling gaze, forcing herself to remain cool, knowing there was only one way to earn any peace for either of the men she had loved.
She slipped an airy note into her voice. "If you must know, Nicholas has asked me to marry him."
The wild look in Justin's eyes deepened. "What a tidy way to wrap up your inheritance! He marries you, takes you back to his mansion in New Zealand. And how long do you think it will be before the new
Mrs. Saleri suffers a tragic accident? A week? A month? I know Nicky. Once he has your money, he'll have no further need for you. You'll only be an encumbrance to him. He'll dispose of you just as he did David and me." Justin crossed to her. "Have you forgotten what a monster he is? My God, he plotted your own father's death."
She lowered her lashes before he could see his own agony mirrored in her eyes. She had to use all of
her wiles and passion to convince this man she hated him. She closed her eyes, summoning back all
those feelings of anger and abandonment she'd fought so hard to vanquish.
When she opened them, she knew they sparkled with furious contempt. "He wasn't the one who pulled the trigger though, was he? Or the one who lied about it for seven years."
Justin ran a hand through his hair. A cynical laugh escaped him. "Nicky always was a randy little bastard. He'll probably let you live for a little while. At least until he tires of your skills in bed." He lifted a
mocking eyebrow. "And we both know how considerable those are."
Emily drew back her hand and slapped him. He stared at her, giving her a harrowing glimpse of his
utter helplessness before his eyes hardened to polished amber.
With one smooth motion he shoved her back against the wall. His powerful hands cupped her throat and his voice lowered to a husky growl. "If you think I'm capable of murder, you're bloody right. Because as God is my witness, I'll kill you myself before I'll let him have you."
He ground his lips against hers in a brief, raging kiss, then he was gone, leaving her heart as splintered
as her door.
She slid down the wall to a sitting position and pressed her mouth to her knee to muffle her anguished sobs.
"Sir, sir! Please! You must wake up."
