Page 52 of All Your Lies
“Stop calling me that!” A wave of irritation washes over me. If he thinks we’ve returned to the pre-Halloween dynamic, he’s delusional.
I swallowed my pride and pushed down the hurt to come here today so we could talk and reach an understanding. Since we’re now engaged, we must project an image of strength and unity; any sign of weakness will be exploited by our enemies.
I didn’t come here to be chased through his fake forest or be called his little pet names.
“Calling you what?” He asks with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
“Little Lamb,” I say breathlessly as I glance back and realize that in my preoccupied state, I’ve moved away from the entrance and further into the club.
When I look back at him, he’s even closer to me.
“But that’s what you are,” he murmurs as he rubs the back of his fingers along my cheek. “My little lamb, and I’m the big bad wolf waiting to devour you. Claim you for eternity, like I should have done all those years ago.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Am I?” He asks with a tilt of his head.
My insides heat, and a ball of emotion gets stuck in my throat. My instincts tell me to run, but the burning in my core has other ideas altogether. I hate him for how he makes my body want him, even when I’m pissed at him.
My back hits the wall with a thud as I inch myself into a very dark corner. It’s a very precarious and idiotic situation to put myself in.
He is a wolf hunting me, as he says. The dark, predatory gleam in his eyes shows me how delighted he is. The intoxicating smell of his cologne mixed with the earthy aroma of marijuana leavesme unsteady. His body inches even closer to mine as I drive my body further into the curtains adorning the walls.
With his lower lip clenched between his teeth, Gage inches his right hand closer to my face. I close my eyes, not from fear, but because his gaze overwhelms me. Then, I feel his thumb delicately tracing the curves of my lips.
His earlier words do not resonate with his current actions. He’s being gentle and sweet—something I would have experienced with the Gage from before.
“This is the way it should have always been. You were only ever meant for me.”
My throat constricts as I swallow, and my eyes, glistening with unshed tears, flutter open. My earlier resolve comes back to me full force. The reason for coming to meet him today runs through my mind like a smack across the face.
Halloween comes rushing back, the chase, the revelation, the pain.
He withheld his identity from you.
He broke into your house; he played with you.
He lied to you.
I swat away his hand from my face.
“We might have to get married, but make no mistake, it will be a marriage of convenience and nothing more. I don’t like this new Gage.”
He takes a step back as if giving me the space I need as an expression I’ve never seen crosses his features before it disappears, and a wicked grin emerges.
My stomach does a somersault.
Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me? Why does my body enjoy this side of him so much?
He tsks. “The Gage you once knew died the second my brother, the one you were so intent on marrying, fucked me over.” He grabs the necklace he gave me that hangs around my neck frombetween my breasts. He holds it as if it’s a priceless treasure before grasping the chain and turning until he looks at the engraved date.
“You will be mine. All of you,” he says before laying it back against my skin.
I watch his retreating form as he walks away without a backward glance, my breathing ragged from the encounter.
He isn’t the same Gage, but what he doesn’t understand is, I’m not the same Alexa either.
That evening, I zip up my skintight black dress, followed by my highest pointy-toed red high heels.
