CH.4

EVANGELINE

Gael's hand began sliding slowly from my waist toward my backside, the touch making my skin crawl with revulsion and fear.

"You're not ignorant of what I mean, are you?" The threat was crystal clear, and I had no doubt he would follow through on it.

There was something in his eyes that told me he would enjoy every moment of my suffering, that my pain would bring him pleasure.

But then his touch changed, becoming something far more dangerous. His fingers traced along my spine with deliberate expertise, finding nerve points I didn't even know existed.

A shock of unwanted sensation shot through me, and my body arched involuntarily against him.

"No," the word came out breathless and needy.

His other hand slid up to cup the back of my neck and began stroking the sensitive skin there with maddening precision.

Heat pooled low in my belly. I felt myself melting against him despite every rational thought screaming at me to run.

"Your body doesn't lie," he murmured darkly in my ear, sending tremors down my spine. "It knows exactly what it wants."

His hand moved lower with fingers splaying across the small of my back, pulling me even more flush against him.

I could feel the hard lines of his body, the heat radiating from him, and my treacherous body responded with a hunger that terrified me.

A soft moan escaped my lips before I could stop it.

"That's it," his voice was dark with satisfaction. "Let go, Evangeline.”

His mouth found the pulse point at my throat, and my knees nearly gave out.

My hands, which had been pushing against his chest, suddenly fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away.

The realization of what I was doing… that I was practically begging for more from the man who planned to destroy me  hit me like ice water.

God, what was wrong with me?

Shame and self-disgust crashed over me in waves so violent I thought I might be sick.

How could I want him? How could my body crave the touch of someone who promised to make me suffer?

"I can't—" I gasped.

My heart beat wildly, panic rising inside me from the impact of his words and movements, but now there was another layer of terror - the fear that I was already lost, that he'd found the key to controlling me in ways I'd never imagined possible.

I wrenched myself free from his grip, which loosened smoothly around me. He'd gotten exactly what he wanted, proof that he could make me burn for him, that my body would betray every principle I held dear.

Then I bolted from the room like the hounds of hell were chasing me, and perhaps they were. The worst part was the aching emptiness I felt the moment his hands left my body, the way my skin still tingled from his touch, the shameful desire for more that I couldn't seem to kill no matter how hard I tried.

The knowledge I wanted my own destroyer would be my deepest shame, and somehow, I knew he was counting on exactly that.

Cordelia's room was my first destination.

I stormed in without even knocking, my wedding dress rustling around me as I moved.

"Evangeline?"

She examined me from head to toe with obvious suspicion, taking in my flushed face and disheveled appearance.

I must have looked like I'd seen a ghost or a demon.

"Cordelia, can I stay with you tonight? Please?"

The desperation in my voice was unmistakable.

I saw concern flicker across her features. She moved closer to where I stood, caressing my cheek with her thumb while a smile formed on her lips.

"What's wrong? Your face is completely flushed! Was my brother so rough that you ran away from him?"

She nudged me with her shoulder, eyebrows dancing mischievously, yet there was something forced about her playfulness.

Did she know? Did she know the kind of man her brother really was?

"I can stay, right? Please!"

She pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to muffle what sounded like nervous laughter rather than genuine amusement.

"How shy you are, dear. This will happen sooner or later anyway."

She spoke while winking at me.

I swallowed nervously when I realized what she meant, and the implications made me feel sick.

"I'll get you something to wear." She bustled around her room, gathering nightclothes for me while I stood there trying to process what had just happened.

My wedding night, and I was hiding in my new sister-in-law's room like a frightened child – which I realized with growing horror, was exactly what I was.

"Here, put this on. You'll be more comfortable."

She handed me a soft cotton nightgown, much more practical than the elaborate lingerie Mom had packed for me.

The innocent white fabric felt like armor against whatever darkness awaited me.

"Cordelia," I began hesitantly as I changed, "Has Gael always been so... difficult?"

Her movements paused, and I saw something flicker across her face. Something that looked almost like fear.

"He wasn't always like this," she said quietly. "Something happened a few years ago that changed him. Dad won't talk about it, but I know it was bad. He's been different ever since."

"What kind of thing?"

She shook her head though I caught the way her hands trembled slightly.

"I don't know the details. Whatever it was, it broke something inside him. Dad thinks you might be able to help him heal."

I wanted to laugh at the irony, but the sound that came out was more like a sob.

How could I heal someone who seemed determined to destroy me? How could I fix someone who might be beyond repair?

~

Despite my exhaustion and intense desire to sleep, his words continued echoing inside my head, robbing my eyelids of rest.

I focused my gaze on Cordelia, who had fallen asleep shortly before, but even her peaceful breathing couldn't calm my racing thoughts.

My gaze remained fixed on the ceiling as I wondered where things would lead between Gael and me. The threatening message from this morning seemed almost trivial compared to the very real threat my new husband posed.