5 - I DO NOT BLUFF

I swallowed hard, trying to summon the strength to speak, to tell him to let me go, but all I could do was stare back at him, lost in those dark eyes of his. I hated him still, his dark charm was not enough to erase the years of hurt I had spent trying to forget him.

“You look – different” his words hung heavy in the air above even with his hands still latched around my waist burning a hole through my skin, and I pulled myself away from him.

“You disappeared without a trace, no good byes no nothing” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel the weight of his words pressing down on me, but I refused to let it show. I had spent too many nights thinking about this moment, about what I would say if I ever saw him again.

“For good reason” I shot back

“What reason?” he asked, stepping closer, his presence overwhelming.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, my heart pounding in my chest. “It doesn’t matter anymore, we’re divorced and if you don’t mind I’d like to go back to the party, I’m sure Vivianna needs me”

“You know once Vivianna and Paulo get married, we’re going to become a family whether you like it or not”

I had no words to response to that so I decided to walk away but he caught hold of my hands, his eyes drilling into mine and he said “Did you ever think of me at all, all these years that you’ve been running away?”

The question hung in the air between us, heavy and suffocating. My breath caught in my throat, but I didn’t dare look at him again. If I did, he might see the truth in my eyes, and that was the last thing I wanted.

So instead, I walked away, my heels clicking against the stone path as I made my way back to the party. The warmth of the house enveloped me as I stepped inside, but it did little to chase away the chill that had settled in my bones.

I barely had time to catch my breath before my mother materialized out of nowhere, her smile bright and insistent. “Helena, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you, there’s someone I’d like you to meet”

I tried to muster a polite smile, to give a silly excuse and slip away from her hold “Mom, I really don’t – ”

“Nonsense Helena” she interrupted, taking my arm and steering me toward a tall, broad-shouldered man with a face that looked like he had been carved specially by God, his eyes pierced me with their mysteriousness and while I tried not to gawk at this fine specimen of a man, my encounter with Dante still weighed heavily on my shoulder and I couldn’t help but be distracted.

“This is Christian, the man I told you about”

“Christian” I smiled.

“Nice to meet you Helena?” his voice was honey, but it wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. But just then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Dante standing by the entrance, watching me, his expression unreadable.

Something inside me snapped, and I wanted nothing more but to make him jealous and that was if he cared enough to be. Well, there was only one way to find out.

“Nice to meet you too – Christian” I took his outstretched hands and batting my eyelashes at him before turning to my mother to give her a look which meant that her presence was no longer needed and I could take it from here which luckily for me, she understood.

I turned to Christian now, who held my gaze with utmost curiosity. “So you’ve always been in Algreen Cove or you’re just here for the wedding”

He looked relieved to have an easy question to answer “Moved here two years ago – business. It’s a promising town”

“Impressive” I replied, letting my smile widen a touch

“Your mother said you dance and you live in Paris”

I nodded “Professional ballet dancer and honestly I’m only here for the wedding”

His eyes dulled a bit but then they lightened up again instantly “How about you show me how good of a dancer you are and then maybe I could start thinking of reasons to convince you to stay”

I put on a mischievous smile, he was making this too easy for me.

I could feel Dante’s eyes burning into the back of my head, and I couldn’t resist the urge to twist the knife just a little deeper. I stepped closer to Christian as he took my hands and led me to the dancefloor. His hands safely placed around my waist as he drew me closer to him and guiding the way our body moved in rhythm to the soft music. I caught a glimpse of Dante out of the corner of my eye, his jaw clenched as he watched me with Christian. Satisfaction curled in my chest, and I leaned in a little closer to Christian, wrapping my hands around his neck as we spoke.

Christian’s gaze flicked to my lips, and I knew I had him but I wasn’t going to kiss him in a party that my father was attending but I could pretend to just to rile Dante up and watch him fist clench in anger, but when I looked back – Dante was gone.

Later on, I excused myself to go use the bathroom in my room upstairs and when I got there I stopped in my tracks when I found Dante sitting on my bed, like he was waiting for me. His eyes met mine and I frowned at him “What are you doing here?”

He didn’t respond immediately, instead he stood up and walked over to me, invading my space once again without my permission. Why couldn’t he just let me be?

“You like other men touching you, don’t you?”

“What!?” his words took me by surprise and I wondered if he was joking but there wasn’t a hint of amusement in his voice.

“He’s not good enough for you, he’s not from around here”

“And you’re good enough for me?”

Dante smirked, like I was asking a rhetoric question when there was an obvious answer.

“I swear to God Helena, if you let another man touch you one more time, I will deliver his hands to you wrapped in a pretty box”

I gulped

“And I do not bluff”

He slammed the door behind him