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Chapter 93
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Contracted Husband Chapter 94
From my position, I can clearly see inside the gallery through the long windows that flank the entrance. It’s exactly what I’d expect an art gallery to look like—a large, open industrial space with a high ceiling that exposes beams and duct work, the supporting walls made of red brick and wood flooring.However, there are several narrow walls at various angles on which art is displayed that block part of the view to the back.Was he shot here before he somehow made his way to the Hudson? Was he chased and forced into the water?My gaze follows an invisible trail from the building to the river, mapping all possible routes.When I feel enough of a crowd has gathered inside that I can easily walk around unnoticed, I head toward the entrance. The security guard, who’s dressed as well as the patrons, greets me, moving aside to allow me in.A man in black slacks and a white button-up shirt lifts a silver tray filled with champagne flutes. “Drink, sir?”“Thank you,” I say, taking one. But I
Contracted Husband Chapter 95
“Raw, huh?” It’s her throaty laughter that has me finally turning to her, and I wish I hadn’t.The sight of this girl is a sledgehammer to the gut. I’m left unable to breathe or think. All I can do is take her in. The fiery long waves that frame her perfect face and accentuate large brilliant-blue eyes and pouty pink lips.In the span of a few seconds, a hundred images and thoughts whirl through my brain. What would those pink lips taste like? What would they feel like pressed against my own or wrapped around my dick as she peers up at me with those insanely blue eyes.Is her hair as soft as it looks? I could dig my fingers into those curls, fist them in my hands as I do things to her that would leave us both sweaty and breathless.Would she let me?She’s not dressed to blend like everyone else. Instead of the black or white that seems to be the color of choice at a thing like this, she’s wearing a bright-yellow dress. The kind that might be more appropriate for a park on a sunny day,
Contracted Husband Chapter 96
Her lips quirk.Raya “was in my class at Pratt. Her least popular pieces are my favorite. But art speaks differently to everyone. That’s why they say it’s subjective. Like beauty.”Thinking beauty might be subjective with certain things, but not her—she is most definitely, factually, beautiful—I say, “You’re an artist too, then.”She shrugs. “Subjective. Some would say all I do is draw lines. Others see rainstorms.”“Some see beautiful trees,” I add. “And a beautiful woman.”Cheeks flushed again, she parts her lips. But before she can speak, someone calls from across the room.“Em!”We both turn to the man coming our way, his strides long and determined. When he reaches us, he’s staring at me, not her, his gaze hard and judgmental.Beside me, the girl flashes every shade of red, her eyes going from me to the man I recognize instantly as Harry Kane .“Dad, this is…” She narrows her eyes as if she’s trying to remember. “Actually, we didn’t introduce ourselves.”Dad? Did she just call him
Contracted Husband Chapter 97
A way in. And if I discover Harry did kill my father, she’ll not only become my prey.She’ll be my sweetest revenge.Natalia Don’t look back. Don’t look back.I stop with my foot on the first step of the stairs that lead to the offices, my hand on the iron rail, and peer over my shoulder.How could I not when I sense his gaze on me so intensely, he might as well be touching me?Nathan .He’s standing where I left him. And I was right. He’s still staring my way.His eyes seem to glow against his tan skin as he sends a wolfish grin my way, and my heart almost comes to a complete stop.There’s something a little scary about the way he watches me. Almost as if he knows me. Like he can see inside me and pluck every thought from my mind before I can even think it. Like he can intuit my desires before I feel them.Could he grant them too?A delicious shiver runs through me at the thought. Yes, definitely scary. And exciting.I smile back and nod before ascending to the second floor.There
Contracted Husband Chapter 98
“Raw, huh?” I asked. Then he turned to me and I forgot how to breathe. It was his eyes. I’ve never seen eyes like his before. The color of the sun shining through a jar of honey, with hues of rich caramel melting into bright gold and tiny specks of brown. But beneath all that glow was something else. Something that smoldered darkly deep under the surface, like pebbles you can almost make out at the bottom of a clear stream. So painfully beautiful, you want to reach in and hold one; however, you can’t be sure if what you’re really seeing is a stone or something dangerous lurking in the water, waiting for that unwitting victim. When he focused that honey gaze on mine, I felt it slice through me like a razor-thin blade and embed itself in my mind. I’ll never forget those eyes. The way they raked down to my feet and up to linger on my lips. It was all a blur of motion, where I could only register what he was doing, my own body completely forgotten. He licked his lips before he smiled.
Contracted Husband Chapter 99
“I’m not sleeping with him, for Christ’s sake.” I roll my eyes. “I just met him.”“Keep it that way. Trust me, Em. Don’t make the same mistakes I made. Don’t end up like me.”“Is it so bad where you are?” I ask him. “You’re still young, good-looking. Not all women are like her.”I don’t have to say who I’m talking about. He knows.Something sad crosses his expression, but he smiles nonetheless. “I’m aware of that. The problem is, we can’t tell the good from the bad. Especially when you’re blinded by love. Giving someone your heart is giving them the power to destroy it. No one should have that much power over you. Ever.”I let that sink in. He gave my mother the power to destroy his heart. When she left, he believed she’d done just that. Of course, she hadn’t. She merely injured him. If he’d been as fully obliterated as he thinks, he wouldn’t have managed to pull through. To take care of me and love me.But nothing I say will ever change his mind. I need to prove to him with actions t
Contracted Husband Chapter 100
“I know. But I’d rather have my own things. Goodnight, Dad.” I kiss his cheek and go upstairs to my room.Shutting the door gently behind me, I let out a long, exhausted breath. The white damask comforter on my wrought iron bed looks very inviting. But first, there’s something I’ve been itching to do.Kicking off my shoes, I go to my desk nestled under a bay window and open my laptop. I pull up my browser and search Nathan Manguire , New Jersey. When I hit Enter, one hundred thirty-five people come up.I go over them one by one, hating that I don’t have anything else to go on. What if he doesn’t even live in New Jersey? Why the hell am I doing this like a stalker? It’s not like I would do anything with the information I found. Or would I? Maybe I would. I could call him. Then I’d have to admit I was looking him up like a psycho.When I get to the last one and none of them are him, I retype his name as Nathan Manguire . It’s possible I misunderstood. Again, nothing.A great, big yawn l
Contracted Husband Chapter 101
As if he senses my need for more privacy, the pub owner moves farther down the bar and begins to fiddle with something.“The strange thing is,” John says, still typing away, “I’m not sure this is the first time it’s been done. Maybe Kane doesn’t want anyone to know he has a kid.”“If that were the case, he would’ve erased her completely.” I take a drink as I consider the possibilities. Shaking my head, I say, “No, he doesn’t want her erased. If he did, she wouldn’t have been at the gallery.”“It might not have been him who did it at all,” John suggests.“Keep digging,” I tell him. “This time, don’t stop until you hit rock.”“Yes, sir.”After I hang up, I search my phone for the photograph John sent me, the one where Natalia is just a child. Not that I need the picture to recall the brilliance of those electric-blue eyes I thought had been photoshopped when I first saw them.While she was a cute kid, now, she’s an unforgettable woman.I swallow thickly as the image in front of me disa
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