Page 30 of The Truth Between

IRIS

Iwaited a beat, confused as to how he knew I was in there without him looking at me once. Or so I thought. I slowly stepped from behind the bookcase just as he turned to face me. His dark stare bore into me, causing me to fight the urge to squirm.

This was the worst-case scenario and that was before he stepped into my line of sight.

My heart raced as I tried to think of something to say, but my mind went blank. He’d literally rendered me speechless.

My throat tightened with dread and my stomach twisted with anxiety as, once again, potential outcomes raced through my mind. All the while, his piercing gaze never wavered, sending shivers down my spine as I wondered what he might do next.

“I was just. . . exploring the mansion,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual despite the tremor that was shaking my entire body.

Soren took a step closer and said, “Curiosity isn’t always a good thing. In fact, it can be very dangerous.”

I took a slow step to my right, hoping to get closer to the door and away from Soren. His vague warning ran on repeat in my mind.It can be very dangerous.

But that didn’t stop me from talking back to him. “I’m looking around because I wasn’t given instructions not to. I have to do something to keep myself occupied when I have nothing to do here.” I was proud of myself for keeping my emotions under control.

“This isn’t a vacation, petal. You’re being kept here until we figure out what to do with you.”

I was taken aback by his words. “What do you mean what to do with me?”

“You thought that the Chevaliers wouldn’t take any recourse when you stuck yourself somewhere you didn’t belong?”

“This is such bullshit. All of this makes me think I was on the right track because why would you all be wasting your time on me if I hadn’t been?”

Soren shrugged. “Maybe we’re going to use you as an example.”

I shook my head. “All because I wanted to find out the damn truth.”

Soren’s hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around my arm. “This isn’t your truth.”

I looked down at where his hand met mine, and it was as if a light switch had gone off inside of me. My anger no longer simmered beneath the surface. It was about to boil over and anyone in its path was going to feel my wrath. “No, it’s not, but it sure as hell is Margaret Turner’s. She deserves to have her truth made public and not buried because you all have your heads so far up your asses that you can’t admit a woman helped with the founding of the Chevaliers.”

Soren’s gaze studied my lips as his grip on my wrist tightened. He was studying me as if I was a work of art, and it sent a shiver through me. I hated that, even when our anger was showing its claws, he could still have this effect on me.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

“You didn’t tell me I couldn’t.”

He knew I had a point, but that didn’t stop him from saying something back. “Be quiet, Iris.”

The words shot out of my mouth before I could control them. “Make. Me.”

The tension between the two of us finally snapped. I could see when Soren threw caution to the wind because, within seconds, he’d captured my lips in a searing kiss. Everything around us stopped as all my attention was drawn to the connection we shared. Soren’s fingers released my arm and moved to the sides of my face. Our kiss deepened, awakening the desire I felt for him that I’d tried to keep dormant because of what he’d done.

His hands began to wander as he continued to kiss me, exploring my body through the fabric of my clothes. His touch was firm, and I sighed into it. Every brush of his fingertips sent a spark through my body that was both comforting and exhilarating. His hands moved down to grasp my breasts through my shirt, and I moaned—against my better judgment. When he began to play with my nipples, I was pretty sure they hardened instantly under his touch. In my head, I was telling him to rip off my shirt so I could feel his mouth on them, but there was no way I was voicing that thought out loud.

When I heard the creaking of the floor just outside the room we were in, I froze. It was as if ice-cold water had been poured on me, and I needed to stop this before it continued.

I tore away from the kiss, my chest heaving. “I hate you.”

“None of that felt like you hated me.”

I almost gasped when I saw that Soren had a pleasant grin on his face. But that didn’t last long because it soon turned wicked. He reached for me again, but I slapped his hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” I reached my hand up to slap him for having the audacity to think this would continue.

“What did I say about slapping me before, Iris?”

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