Sin "Father?" Her spine tenses.
The older man walks toward her.
"I’m sorry I wasn't here to walk you down the aisle."
I’d made sure of that. One of the many wedding gifts I’d had in store for my new bride.
Her father extends his hand, and she flinches. He folds his arm around her and draws her in for an embrace.
She stands stiffly in the circle of his arms as he pats her back.
She cringes and I clench my fists. Of course, I hadn’t expected the meeting between them to be effusive. After all,
the man had abandoned his daughters and left them to their own fate. But hey, I’m not completely heartless. I had
given her enough warning that he would be here... She hadn’t known exactly when and I’d made sure it would be
at her weakest. I’d wanted to see her fall apart in front of her father. Wanted to see how he’d react to seeing her
after all this time. Well, I have my answer. The bastard is
gloating at the chance to use her to further his own interests, while Summer is in complete shock.
If she’d been close to falling apart earlier, clearly, she’s reached the end of her tether.
Adam’s features twist. He glances past her and his gaze locks with mine. I tilt my head.
What will he do next? How will he orchestrate the rest of the meeting on which d epends the rest of his future? This
is what I excel at, right? Putting the pawns together, watching their interaction, enjoying their discomfort, and
waiting for something to give. It’s how I’ve won my business successes. Constantly on the move, looking for my
next victim, which in this case, happens to be him.
I should be happy, celebrating how I am so very close to getting revenge for everything I had lost. So, why is my
heart heavy? Why is there a burning sensation in my gut?
Adam’s lips twist in a half smile. He grips her arm; she pulls away.
He wraps his arm around her shoulders and every muscle in her body goes rigid. Fuck this. I cross the distance to
them.
"Aren’t you going to introduce us, Summer?"
She doesn’t react.
I slide my arm around her waist, tug her close.
Adam st eps back, a gleam in his dark eyes.
Bastard had been trying to get a response out of me.
He’d been trying to gauge how far my feelings for his daughter actually go. Have I underestimated him? I frown.
Did I make a mistake by calling him to be witness to this wedding?
Does Adam actually care about his daughter or is he trying to figure out how much I do, then use it against me?
It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a way to get what I want from him. I always do. Right now, I need to get my wife away
from the cause of her discomfort.
Her body trembles and I tuck her into my side.
"Adam Rhodes." The older man thrusts out his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you."
I glare at his palm, then tip my chin up, "Can’t say the same."
Summer shifts her weight from foot to foot.
I rub the curve of her hip, and she draws in a breath.
Some of the tension seems to drain out of her. Good.
"Well, at least you’re straight talking. We have that in common."
"Do we?" I thrust out my chin.
He raises his hands, "You invited me, Sinclair. When do we talk about the business proposition?"
My gut clenches and I tighten my hold on Summer. "You came this far for your daughter’s wedding, the least you
could do is pretend to be happy on her behalf."
"Hmm." He taps his chin. "Oh, I think my daughter understands how happy I am on her behalf." He peers
sideways. "Don’t you, Summer?"
She drops her head and her features fold into a hardened mask. I’ve never seen Summer this... cold, this defeated.
She’s been sassy, full of life, angry and upset... but always, always she’s worn her emotions on her sleeve.
It’s one of the things I’ve come to expect of her, that she can’t hide from me. That is also her appeal. It gives me
the security that she’ll speak her mind, challenge me, always get a rise from me. It is a fucking turn on. It’s also
what I miss the most right now. I don’t relish seeing her this defeated, this on the verge of being broken... Only I
get to do that.
"My wife is tired."
Summer doesn’t react to my using that term aloud.
Damn it, that isn’t good. Why isn’t she saying something?
"I think she needs to get some rest."
"Of course," he angles his body, "but first I want her to meet someone."
"Victoria," he beckons to the woman behind him. "Come dear, meet your st epdaughter."
A woman st eps forward. She’s wearing an exquisite golden-brown dress that falls to below her knees. The cut
clings to her curves and highlights her pale skin. Her dark hair is a lustrous cloud about her shoulders. She’s at
least two decades younger than Adam, about Summer’s age.
Broad forehead, sharp features, her ethereal beauty is enhanced by the haunted look in her eyes.
Behind me, I hear a sharp inhalation of breath. Saint draws abreast with me. I glance sideways and find him staring
at Victoria.
Victoria frowns then inches away from Adam. Her movement also takes her closer to Saint, who stares between
the two of them.
"Summer, it's lovely to meet you." Victoria stretches out a hand.
Summer swallows. "I didn’t realize..." "That you had a st epmother?"
“... that I had a father.” She spits out the words, then straightens.
Adam’s jaw firms. "I was hoping you two could get acquainted."
Saint shuffles his feet; his hands are clenched at his sides. Huh? It’s as if the man is upset about something.
Victoria’s lips twist, "I didn’t mean for this to come as such a surprise. I wish there had been a way I could have
warned you of our coming... but..."
Summer nods, "You don’t need to apologize." Her gaze travels to her father, her eyes narrowing, "I understand
how it could have been."
No doubt, the bastard planned this out, springing his new wife on his daughter. I clench my fists at my sides.
Victoria glances from Summer to me, "Perhaps, we can catch up once you are recovered from your wedding and
the honeymoon—"
"There is no honeymoon." I interject.
Summer’s body tenses again.
Damn it, I hadn’t meant for it to come out quite that way... Okay, so I had planned to drop that little piece of
knowledge at the most opportune time, which is clearly now, seeing the way Summer’s breath caught in her chest.
She tries to pull away and I grip her to me tighter.
"Not until we’ve sorted out the little business between us." I nod toward Adam. "Tomorrow."
Why am I postponing this meeting, one for which I’ve waited for so long?
I st ep around the couple. Summer follows my lead without protest. That’s so not like her. Clearly, her father’s
presence has completely taken the spirit out of her. It's not exactly what I’d intended. And I don’t like it, not one
bit. I increase my pace, dragging her along.
I hear Saint strike up a conversation with Adam’s wife, "So, Victoria, is it?"
"Mrs. Rhodes to you." Victoria cuts him off. "Are you the hired help?"