Vengeful in Love by Nadia Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

shoulder. The transformation was immediate and dramatic. Her eyes shuttered, ice replacing the warmth in them, and the smile left her lips.
    Natalie turned her head and saw Alex standing behind her. A dash of insolence twisted his lips.
    “How did
you
get in?” Emily said. Despite her size, she managed enough condescension to outdo any member of the French aristocracy.
    “The same way you did, I imagine. Massive donations, friendships based on mutual blackmail, wrecking the lives of those around me to satisfy a ruthless ambition…” He smiled charmingly. “The usual.”
    What the…?
Natalie glanced from Alex to Emily and back. How
had
he gotten an invitation? Maybe he knew Brian…or Belle, although she doubted it was the latter.
    “Don’t be so shy, dear.” Alex put his arm around her. “You didn’t tell me you knew Emily.”
    Natalie didn’t understand his game, but she had no intention of getting caught in the middle of it. “You didn’t ask.” She ducked out from under his arm and made a quick exit, heading toward the kitchen. Maybe a small bite before dinner would help settle the tension that had returned to her stomach.
    When she was almost to the kitchen door, Belle suddenly appeared in front of her. She was a fifth-carbon copy of her mother, from her blonde hair all the way down to her size-five shoes. Natalie gave Belle a curious look, then paled when she saw the couple coming up behind her.
    “Marcus,” Natalie whispered.
    She’d done her best to avoid any social situation where she might cross paths with her ex and his new wife. But here they were, directly—unavoidably—in front of her.
    Marcus saw her and paused, then put a hand on the small of his wife’s back. “Hi, Natalie.”
    A bright smile curved Belle’s lips. “You know Marcus, of course, but have you met Sandra? She’s expecting. Already! Isn’t it wonderful?”
    Natalie smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle on her dress. “Congratulations.”
    She couldn’t believe Belle was doing this. Belle had always enjoyed tormenting her, but this was taking things too far. It was one thing to be a malicious teaser, another to be downright cruel.
    Sandra looked at Natalie with an uncertain smile, then at Belle, then returned her attention to Natalie. “Thank you. This is a lovely party. You must be very happy for your father.”
    “Yes.” Natalie glanced at the vulgarly large diamond ring on Sandra’s finger and then to her slightly protruding stomach.
    Loved, married…and now pregnant.
    Jealousy should have been eating at her, but it wasn’t. Although she was sure that Belle had intended to embarrass and humiliate her, Natalie didn’t feel anything except relief that things hadn’t worked out between Marcus and her. Why had she feared facing him again so much? She couldn’t even remember what had been so dazzling about him.
    “There you are, darling.”
    Natalie felt Alex come up behind her. Before she could protest, he turned her around and planted a kiss on her cheek. Even though it was a casual peck, her senses came instantly alive. It was all she could do to keep her hands from reaching for his shoulders, her body craving another dose of the delicious heat from the morning. How could she have compared him to Marcus? Marcus paled against the intensity of Alex’s magnetism, like a match against a bonfire.
    She settled for slipping an arm around him, sensing Belle’s gaze boring into the back of her head and feeling a small bit of satisfaction and gratitude, along with an equal measure of confusion. Alex had been angry hours ago, cold and remote just minutes before. Why was he helping her?
    Alex turned to the trio before them, his hand burning a brand into her waist. “Sweetheart, who are these people?”
    “This is Belle, my sister. And this is Marcus O’Dell and his wife Sandra.” Natalie cleared her throat. “Everyone, this is Alex Damon.”
    Belle’s eyes widened a bit. “I
thought
you looked familiar. How did you two