Page 33 of Seduced By You

His nostrils flared, and he opened his mouth to say the same thing he’d been saying for over nine years—that I did agoodthing that went badly wrong. On this occasion, he didn’t get the chance to say it.

“Okay, Kingcaid.” Lee rested her hands on my shoulders. “I’m fueled, refreshed, and ready to stick two fingers up to the happy couple.”

“Sounds good.” I downed the remains of my Coke and stood to hug my brother. By the time we returned from Berkshire, he’d have returned to Miami. “Call me.”

“Will do.” He hugged Lee, too. “It was wonderful to meet you. And for what it’s worth, I agree with Kadon. Your ex is a dick.”

“I think we can all agree on that.”

Lee kissed his cheek, and a shard of jealousy sharper than cut glass sliced through my stomach, real and painful enough that I wrapped my arm around my middle.

“It was great to see you.”Even if not-my-girl just kissed you, you lucky bastard.“Safe flight back to Miami.”

“And you two enjoy the wedding.” He lifted one eyebrow. “Sounds like it’ll be a blast.” Chuckling, he pivoted and set off down the street in the opposite direction to us.

“He’s great. My envy is back now that I’ve met him.” She sighed wistfully. “What is it about humans that we always wish for those things we can’t have, not because we don’t have the will to make them happen, but that they’re impossible to attain no matter what we do?”

“Families can be made as well as inherited. You might not have grown up in a big family, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create one of your own one day.”With me.

Her luminous eyes widened, and she moved into my body, wrapping her arms around my waist. “You always know the right thing to say at the right time. I love you, Kingcaid.”

It wasn’t the first time Lee had told me she loved me, and it wouldn’t be the last. But it wasn’t anywhere close to the way I craved to hear her say those three words with a completely different sentiment behind them. In a way, it was worse than not hearing them.

“Love you, too.” The passion in my voice echoed through my ears. As always, Lee was oblivious to the difference between the way she said she loved me and the way I said it back to her.

“I’m driving the next bit.” She held out her hand for the keys. “And before you say anything, I know I’m changing our agreement. But if I drive the last part, we’re likely to have a crash. I’m already shaking at the idea of coming face-to-face with him again. We can swap over ten miles out.”

I dropped the keys into her hand. “Fair enough.”

By the time we returned to the main road, the traffic had cleared and we made it out of London and onto the M4 motorway with no further holdups. Lee filled the car with chatter, and I sat back and listened to her talk, only interjecting when required, but as we approached the ten-mile mark where we’d agreed I’d drive the rest of the way, she fell silent. Her tension was palpable. She’d stiffened, her shoulders hunched up to her ears, and the grip on the steering wheel had turned her knuckles white.

“There’s a parking area up ahead.” I pointed to the sign, which stated it was a half mile away. “Pull in there and we’ll switch.”

I waited for her to bring the car to a complete stop and cut the engine, then took her hand and placed it over my chest, pressing mine on top. For sure, she’d feel how fast my heart was beating, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was offering her some reassurance and comfort.

“I’ve got you, Lee. I know you’re panicking, but this is where you get your closure.” I flashed a quick grin. “And, unless I’m way off the mark, your revenge. ’Bout time Benny drowned in a taste of his own sour medicine.”

She nodded, bit her lip, and said nothing.

“Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Pursing her lips, she blew out a breath. “What if seeing him again dredges up all those old feelings? I’ve come so far. I don’t want to go back to that place where I couldn’t breathe properly, where the might of his betrayal sat on my chest night after night as I lay staring at the ceiling with tears streaming down my face.”

I fucking hated that bastard. For what he’d done to her all those months ago, and for the power he continued to have over her. I stood by my conviction, though. Once she saw him again, she’d realize what a pathetic excuse for a man he was, and she’d realize, deep in her gut, that she’d had a lucky escape when he’d chosen ambition over the love of a woman he hadn’t deserved.

“I can’t say for certain what your reaction will be, but, I dunno, Lee, I have this feeling that this is where you finally close the door on that chapter of your life and move forward into a far brighter future. But if you find that this is all too much, say the word, and I’ll have you out of there in seconds.”

She smiled. “A safeword?”

I smiled back. “If you like.”

“Okay.” She rested her head against the back of the seat and looked up at the roof of the car. “How about…wiener.”

I chuckled. “Aimed at Benedict, I presume.”

“Correct. It not only means a tiny sausage, but also an irritating person. Both fit him perfectly.”

“Wienerit is. And as much as I hope you don’t have to use it, I can’t wait to see how you weave that into a sentence.”

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