Chapter 128

The pounding in Anna’s head wouldn’t stop. She groaned and opened her eyes. Levi opened his eyes a second after hers. What time was it? The sun was barely up.

“I’ve got a helluva hangover,” he mumbled, but smiled at her.

There was that pounding again. Anna looked up and realized it wasn’t her head, even though there was a definite pounding going on in there, too.

Levi frowned. “Fucking roommate.” He kissed her. “Probably forgot his key. I’ll be right back.”

He stood and pulled on his jeans as he walked out, holding his head.

Anna laughed and rolled to her back and then winced. Oh, she didn’t remember ever feeling like this before. She rubbed her face and then heard loud voices from the living room. What had happened?

“Where is she?” came a familiar voice.

Anna’s heart dropped. Kurt.

“You’re the fiancé?”

“You know about me?”

“Why do you think I took her out, you asshole?”

Anna didn’t hear Kurt’s response and she frantically looked around for her clothes.

Kurt slammed open the door and took in the sight of her naked in another man’s bed. His eyes narrowed and he threw something at her. “Get dressed.”

Anna looked down. He’d thrown clothes at her. A pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She narrowed her eyes at him. “How dare you barge in here on me like this!”

Kurt’s eyes flashed. “How dare I?” He growled. “What the hell were you doing going out with him, anyway?” Between his anger and his accent, it was difficult to understand what he was saying, but Anna got the picture. He was angry. It was frightening.

Levi appeared behind Kurt. “I’m not going to let you take her and hurt her.”

Kurt pressed his lips together. “I will not hurt her.” Kurt glared at Anna, but when he spoke again, his tone was softer. “Get dressed, please.”

Anna pulled on the clothes before standing. She glanced at Levi and gave him an apologetic smile. “He won’t hurt me.” Hopefully...

There was a pair of flat sandals in the bundle Kurt had thrown and she slipped those on before trying to comb out her hair with her hands.

“You are fine.” He grabbed her hand and yanked her toward the door.

She jerked her hand out of his. “Let me get my things.” She picked up her rumpled clothes and purse and stalked out of the room. She paused as she passed Levi. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, giving him a sad smile.

Kurt jabbed a finger into Levi’s chest. “If you ever touch her again, hell will rain down on you.”

Kurt was a few inches taller than Levi, and much broader, but Levi refused to shrink beneath his glare. “If I find out you’ve hurt her, I will rain hell down on you,” he retorted.

Kurt blinked, glanced at Anna, then back at Levi, then grabbed Anna’s hand and pulled her out of the apartment.

It was a silent ride through the city to Anna’s apartment. When they finally walked into her place, she left him in the living room to take a shower without saying a word.

Her entire body shook with anger as she turned on the water. He hadn’t shown up for two and a half months—even when she was sick—and then showed up on the one night she went out on a date? One date! Was he having someone follow her? The thought riled her to the core. How dare he!

After she was dressed, she stalked out to the living room where he was pacing.

He stopped and stared at her. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Me? What the hell is wrong with you?” She glared at him. “You don’t bother to call me when I’m sick, but decided that today was a great day to come visit me? Or did you know I went out last night?”

“Of course I knew you went out last night. Why else would I be here?”

“I don’t know, maybe because you actually cared about me? That you had recovered from whatever bug had gotten up your ass that turned you into a fucking bastard?”

Kurt’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Gone was sweet, docile Anna. In her place was Katrina, strong woman of New York. She smiled at the image of her standing in the middle of Times Square, hands on her hips, a red cape streaming out behind her.

“I told you to be discreet.”

“Oh, like you were discreet, meeting up with Jasmine after you threw my engagement ring at me?” Through Stef, Anna had learned that it was her fellow principal dancer, Jasmine, that had met Kurt at his hotel after the gala. “You fucking asshole!” She looked around for something to throw, finally deciding on a sandal she’d left out the day before.

He ducked out of the line of fire. “How did you know?” At least he had the decency to look ashamed.

“It’s a fucking dance company, Kurt. Everyone knows. No wonder I was getting sympathetic looks a week later.”

“There are different standards for men?—?”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit, Kurt. I’ve probably fucked three times as many people as you have. I’m not sweet and innocent and you know it. Why are you making me pretend to be? Why the hell did you give me a ring this far from when we could actually get married? You could at least let me have some fun before crushing the life out of me again.”

“I am trying to keep you safe.”

“From what? Having a good time?”

“No. From getting hurt.”

“Ha!” She snorted. “You failed.” She shook her head in disbelief, lowering the volume of her voice. “You have hurt me far more than any other man ever has.” She glared at him. “I never expected much from men. I was born to be their plaything. But you spent years pretending to be nice, and I was stupid enough to expect more from you. God, I was so stupid!” She walked to the window. “You’re all the same,” she said bitterly. “Even Alex abandoned me.”

“How dare you speak about Alex that way! What happened was not his fault.”

“I told him I had a bad feeling about it. That he shouldn’t go.” She clenched her jaw. “But he went anyway.” A sob escaped from her throat. “He broke his promise to me. He didn’t come home.”

Kurt stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “Anna... Look, I am sorry about coming here like this. I honestly came to apologize...”

She spun around. “Apologize?” She laughed bitterly and pushed him away. “I will play your game, Kurt. I will be your perfect fiancée. The one that all Elder-Sons need.” She softened her voice, tinging it with seduction. “I will keep you well pleased in bed and make you feel things you’ve never imagined.” Her eyes narrowed and her voice grew harsh again. “But I will never love you.”

His mouth dropped open and he stared at her. “Anna?—?”

She stepped away. “Don’t. If you want sex, just tell me.” She lowered her voice once more. “I will make all your fantasies come true...” She tilted her head. “Are there any other indiscretions that you’re aware of that I need to be more careful about?”

His eyes widened, dilated as she ran her hand up his chest. “M-more indiscretions?”

She nodded sweetly. “Do you know about the other men I’ve slept with since you’ve been gone?” Not that there was anyone except Mr. J, but he didn’t need to know that.

“H-how many are there?”

“You said you didn’t care.”

He lifted his chin. “Maybe I do care.” He stepped closer, his eyes full of heat, reached his hand around her waist, and pulled her close. “I care, Anna,” he whispered before crushing his lips to hers.

She resisted for a moment before remembering that it was her duty to please him, and pushed him to the couch. He sat down heavily and she slowly kneeled between his legs.

She smiled up at him as she unfastened his jeans. “Just like when we met, huh?” She pulled his cock out to take it into her mouth. She sucked and licked it, running her tongue along the bottom and then swirling it around the head. He groaned and laced his hands through her hair, mumbling in German.

She put forth her best effort and his balls quickly tightened against his body. He groaned loudly as he came in her mouth. She swallowed everything he gave her, and he laid his head back on the couch as she fixed his jeans.

She sat back on her heels, lowered her gaze, and clasped her hands in her lap. “Is there anything else I can do for you, my lord?”

His head snapped up and she felt him staring at her. He cursed in German and jumped to his feet. He took two steps away and then turned back around, pointing a finger at her. “Do not make me come back and pull you out of another man’s bed, Anna. Use more discretion next time.” He huffed and spun around, storming out the apartment door.

She flinched at the slamming door and then curled into a ball on the floor and burst into tears.