Once again, my father looked at me like I was worthless. “Fine. I have plenty of men who would be happy to oblige. I shouldn’t have depended on you in the first place.”
“Yes…you shouldn’t have depended on me to rape someone.” My mother would roll in her grave if she knew I did something like that. She would be screaming right now if she knew my father had taken this so far. “Don’t do this. Please. I didn’t marry Arwen so we could rape and murder innocent people.” I’d never begged someone to do anything, but my pride couldn’t stop me from doing it now.
He opened the door to his truck and turned back to look at me. “Get in my way, and I’ll kill you—and your wife.”
22
Arwen
After I finished my performance at the opera, I changed my clothes in the dressing room then slipped out the back to head to my car in the rear of the building. The street was usually deserted, and there was plenty of parking because it was designated for staff only. With my keys in hand, I approached my black Mercedes.
“Arwen.” A deep voice sounded behind me, masculine and authoritative.
I knew it wasn’t Maverick, but I turned around to size up the man who followed me. He held flowers in his hand, lilies and roses, and he wore a collared shirt and slacks, like he’d been in the audience just minutes ago. To top it off, he was handsome.
He smiled at me before he came closer. “Okay, I know this looks super creepy, so let me explain. I asked the stage guys to give these to you, but they said you’d already left. I got your name from the program they hand out. That’s how I ended up here…chasing you in the dark like a weirdo.”
He seemed so normal, I realized. Something I wasn’t used to.
“I wanted you to have these. You put on quite the show.”
“Thank you.” I took the flowers from him, and automatically, I smelled them. “They’re beautiful.”
“And I was hoping I could ask you out…even though I see that beautiful diamond on your left hand. I’m not the kind of guy that normally goes for married women, but you kinda stole my obsession the moment I saw you.”
I never took my ring off unless I was home. Now it was an extension of me, a piece of jewelry I flaunted because I loved it…even though it didn’t actually mean anything. “My husband and I have an open relationship…” I wouldn’t give him the specifics because it was a secret I needed to hide.
“That works out well nicely for me. So, can I take you to dinner?”
I would love to walk to a restaurant together and share a bottle of wine, a spur-of-the-moment meeting with a handsome stranger. My entire life was ahead of me, and anything could happen. If only I were unattached, I could really enjoy it. “I can’t really be in public. How about we order a pizza and go to your place?”
His grin widened, like the suggestion was better than the one he’d had. “Perfect.”
The sex was good. It was unplanned and spontaneous, and the mystery was so exciting that it made the sex better than it really was. This handsome man could be anyone, a long-term lover or maybe the man I’d fall in love with.
Maverick gave me hope that I could still have all of my dreams. When enough time passed, we could drop the charade and sign the divorce papers so we could go our separate ways. I could get married the right way. Fall in love with someone first—and then vow to love him for the rest of my life.
I had to admit that sex with Maverick was better. He was bigger, more dominant, and he could kiss more masterfully than anyone else. But that was just casual sex between two friends—and it meant nothing to either one of us.
I lay in bed next to Henry, his naked body wrapped around mine. He had dirty-blond hair and blue eyes, completely different from Maverick in every way. He was strong and muscular, but he didn’t have that chiseled physique I was used to.
Henry ran his fingers down my back. “Sleep over.”
Maverick was under the impression I was coming home, and I needed to tell him if my plans had changed. If I didn’t at least text him, he would blow up my phone with a vengeance. He didn’t care where I went or who I slept with. He just wanted to know where I was and when I would be coming home. “Let me call my husband and let him know.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, clearly surprised by the mechanics of my marriage. “Wow, you guys are really open.”
“Yeah…we’re good friends.”
“If you were my wife, I wouldn’t share you with anybody.” He leaned over and kissed my neck and shoulder, devouring me with anxious lips.