Page 64 of Seduced in Ink

She sipped her coffee, the perfect temperature for her tongue, and her mood. It was sweet, the coffee strong and perfectly brewed. She was a little jealous that she didn’t have this in her shop and might have to make a version of it, one that wasn’t stealing but reminded her of how good this was.

She took a few more sips, tasting the subtle notes, and thought of a cupcake to match.

A s’mores cupcake? With a toasted marshmallow on top? Or maybe marshmallow inside? A fluff of some sort?

“What are you thinking about that’s making you look so beautiful?” Guy asked, and she looked up, snorting.

“Really? That’s what you’re going with?”

“What?”

“Never mind. But you don’t need to keep doing this, Guy. I’m engaged. Nothing you say will change that.”

He snorted. “We both know that’s not real.”

She blinked, looking up at him, all thoughts of marshmallow leaving her mind. “Excuse me?”

“A secret fiancé just when your mother finally finds you a partner? No, your mother and I know it’s fake. I can understand you being scared about marrying a man you don’t know. But I am the perfect guy for you. No pun intended. Your mother assured me that the more I got to know you, the more I’d know it’s the truth.”

Madison was grateful that she had gotten her coffee to go in a recyclable cup. She stood. “Well, thank you for that.”

He frowned. “For what?”

“Thank you for showing me this place, but mostly, for making sure I knew I was making the right decision.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not for you. We both know that. I don’t know what your end game is, but I don’t want this place, and I don’t want you.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“I can clearly see what I’d be missing. And it’s not much. Go back to my mother and tell her that you failed. I want nothing to do with you. I’ll do the same. And you can’t change my mind.”

“You’re not truly engaged. I don’t know why you keep pretending that you are.”

“And I don’t know why you keep harping on this.”

She turned on her heel and began the long walk back, not knowing what she was going to say to her mother. She was so pissed off. She hated that Guy was just another person who wanted to control her.

She had Lincoln and his new family. They weren’t the ones who had raised her, but they were the only real family she had. She had known this for far too long, though chose to ignore it. Instead, what had she done? She had done whatever she could to get her family to love her.

Tolikeher.

And she was hurting herself and others trying to make that happen when it never would.

She turned the corner when someone grabbed her elbow, knocking the coffee out of her hand. It splashed on the cement around her, the cup rolling into the street. Hot coffee splashed over her legs, and she let out a startled scream, taking a few steps back. Or at least she tried to, but Guy had his hand around her elbow, tugging her close.

“Let go of me.”

“Fuck you. How dare you?”

“How dare I?” she asked, shaking.

“How dare you talk to me like that? Your mother arranged this. And it’s what’s best for you. If you didn’t have your head in your ass and in the clouds, maybe you’d realize what this would do for you. You’re not going to change what I’ve been promised.”

Fear crawled up her spine. She tugged against his grip, but he kept holding onto her. She knew she’d probably have bruises later.

“Let me go,” she said, wishing someone was around, but they were around the corner just enough that there wasn’t anybody to hear her scream.