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A Game Of Temptation 36
LAURARunning. Between work and my personal life, it wasn't something that I had the chance to do alot. Frankly, it wasn't something that I enjoyed doing. I only did it when I was super stressed and needed to clear my head. But considering that I hadn't done it in a very long time...well, it explained why I was panting for air just thirty minutes into the run. Slowing to a stop, I leaned against the wall of a tall building, doubling over and bracing my hands on my knees as I struggled to catch my breath. When I heard the sounds of footsteps fast approaching, I straightened and plastered on a fake smile as though I gave a fuck whoever this person was.As if I wasn't seconds away from crumbling to the ground in a heap of sweat and messy thoughts. The owner of the footsteps I'd heard jogged past. It was a female jogger and she hadn't even spared me a glance. I swiftly went back to bracing my hands on my knees and breathing out through my mouth, my head clouded with worries, thoughts
A Game Of Temptation 37
LAURA“Damn,” someone muttered.If I had to guess, my outfit was what prompted the cursing. Looking up from my phone, I found Derrick, a guy who lived in my building, standing there. Actually, it looked like he’d abruptly paused mid-stride. His eyes were wide as they dragged down my form, and I was positive that if he kept his mouth open much longer, he’d attract flies. I was right after all. It was my outfit. “Hi, Derrick.” I gave him a small smile and briskly continued walking. I was almost out of the building when he caught up to me, stopping me with a gentle grip on my elbow. My smile slipped. I gave him a look, then dropped my eyes to his hand on my elbow pointedly.He took the hint, smiling sheepishly as his hand fell back to his side. “Sorry.” His eyes darted away as he rubbed his neck, so nervous I could almost taste it. “It’s just… I’ve been trying to reach you.” When I simply cocked a brow, he swallowed. “Y-you didn’t respond to my texts or calls, and when I asked about
A Game Of Temptation 38
LAURAI launched myself at him. Was he obviously pissed? Yes. Did I care? No. One thing I had to be thankful for was the fact that Alex was big and strong. He caught me easily even though he hadn’t been prepared for it, his hand tightening almost bruisingly on my hips even as he pulled me closer. He opened his mouth to say something and I had a strong feeling that this something wasn’t going to be anything I wanted to hear right now so I dove into action, pressing my mouth against his and effectively stealing his words. God, I’d missed this. Him. I’d missed kissing him. How odd. He groaned into my mouth, deepening the kiss. His tongue slipped out, pushing against my lips, seeking entrance. I opened up for him immediately, my hand climbing up to his hair and my fingers sifting through the strands as I immersed myself in the kiss. The fullness of it. The rightness.The promise of what was to come. It wasn’t like the usual kisses we shared when one of us fought for dominance ov
A Game Of Temptation 39
LAURA “What?”After what had felt like ages of holding on to each other as if we’d both needed to feel grounded after the earth-shattering sex we’d had, Alex and I had finally managed to drag ourselves out of the restroom. There’d been a knowing look in the waiter’s eyes when she’d come to take our order but she’d been very professional. I was straightening my top when I’d felt the heat of eyes on me and had looked up to find Alex staring at me. “You were late,” he stated, serious as a heart attack.“I was stuck in traffic.” We’d skipped everything—greetings, talk and food—and gone straight to fucking because I’d been so hot for him, and I’d completely forgot that I was late. I guess we were going to talk about it now.“I offered to come get you.”Traffic was traffic. What difference would it have made?“Would you have preferred it if we’d both been stuck in traffic?” I asked sarcastically.He blinked. “Yes.”It was my turn to blink. “I don’t see how—”“I’d pick sitting with you in
A Game Of Temptation 40
LAURAWho introduced their fianceé to their ex then in the next moment, told their fiancée that the man he was seated with, was her boyfriend in uni?And why the hell was there a constant smile on said fiancee’s face? It was starting to piss me off. “How’s work?” Claire asked, the tips of her fingers brushing Alex’s. I honed in on that point of contact. Alex leaned back into his chair, effectively disconnecting from her touch as his hand slipped to the edge of the table. His smile was all teeth. “Great.”I felt a glimmer of satisfaction.Claire nodded, either choosing to pretend she hadn’t seen him pull away, or maybe she was the most oblivious person on planet earth. “You’ve always been ambitious.” I waited for the part I knew was coming and she didn’t disappoint. “Even back in the university.”She’d basically hijacked the conversation ever since she joined us. I didn’t know why she’d made it her life’s mission to remind everyone seated at the table—herself included—that she’d known
A Game Of Temptation 41
LAURA The car was pin drop silent. I was too tired to ask where he was taking me and was mainly still reeling from how drastically the night had changed. I didnt say anything even when I noticed that we were driving in the opposite direction from the side of town where I lived. If it were any other man—literally—I would tell him to stop the car. Maybe I wouldnt have gotten into a car with him in the first place. But it was Alex, and I felt safe around him. Alex could tie a blindfold over my eyes and I would trust him to not let me fall into a pit. Panic followed closely on the heels of that realisation. Since when did I trust men? But I was too wiped to react. Too terribly exhausted. But maybe I didnt need to react.It was when we were approaching a black gate that Alex broke the silence. “I probably should have asked you this before now.” I turned to him and saw him watching me. “I’m bringing you to my place. Is that okay?”A small nod was all I gave him. Even if it wasnt, it wa
A Game Of Temptation 42
LAURAAlex stared at me quietly, waiting for me to continue. He was confused, I could tell from the from lines between his brows, but he didn't ask any questions or push me to go on. He just waited patiently and I appreciated it. I was about to confess to him something that I'd never told anyone. If I did it under pressure, then I was either going to lie or not do it at all. And I needed to do this. For him and for me. "My father left when I was eight. Or at least so I was told by my mom," I said, swallowing hard. My voice shook and something kept telling me to stop this madness, to turn away and walk upstairs, knowing that Alex wouldn't force me if I didn't really want to. I ignored it and continued. "At eight, you'd think I would remember him but I don't. I have not one single memory of him. The only person I remember when I was that young, was a man who was married to my mother for a long time."Memories from the past assaulted me and instead of shutting them out, I let myself
A Game Of Temptation 43
LAURA When I woke up the next morning, it was to the sight of two green eyes staring at me. Because I hadn't been expecting it—because I was so used to waking up alone everyday—it freaked me out and I screamed. I drew back with so much force that I slipped off the bed and landed on the floor."Ow," I groaned and rubbed the back of my head where it had smacked against the floor from my fall. "Shit. Sorry," a familiar voice said before an equally familiar face appeared from the side of the bed.Ladies and gentlemen, the owner of the pair of green eyes. For a moment, all I could do was stare. Stare at his spectacular face, his perfectly chiseled jaw, the hint of stubble that had just begun to form, his lips that I'd spent so much time kissing last night, and those beautiful beautiful green eyes. "You scared me." The words came out breathy and weightless, and I flushed because he'd heard it. Flustered. I was flustered. "I'm sorry," he said absently.His eyes roved over my face, touc
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A Game Of Temptation 62
LAURA One second Derrick had a blade to my face and the next, his body was flying backwards and slamming into the bathroom door. There was an audible thud and a loud pained grunt as he landed on his ass on the ground, the knife skidding on the floor until it stopped a few feet away from him. My breaths sawing in and out of my chest, I almost burst into tears when I saw the person who’d burst into the room.Hunter. Standing in the center of the room, he was big, intimidating, and he looked so royally pissed, even I shrank back against the chair I was sitting on. I’d never appreciated his size more than I did in that moment because seeing Derrick’s slumped form and then Hunter’s, I knew there was no way the former could face off against the latter. Which meant my unborn baby and I were going to get out of here alive. His eyes made one quick sweep of me. After confirming that I was unscathed—at least physically, he tu
A Game Of Temptation 61
ALEXWhen I entered the restaurant, my eyes scanned the tables for the woman I was supposed to be meeting here. I found her sitting at one of the tables to the right, going through the menu. Margaret Keaton was a beautiful woman. With dark brown hair peppered with streaks of silver, a round face bared, thanks to her hair pulled back in a ponytail, lips pulled up in a smile and green eyes bright and happy, she turned the eyes of both men and women. At fifty, she appeared far younger than her age. Had it not been for her rapidly greying hair, she would have been able to pass for mid-thirties. Making my way over to her, I ignored the curious glances thrown at me by a number of people. “Hi, Mom.”Eyes so similar to mine flew up in surprise. “Alex, I didn’t hear you come in!” Rising to her feet, she hugged me. I didn’t even have it in me to fake a smile as I hugged her back, kissing her cheek. As we sat down, mom’s too-knowing eyes coasted over me. “How have you been?”“Good. I’ve
A Game Of Temptation 60
LAURAI opened my mouth to speak but no word came out. I tried again. Nothing. My fingers started trembling and soon, my whole body was shaking. Oh my God. Derrick, the man who lived in my apartment building, who smiled and waved when he saw me, whom I’d given my phone number simply because I thought he was nice, was my stalker. Jesus Christ. Now I could see it. The soft tone of his messages one day then the next, he was being aggressive and forceful, just like how he’d gone from calm to livid right in front of me a while back. No wonder my building cameras hadn’t been able to find anyone strange coming and going. Because there was absolutely nothing strange about a tenant leaving his house and returning at the end of the day. My stalker had been living with me all along. So fucking close, and I’d been none the wiser. My shaking intensified when I remembered the things he’d said in some of his l
A Game Of Temptation 59
LAURAThe next time I opened my eyes, I was in a…room?I was sitting on a chair, which, along with a bed, bedside table and wardrobe, were the only things in the otherwise empty room.One minute I’d been walking at the beach and the next, I was in a room I couldn’t remember ever entering. How the hell had I ended up in this unfamiliar room? Squinting, I struggled to remember. Then I did. The masculine hand that had grabbed me from behind, pressing a cloth to my face, and that foul smell. My God, it had been so bad, I’d passed out from it. Wait. I’d passed out. Heart slamming against my rib-cage, I jerked up from the chair I was sitting on, but was pulled back down by a weight on my hands. I realized that both of my hands were handcuffed to the arms of the chair at the same moment what I assumed was the bathroom door opened and a big form stepped out. The shock that gripped me at the person standing in
A Game Of Temptation 58
LAURAIt was my third day at my mother’s house and she hadn’t smoked a single thing. She’d probably decided that she didn’t want to add any more to my suffering. Maybe she was abstaining simply because I was here, and for all the world, she could go back to smoking soon as I left. I’d take it. A win is a win. Speak of the devil. She appeared in the hallway, looking rather fresh in a bright short sleeved t-shirt paired with black leggings. It might sound like an exaggeration but to be honest, the dark circles under her eyes weren’t as obvious as they used to be. “Why, you’re positively radiant this morning!” She exclaimed, sitting on the arm of the couch I occupied. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed the remote, pausing the show I’d been watching. “Look who’s talking. Have you had a look in the mirror this morning?”“You’re just teasing me.”“Am not.” Just then, Jo walked into the house beaming, and I grinned a
A Game Of Temptation 57
ALEXShe blinked. “You can’t be serious.”I said nothing. The fact that I wanted to call the engagement off shouldn’t surprise her so much because I hadn’t wanted it in the first place. I’d only agreed to this insane idea because it had seemed appealing to my mother. Claire and I had dated for a few months in college before I’d caught her cheating. The thing was, during that short time, she’d somehow managed to worm her way into my family. Imagine my surprise when my mother had sent me a photo of the two shopping in Paris. Together. What my mother saw in her, I didn’t know—and didn’t care to.I admit that part of that was my fault because I hadn’t told my mother that I’d caught her cheating. Instead, I’d lied to her that the relationship simply hadn’t worked out so my mother had made it her life’s mission to make it work. Why didn’t I just tell my mother the truth, one might ask. Thing was, after the death
A Game Of Temptation 56
ALEXDarkness. That was the icy cold, unwelcome blanket that enveloped me when Laura left. I wasn’t sure if that was correct—or even possible—but I couldn’t explain it any better than that. With her gone, it felt like the very ground I walked on had been swept from right under my fucking feet and I’d been plunged into a bottomless, pitch-black pit, one where I’d been falling for the past hour. Still kneeling in the same spot I’d been when she walked out of the room and out of my life, I’d lost track of time. I couldn’t tell how long it had been, only that it had to have been a while because the hard floor was beginning to dig into my knees through the fabric of my pants. Saying that I didn’t have the strength to stand sounded like an exaggeration, but in truth, I had to muster every single atom of strength in my body to push to my feet, staggering to sit on the foot bench, bracing my elbows on my knees and dropping my face into my palms.Fuck. When we’d gone out to the doctor’s o
A Game Of Temptation 55
LAURA “No one dies from a broken heart.”That was my best friend’s attempt at reassuring me that I was, in fact, not going to die from this pain I felt. I doubted it, but I mustered a small smile at her and went back to what I’d been doing for the past hour—staring at the blank wall. I wasn’t sure why I’d even bothered to ask her when I knew the answer was a big fat yes.I firmly believed that I could very well die from the sheer amount of pain I was feeling. Everything on the inside of my body hurt. Every. Single. Thing. Hell, even breathing hurt. And for the first time in forever, I think I finally understood my mother and why she used. There was little I wouldn’t do to stop feeling like this. Balery sighed, placing the food tray she was carrying on the bedside table before sliding onto the bed, right next to me. “You have to eat something.”“I will,” I told her. “Now,” she ordered. “You haven’t eaten anything all day.”Rolling onto my back, I exhaled at the ceiling, regretti
A Game Of Temptation 54
LAURA “Fiancée,” I murmured, monotone, almost five minutes later. It was like an out of body experience when Alex had taken my arm and gently led me inside to sit on the couch. It was a good thing, because a few more seconds standing and my legs would have probably given out from the magnitude of the shock. “Oh dear,” I heard the woman murmur. The one who claimed she was Alex’s fiancée, that is. “Why does she look like she’s seen a ghost?” Alex didn’t respond. He lowered to his haunches in front of me and took my hands in his. “Baby, this isn’t what it looks like—”“What do you mean it’s not what it looks like?” The woman cut in. “Didn’t you tell her you’re engaged?” “When she leaves, I’ll explain everything to you. Please,” Alex continued, ignoring her. My vision was blurry so I couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly but he sounded panicked. Scared even. If this wasn’t what it looked like, then why was he scared? Why did he look so fucking guilty? Why wasn’t he denyin
