Page 36 of Vicious Kingdom

“Leonard, wait!” I called out.

His shoulders stiffened, and he threw me a dark look.

I held his piercing stare, enjoying the shiver of having something so powerful yet so volatile focused on me. “Thank you.” I gestured to the pit and the cart. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Don’t kid yourself, I’m not in the habit of leaving damsels stranded. It’s nothing special,” he said, voice dripping with disdain.

I let him go, ordering myself not to crumple under his harsh words. He was angry. He hadn’t spent the last five years longing for me, instead the separation let the situation fester. Any animal—human or beast—lashed out when they were hurting.

And I hurt him…badly.

“I forgive you,” I whispered to his retreating form. Damn me, but I always would. There was nothing he could say that would make me hate him. “I’ll give you time, but never space.”

No, there was no going back. I would be strong, let his words roll off me like the grains of sand until they stopped being sorough, so coarse—so spiteful. Because deep down, he cared. I felt it once, I’d tasted it with every sense. And I would move heaven and earth to unbury those feelings he tried to keep locked away for his own protection.

Chapter 14 – Annaliese

The walkout lower level of the lodge was a bar and grille. The double doors sprawled onto the patio, but this time of day, during the week, there was no one sitting outside. I hobbled into the pub, needing a moment to catch my breath. I made it the few feet from the clubhouse to the lodge, and that was as far as I dared traverse on my bummed ankle.

I swept a look around the dimly lit interior as my eyes adjusted to the change from daylight to dusk. I didn’t expect to see a pair of black eyes, but I was equally surprised by the brown ones lighting up at my presence.

“Annaliese! About time.” David shot from the barstool, where he’d been typing on his laptop, and hurried over to give me a hug.

I balked, unable to shift out of his reach. “What are you doing here?”

David sighed. “I know you were distracted on the phone the other day, but did you honestly not hear me say that I was coming out a week early?”

I hadn’t. “Why would you do that?”

The questions sounded harsh to my own ears. A girl should be thrilled her guy came to see her!

The problem was, I was never really David’s girl.

I untangled myself from him and did my best to hide the limp on my way to the barstool.

“It worked better with my schedule to come now, and then leave a week earlier,” he explained.

And there was the reason my heart didn’t flutter at his presence. He was modern, pragmatic—boring. This wasn’t a grand gesture from the silver screen. This was self-serving and purely business.

I really don’t belong with him.I wanted romance, something thrilling and filled with devotion. The only reason I allowed the engagement to continue was to use the poor sonofabitch to keep my parents from setting me up with some offspring of their friend. After another attempt on my mother’s part to set me up with the Prestons’ divorced son, I told them I was dating someone, and if I had to play the engagement card, I would.

But my hope had been that things would move fast enough in the direction I wanted, so there would be no need to reveal that shameful detail.

“So this place is quaint,” David mused, brandishing his hand at the walls.

“I think it’s charming.” I flagged down the bartender. Christopher brought me a club soda and lemon without asking—good man. “Want to go sit outside? The breeze is cooler in the shade.”

And I can think more clearly out there.

David agreed and packed up his laptop. I moved forward, going for the door. It opened before I reached it.

My eyes snapped to the black pair staring hard at me.

Leo stepped to the side, holding open the door. “Miss Hertz.”

“Mr. Baldwin, thank you,” I breathed.

“How charming. Midwest manners, holding the door.” David chuckled. “That’s unnecessarily old-fashioned of you, Mr. Baldwin.”