Read Online A Vengeful Affair by Carmen Falcone - Free Book Online Page A

least look into her accusation, just as she knew Molly hadn’t committed suicide. Call it intuition or instinct—whatever it was, she trusted it. She had made progress.
    The knowledge should have brought her some comfort. It should not have been clashing with growing doubts.
    But it was.
    “What are you looking at?” Javier asked, arching an eyebrow.
    “Your scar,” she blurted out. “Did you get hurt at cricket?”
    “No.” A curt reply.
    “Rugby?”
    Certainly a man like Javier, born and bred into the upper crust of Spanish society, had not been scarred doing something noble. A sports injury was the most likely scenario.
    “It was a fight,” he said tightly.
    “How sophisticated.”
    “I was eight.”
    Vivian stopped short. Eight. “Was the other child hurt, as well?”
    “It wasn’t a child. It was my stepfather, back in Spain.” He almost sounded casual, but she noticed the tension in his jaw and the careful way he pronounced the words, as if each one of them carried a heavy weight.
    “I’m sorry.” Vivian bit down on her lip so hard, she could taste the blood inside her mouth. Her first impulse was to touch him, to comfort him, but she pulled back her hand before it was too late.
    She couldn’t hug him. This was the man who put her best friend through hell. This was the man who had handcuffed her last night.
    “You didn’t know rich kids get beaten, too?” He sounded angry, but before she could respond, he spoke again, and this time he’d removed all the emotion from his voice. “It was a long time ago.”
    The pain that remained in his eyes told her that the real scar was rooted deep inside his soul.
    She chastised herself silently. You have no business being anywhere near his soul.
    But still, she wondered. Did it happen often? Did his mother know?
    He strolled in the direction of the suite, motioning to her to do the same. Vivian went along, although her heart resisted following his orders, even as her legs obeyed.
    She had to say something. She couldn’t give him a hug, nor could she use his troubled past to justify his actions. But for reasons she couldn’t understand, she just couldn’t drop the subject. “Despite what you may think, I really am—”
    “Don’t.” His warning glance told her this was none of her business.
    Vivian nodded. Who was she to push a subject he’d probably only brought up to make her feel bad? Yet the unbearable silence made her more aware of her pounding heart and sweating palms. To escape the torturous thoughts that threatened to cloud her judgment, she asked, “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
    “Since my bodyguard can’t resist your charms, tomorrow I won’t let you out of my sight.”
    “If you want something done, do it yourself?” she asked as he opened the door to their suite. Vivian looked at the hallway one last time, staring at the elegant striped wallpaper and the Louis XIV chairs located at the far end of the hall, close to the elevator. She saw the shadow of the bodyguard coming toward them and knew he would guard her room even at night.
    There’s no way out, is there?
    “After being cuffed, hostage to a spa day, and then forced to dance with you at the ball, I must say I’m worried about what else you can do to me.” Vivian had meant to say it playfully, to relax the elevated tension between them. But a nervous chuckle followed the words, and Javier cocked his head.
    “I can do a lot more.” His husky voice sent a chill chasing down her spine.
    She gripped the skirt of her dress with shaking fingers, lifting it slightly so she could get to her room more quickly. She could feel his eyes on her, and she became aware it wasn’t just his gaze—he was walking dangerously close behind her.
    She stopped in front of her door and turned around to look at him. His door was across from hers, but the way he stood beside her, his eyes burning into hers as he leaned close, Javier didn’t look as if he was about to go to his