Neutral Grounds by Jiffy Kate

Author:Jiffy Kate [Kate, Jiffy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indepenedently Published
Published: 2019-10-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

CeCe

I try not to look at Phillip or register the way his hands feel like they’re burning through my skin—and not in a good way—but I also can’t look at Shep. If I did, I know I’d see fury and possessiveness all over his face. But Phillip is looking for a reaction from his son and I refuse to be the catalyst for that.

We’ve made it this far and the night is almost over. I can make it through five minutes on a crowded dance floor with Phillip Rhys-Jones.

“You know this isn’t going to last.”

It’s not a question, it’s a statement. And one that I refuse to acknowledge. It feels like a trap. If I start defending Shep, it’ll sound like I’m trying to convince him this is real. Which it’s not, but if it was, I still wouldn’t acknowledge a comment like that. It doesn’t deserve my time and energy, so I don’t give in to him.

“So, how much is he paying you?”

Okay, that’s a question and I honestly didn’t see it coming.

Stupid me.

He must feel the way I tense beneath his touch. I tried to quell it but couldn’t.

“Ahh, that’s it, huh,” he continues. I don’t even have to look up to know there’s a smug grin on his face. My heart starts to beat a little faster. What does it matter if he knows about our agreement? Shep seems to think it’s common, unspoken knowledge, so maybe I should be brutally honest and rub it in his face.

Yeah, I agreed to marry your son for a year so he can claim his inheritance and save himself from the depths of hell.

That’s what this place is, and Phillip Rhys-Jones is the devil himself.

“That money is supposed to be mine.” This time, when he speaks, his tone holds brittle anger I haven’t heard from him before and his hold on me tightens. “You’re fucking up my plan and I don’t appreciate it.”

His plan?

What plan?

The money is Shep’s, providing he stays married for a year. End of story.

“Shepard is stupid and reckless,” he mutters, almost to himself. “He’s too much like his grandfather and he doesn’t even know it.”

There’s a long pause and for a split second I think the song will finally end and save me from my misery, so I take the opportunity to say my piece. “This is Shep’s life, not yours. He gets to choose who he marries, and now, he’ll also have the freedom to choose what he does with the rest of it.”

Phillip’s evil laugh makes me regret even responding. I should’ve kept my mouth shut, but like Shep, I’m beginning to feel protective. I can’t stand here and let Phillip spew his nasty words. Along with everyone else at this shindig, he needs a good dose of reality.

“Oh, Cecelia.” The use of my real name makes my back stiffen and Phillip pulls back to look me in the eye. “Don’t seem so shocked. I know everything there is to know about you.

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