Con

CHAPTER 58

Elijah’s POV

I’m supposed to be celebrating Sabrina’s return, I thought.

But to be honest, I wasn’t in the mood to celebrate because I still had doubts about Julia.

My mind was elsewhere, tethered to the woman in the blue dress.

Sophia looks so beautiful tonight. Her laughter was genuine, but there was a tension in her shoulders that only I seemed to notice.

Just then, a tall, well–built man was introduced by Kayla to Sophia. That definitely got my attention, especially when the two of them were left alone to talk.

Andrew, a family friend of the Bakers. We’d met a few times and exchanged polite nods. I watched as he engaged Sophia in conversation, his body language all too familiar, all too close. It made me frown and clench my fists.

Sophia’s smile was tight, and the way she glanced around the room, as if searching for an escape, told me she didn’t really want to be talking to him.

I began weaving my way through the crowd, my pulse quickening with each step. Just as I got close. enough to hear their conversation, her voice reached my ears, and it stopped me cold.

“Yes, I’d love to go out with you,” she said, her voice clear.

My stomach dropped. I was rooted to the spot, every muscle tensing as Andrew’s gaze shifted and landed on me. He gave me a friendly grin.

He turned back to Sophia who quickly pulled him toward the buffet table without as much as a glance in my direction.

For a while, I simply watched them, waiting for a chance to speak to Sophia alone. And when Andrew was approached by a friend, it was the perfect time for me. I didn’t hesitate.

What was she thinking, agreeing to a date with him? I needed to understand, needed to talk to her, but before I could reach her, a familiar voice called my name.

“Elijah!”

I turned to see Julia walking up to me. Her breath tickled my ear as she leaned in, her voice barely a whisper. “Elijah, I just overheard Serena saying she drugged the wine that Sophia Just drank.”

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. I turned to Julia, my mind struggling to process her words.” What?” I asked, hoping I had misunderstood.

“Please, Elijah,” Julia’s eyes were wide with urgency. You have to help her.”

I looked over at Serena, who was standing a few feet away, her gaze fixed on Sophia. An unsettling. smile played on her lips. It was cold and calculated, filled with a malice that sent a shiver down my spine.

+15 BONUS

My mind flashed back to Connor’s investigation, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly falling into place.

Craig and Serena set up Sophia, and their elaborate plan was to destroy her. And now, Serena’s using another pawn

Andrew.

Anger bubbled up inside me, a burning rage that threatened to consume me. But I didn’t want to

cause a scene.

Not long after, I noticed Andrew pull Sophia away from the table. They had barely touched their food. A sinking feeling settled in my gut as I watched them.

Something about the way she moved, unsteady and disoriented, set off alarm bells. I quickly followed them at a distance, my heart pounding with every step.

They headed upstairs, and I quickened my pace, trying to stay out of sight. I reached the top of the stairs just as Andrew was leading Sophia into a guest room.

He glanced over his shoulder and was about to close the door when I shoved it open, barging in with all the force my anger could muster.

“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded, my voice a growl. “Who put you up to this?”

Andrew’s eyes widened for a moment before he muttered something unintelligible and hurried away, not daring to look back. I itched to chase him down and beat the answers out of him, but I couldn’t leave Sophia like this.

I turned to her. She was sprawled awkwardly on the bed, her movements slow and uncoordinated. Her eyes struggled to focus, though she seemed to be breathing okay.

“Sophia,” I said softly, sitting beside her and gently brushing her hair out of her face. “How are you feeling?”

She looked up at me. “Elijah?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Yes, it’s me,” I whispered, taking her hand instinctively and rubbing it gently.

She gave me a faint, gentle smile. “I feel dizzy, but what you’re doing… that feels sooo good…”

Slowly, she sidled up to me. “Is it hot?” she asked, looking a bit confused. Then she began to pull up the hem of her dress, revealing her long, flawless legs. “It’s so hot,” she whispered.

Seeing her exposed skin sent me reeling. Electric waves began shooting all over my body, making me burn up inside rapidly.

To my surprise, she took my hand and began pressing it to her face and neck, guiding it downward to her chest. I gulped, unsure of what to do. Serena must have given her some party drug that’s making her have uncontrollable sexual urges, I thought in alarm.

She then led my hand toward her thighs, and began moving it up and down. “Keep doing it,” she whispered. “Feels so damn good.”

I consciously caressed her legs, following her lead. It was definitely arousing and tempting. I could feel my hormones raging inside me.

+15 BONUS

“Lie down, Elijah,” she instructed. I followed and lay there, feeling her body’s warmth seeping into

mine.

She began making her fingers dance across my ear and my cheek, then my neck as we looked into each other’s eyes.

God, she’s so beautiful, I thought. I’ve missed her so much.

In that instance, as I gazed into her eyes, with our lips inches away from each other, I couldn’t resist any longer. I leaned closer and pressed my lips against hers. She responded with much fervor, and our kiss grew passionate at once. We were both ravenous for one another, our kiss deepening, our tongues meeting in a sensual dance, our hands exploring each other’s bodies.

But a warning bell was going off in my head. And eventually, I pulled away. I couldn’t go through with it, knowing that she was drugged.

“Sophia, wait,” I said. “This isn’t you, alright? There was something in your

drink…”

She gave me a hazy smile. “This is still me, and I want you badly.”

Oh, my. I’ve been waiting to hear that from her for so long. I thought we’d never be this intimate again. But I knew it was wrong. This wasn’t the same as having her consent. “Sophia, I really want this too, but it’s not right. I can’t do this to you.”

She wasn’t even listening to me. She began taking off her dress, though she was struggling with it.

“Don’t,” I said, placing a hand over her arm to stop her.

But she wasn’t in her right mind. She just kept on caressing herself using her own hands as well as mine, making us both touch her all over. She began to wriggle on the bed, and soft moans escaped her throat. Eventually, she placed my hand beneath her skirt, throwing me a pleading look.

“Please, Elijah…”

It was the substance in her body that was making her body hot and desperate to be pleasured. And somehow I knew that we had to get it done with, to relieve her and perhaps remove that feeling of restlessness.

Goddammit, I really want to sleep with you, Sophia. But I can’t. Not when you’re like this.

And so she ended up easing herself, while I kissed her on the lips – softly and gently. It was torture for me, but it was over quickly.

“Thank you,” Sophia whispered before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

I didn’t even realize I’d already fallen asleep when the sun streaming through the windows made me open my eyes. It was the morning of the following day, and I found myself lying down on the couch instead of the bed. Good.

But upon sitting up and checking the bed, I realized that Sophia wasn’t there anymore.