Read Unhinged for Free Online Page A

intimidate you. He’s a good man,” he kindly reminded me, regaining my ultimate purpose for being here tonight.
    Feeling a little better, I released a breath. “I know. I quite know he is.”
    His brow rose. “Alors then, what are you waiting for?” He obliged me with an encouraging smile.
    Seriously? Hadn’t I been vigilantly praying for this moment to happen? So, what in the world was wrong with me? Whatever happens tonight, I will not allow myself to regret a damn thing, I quietly vowed to myself.
    “ Bonne nuit, Benoît.”
    “ Bonne nuit,” he whispered with a bow before leaving me to my own devices.
    Gripping the stem of the champagne flute, I used my free hand to open the door. Then I held my breath and gradually made my way inside the lavishly styled penthouse suite.
    Well, here goes nothing … or everything.
    “ Isobel.”
    I heard my name echo across the room, making the hairs on the back of my neck salute to the owner of the voice’s attention.
    Taking a deep breath, I took a moment to search for him in the dim lighting, finally spotting him leaning next to the curtain, looking sexy as fuck.
    God, Hugo, you’re killing me. Literally. How in the bloody hell would I survive tonight if I could barely breathe just from gazing at him?
    I wanted him like I had never wanted anything in my life. Forbidden fruit, I sure hoped he wasn’t.

Chapter 7
    Isobel
     
    “ Hugo,” I uttered, sounding more like a desperate, sex-starved moan than anything. Bloody Hell, I needed to get it together.
    Unmoving from his rather compelling, sexy post, he cocked his head to the side, as if surveying my outfit and all that was amply displayed for his pleasure. “I must say, you look rather … different since I saw you this afternoon.”
    The emphasis on the word felt more like it was jab at me. I wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t come over to greet me, his serious display of aloofness that got to me, or maybe it was the alcohol that was provoking my thoughts, but I felt somehow reckless.
    “ Different … good? Or different bad?” My question meant to tease him so he could slowly warm towards me, but somehow, the effect was the opposite of what I had expected.
    “ Is this what Damen enjoys seeing you wear these days?” he asked in a derisive manner.
    Ah, I knew he was going to head towards the inevitable, didn’t I? There was the harshness about him that was present earlier today, but tonight, there was something else there. Was it contempt or disgust? Either way, it didn’t fail to make me feel cheap and surprisingly defensive.
    “ A woman should dress to entice the man she fancies, should she not?”
    “ So let me get this straight. You were with Damen before coming here, right? Why didn’t you let lover boy tag along? I’d love to meet the man of your dreams, Isobel.”
    Why must he be so difficult? Why must he start with verbal attacks before I even had the chance to warm up for battle? Bloody fuck, he wasn’t making it easy at all.
    “ I didn’t come to see you to discuss Damen, Hugo. I’d rather leave that subject alone.”
    “ Nothing’s changed with you, always directing what I can and cannot do.” He snorted before taking several determined strides to reach the bar without glancing at me.
    Pouring himself a glass from the crystal decanter, he instantly demolished its contents while I watched his throat bob up and down, hypnotized by the kind of sexy display of simply being himself.
    Slamming the glass down, he then directed a hard glare at me. “What can I do for you, Isobel? If you needed money, you had a number to call without desperately needing to request my presence.”
    “ Money?” I squeaked, confused with his question. “Why would I need money? You’ve given me plenty of it.”
    “ I did, didn’t I? That’s the kind of bastard I am.”
    “ Hugo—” I said in a frustrated tone, while all of my collected confidence started to gradually crack. “I didn’t come here to