Read Sweet Revenge (Dueling with the Devil) for Free Online
Authors: Vivi Dumas
off the floo r, when Jacque caught her arm.
“ Can I steal you for a moment ?” His intense green eyes bored into her soul.
She bit the inside of her cheek and balled her hands to keep them from shaking .“ Where’s the wifey? She know you’re out h e r e w i t h m e ? ”
Fear and doubt darkened Jacque’s features .“ I told her what I was doing. I figured I owed you one last dance .” A smile crawled across his fac e, disappearing into those delicious dimples. She remembered why he had stolen her heart so long ago. Who could resist that smile?
As J a h ei m began to croon his soulful melod y, Jacque surrounded her like a cocoon. She was at home in his arm s, comfortable. She suppressed her amusement when she recalled this was the very reason she ran from him in the first place. Bell thrived on passion and excitement. Comfort equated to boredom.
His lips grazed her ear .“ I’m sorr y , ” he whispered.
She raised her hea d, immersed in the haunting depths of his emerald pools .“ Too late to be sorry. All those years we spent together. Never once did you ever ask me to be your wife. A few months with the human and she’s sporting a three carat rock on her hand . ”
He loosened his hold on her .“ You didn’t want to marry me. You didn’t even want to be monogamous with me . ”
“ You knew who I was. Why couldn’t it be enough for you? I gave you everything I ha d, but it wasn’t ever good enough .” She spoke more to his chest as she could no longer manage to meet his stare.
He pulled her i n, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead. Bell rested her head on his ches t, listening to the steady sounds of his breathing .“ You are special. We just have two different paths to travel. I need someone who needs me and only me. Angel allowed me to be her everything. She needed me to save her more than I needed saving. That brought me strength . ”
“ I guess I was holding you bac k , ” she scoffed.
She could hear the strain in his voice .“ I think we held each other back. There’s someone out there for you. I know you don’t believe in lov e, but once you find that perso n, you’ll change your mind. Maybe the n, you’ll understand . ”
His words stung like alcohol in a wound. She had lost him .“ Love is overrated. Love only brings pain. It’s a wea k, human emotio n, not fit to be brought to the surface. Leave it to our resident empath demon to speak of love. No w, I remember why we couldn’t make it work . ”
He tipped her chi n, forcing her to face him .“ You’re wr o n g . ”
Tears threatened to escap e, her throat constricted. Bell tore herself from Jacque’s arms. She refused to let him see her cry. In the course of their fifty-year relationship and twenty or so breakup s, she never allowed her emotions to surface. Tonigh t, she couldn’t stop it. Bell did something else she never imagined herself doing. Ran.
Bell slowly inhaled in and ou t, with her back pressed into the door of the bathroom stall. She was relieved the VIP section had its own restrooms; only Angel and her girls would have access. Thank Lucifer they weren’t in there. The knot in her gut grew into a t a ut spasm. Her dinner threatened to reappear with an unwelcomed vengeance. This couldn’t be happening to her. Only weak-minded females allowed a man to get to them. Isn’t this what her mother taught her? It was her role to control her men. And ye s, there was usually more than one. She needed their energy and strength to survive. One partner wasn’t enough to maintain her powers.
The anger and panic abated. She jumped when the outside door to the bathroom slammed. A familiar voice calle d, “ Hey. Bell. Get your ass out here . ”
She wiped her face on her arm. She couldn’t imagine what she resembled at the moment .“ What do you want ?” she returne d, holding her voice stead y, even when her nerves still fluttered.
The door handle to her stall jiggled .“ I don’t know what the fuck
“ Can I steal you for a moment ?” His intense green eyes bored into her soul.
She bit the inside of her cheek and balled her hands to keep them from shaking .“ Where’s the wifey? She know you’re out h e r e w i t h m e ? ”
Fear and doubt darkened Jacque’s features .“ I told her what I was doing. I figured I owed you one last dance .” A smile crawled across his fac e, disappearing into those delicious dimples. She remembered why he had stolen her heart so long ago. Who could resist that smile?
As J a h ei m began to croon his soulful melod y, Jacque surrounded her like a cocoon. She was at home in his arm s, comfortable. She suppressed her amusement when she recalled this was the very reason she ran from him in the first place. Bell thrived on passion and excitement. Comfort equated to boredom.
His lips grazed her ear .“ I’m sorr y , ” he whispered.
She raised her hea d, immersed in the haunting depths of his emerald pools .“ Too late to be sorry. All those years we spent together. Never once did you ever ask me to be your wife. A few months with the human and she’s sporting a three carat rock on her hand . ”
He loosened his hold on her .“ You didn’t want to marry me. You didn’t even want to be monogamous with me . ”
“ You knew who I was. Why couldn’t it be enough for you? I gave you everything I ha d, but it wasn’t ever good enough .” She spoke more to his chest as she could no longer manage to meet his stare.
He pulled her i n, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead. Bell rested her head on his ches t, listening to the steady sounds of his breathing .“ You are special. We just have two different paths to travel. I need someone who needs me and only me. Angel allowed me to be her everything. She needed me to save her more than I needed saving. That brought me strength . ”
“ I guess I was holding you bac k , ” she scoffed.
She could hear the strain in his voice .“ I think we held each other back. There’s someone out there for you. I know you don’t believe in lov e, but once you find that perso n, you’ll change your mind. Maybe the n, you’ll understand . ”
His words stung like alcohol in a wound. She had lost him .“ Love is overrated. Love only brings pain. It’s a wea k, human emotio n, not fit to be brought to the surface. Leave it to our resident empath demon to speak of love. No w, I remember why we couldn’t make it work . ”
He tipped her chi n, forcing her to face him .“ You’re wr o n g . ”
Tears threatened to escap e, her throat constricted. Bell tore herself from Jacque’s arms. She refused to let him see her cry. In the course of their fifty-year relationship and twenty or so breakup s, she never allowed her emotions to surface. Tonigh t, she couldn’t stop it. Bell did something else she never imagined herself doing. Ran.
Bell slowly inhaled in and ou t, with her back pressed into the door of the bathroom stall. She was relieved the VIP section had its own restrooms; only Angel and her girls would have access. Thank Lucifer they weren’t in there. The knot in her gut grew into a t a ut spasm. Her dinner threatened to reappear with an unwelcomed vengeance. This couldn’t be happening to her. Only weak-minded females allowed a man to get to them. Isn’t this what her mother taught her? It was her role to control her men. And ye s, there was usually more than one. She needed their energy and strength to survive. One partner wasn’t enough to maintain her powers.
The anger and panic abated. She jumped when the outside door to the bathroom slammed. A familiar voice calle d, “ Hey. Bell. Get your ass out here . ”
She wiped her face on her arm. She couldn’t imagine what she resembled at the moment .“ What do you want ?” she returne d, holding her voice stead y, even when her nerves still fluttered.
The door handle to her stall jiggled .“ I don’t know what the fuck