Rewritten (The Bound Series Book 7) Read online

  “I can do that.”

  There was no misinterpreting the expression of disbelief on his face. “When?”

  “When what?”

  He crossed his arms then leaned forward on his elbows, holding her motionless with his gaze.

  “When’s the last time you did something spontaneous—something that wasn’t written in that book?”

  She sat up straight and pointedly held up a finger and said, “At the last con, I arranged for you to sign Colette’s books.” She held up another finger. “I went and found you decent-tasting coffee.” She held up a third finger. “I went and picked up that stuff for Sarah and went to her house with you. There,” she said triumphantly. “Four things.”

  He scowled, making what she’d come to think of as his Mr. Darcy face. “I’ll grant you that none of those things were scheduled. But all of those things were for the benefit of someone else. Mostly me.”

  “So? They were still unplanned.”

  “When was the last time you did something at the spur of the moment that was just for you? Something completely unplanned?”

  She shifted in her chair, remembering the first time she’d accepted a date with Nigel. The times she’d sent him photos of herself. The first time she’d agreed to visit the posh kink club he’d been a member of. “Spontaneity and I don’t have a very good track record.”

  “In what way?”

  It wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed the majority of experiences she’d had with Nigel. God, she had. She definitely had. It was everything that had come after that had been the problem.

  “Let’s just say that being impulsive tends to go very, very badly for me, so I’ve just learned to avoid it. Poor life choices and all that.”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  “Prepare for disappointment. They’re not up for discussion.”

  Angus grinned unrepentantly. “Fair enough, but the planner’s still mine for the weekend.” He nodded toward the object in question. “Are there any personal appointments or reminders you need to transfer to your phone?”

  She knew there weren’t, but she opened the book and double checked anyway. It was unlikely she’d forgotten anything. She’d gone to college in L.A., but she certainly hadn’t made any arrangements to visit old friends or classmates. And after what had gone down with Nigel, she’d pretty much cut off contact with everyone from her past—at least the ones who hadn’t cut her out of their lives first. There were people she missed and would love to reconnect with, but there wouldn’t be any catching up over lunches or bottles of wine or anything else.

  “You’re not going back on our deal, are you?” he asked, drawing her back to the present and their current conversation.

  She didn’t want to hand over the planner. She didn’t want to give up control of any aspect of her life to anyone. But really, what did she have to lose? It wasn’t like she was suddenly going to embark on a kinky relationship with Angus and submit to him. She was simply agreeing not to rely on her meticulous schedule for a few days. It wasn’t the end of the world.

  “Fine.” She shoved the planner at him. “But if this weekend goes to shit, I don’t want to hear any bitching from you.”

  He accepted the book, bowing his head. “On my honor.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “I’ve marked the schedule I sent you with the events I’ll need your help with,” he said as he stood and moved to his laptop bag, tucking the planner inside.

  “Okay.”

  “And the rest of the time, I expect that you’ll be off having impulsive adventures.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.”

  “And then, you can tell me about them.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “You need to learn to relax and realize you can’t control every single aspect of life.”

  She laughed, but it sounded bitter—even to her. “Trust me, that’s a lesson I’m well-versed in.”

  Eliza spent the next day running all of two errands for Angus. The rest of the time she’d been on her own. She’d wandered through costume displays, bought a couple books she’d wanted to read and had gone to a panel discussion about a brand new sci-fi show that was debuting at the con. Uncharacteristically, she’d been craving something sweet, so she’d treated herself to an elephant ear for lunch, courtesy of a food vendor out on the street. If that wasn’t impulsive, she didn’t know what was.

  She could still taste the deep-fried dough and cinnamon and sugar, and of course, now she was starving and suffering the aftereffects of her earlier decision. And this was a perfect illustration of why spontaneity didn’t work for her. She made stupid choices. Granted, an elephant ear wasn’t the same level of stupid that getting involved with Nigel had been. But, it was still a good example of why she was better off strictly planning her days.

  Thankfully, it was almost time to meet Angus for dinner. She was looking forward to it. Besides being hungry, she wanted to find out how his day had gone. She knew she was being bitchy for half-hoping that something had gotten screwed up because she wasn’t there with her planner to save the day. And that was just ridiculous. He was a grown-ass man, completely capable of meeting his own responsibilities.

  She didn’t really want to save him. But if she were honest with herself, she could admit that she had missed hanging out with him. A lot of that was simply his charm and his arousal-inducing accent and the fact that she’d laughed more with him than she had in ages. Besides, dinner meant the day was almost done, and she was that much closer to getting her planner back.

  His panel should be over by now. Knowing him, he’d be signing books for eager fans, but hopefully, that would be winding down, too. She was so hungry she was starting to get cranky. Stupid elephant ear life choices.

  People slowly filed out of the auditorium, many of them flipping through copies of Dark Nebula Rising books—looking at inscriptions, she supposed—while others were checking out their signed Terra tote bags. A woman stood in front of Angus as he chatted with her and signed her books. It looked like she was the last of the crowd. For a second, Eliza thought she seemed familiar, but she dismissed it. After a while, everyone at a con seemed familiar. She walked toward the front of the room, about to ask when he planned on eating. If it wasn’t soon, she’d show him impulsive and take off without him.

  The woman who’d just finished hugging Angus and thanking him profusely turned around and stopped dead, staring at Eliza. Then, she squealed. Loudly. “Oh. My. God. Libby? Libby Perkins? Is that you?”

  She barreled toward Eliza and plowed into her, nearly taking her to the ground with a huge hug.

  Eliza reflexively returned the embrace as recognition finally broke through the shock of almost being tackled. “Stina?”

  Despite the fact that Eliza had gone to college here, she’d never entertained the notion that she might run into someone she knew.

  Over the woman’s shoulder, she met Angus’ incredulous expression. Looking like he was about to burst out laughing, he mouthed, “Libby?!”

  Eliza slowly raised her middle finger behind Stina’s back.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Angus stared in fascination at the two women talking in the aisle. Well, he wasn’t sure it was talking as much as animated gestures and laughing. He studied Eliza—or Libby as the other woman had called her.

  Libby. His Eliza was no Libby. His Eliza? Who was he kidding? She wasn’t his. That reminder didn’t stop him from wanting her. But she definitely wasn’t his. She also wasn’t a Libby. She was the farthest thing from a Libby he’d ever seen. And what was with the different surname? Had she been married? Was she still?

  He frowned at the unpleasant thought, but he couldn’t resist this tantalizing peek into her world. For half a second, he considered googling “Libby Perkins” until he remembered her stricken expression when he’d mentioned not being able to find her online. As much as curiosity clawed at him, he wouldn’t cross that line. Not now that he knew how much
it bothered her.

  After stowing his Sharpie and phone in his satchel, he walked over to where Eliza and...he struggled to remember the woman’s name...were still chatting. He’d just written it, for fuck’s sake. Of course, he’d written a lot of names, today. Kristina—that was it.

  “Hey, Libby,” he said with a grin—a grin that only widened when she glared at him. “Why don’t we have your friend join us for supper with so you two can catch up?”

  Kristina’s face lit up then fell. “I’m supposed to meet up with Audrey. Wait! Would it be okay if we all went out together?” She turned back to Eliza. “I know she’d love to see you, too!”

  Eliza glanced at him, challenge clear in her gaze, then back at her friend. “That would be great. Besides, Angus is paying.”

  He raised his eyebrows at her out of Kristina’s line of vision, but Eliza simply smiled while Kristina pulled out her phone and presumably texted their other friend.

  “I just can’t believe I ran into you here of all places,” she said as she typed. “It’s nuts.”

  “I know. But such a great surprise.”

  She’d smiled as she said it, but there was something about the way she held herself that made Angus suspect that Eliza wasn’t all that keen on surprises. If they’d been alone, he might have called her on it. He definitely would have asked how her first day without her planner had gone, but that would have to wait for later. As a writer, he was ruled by curiosity, and the lure of finding out more about “Libby” was too good to pass up. “Why don’t you tell her to meet us in the lobby?” he suggested. “I’ve got a car coming.”

  Kristina smiled at him. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

  He’d need to call the restaurant and add a couple more people to their reservation.

  Kristina’s phone beeped. She read her message then frowned. “Audrey’s tied up—she’s going to need to meet us there. Is that all right?”

  He smiled. “Of course. We’re eating at Mama Lion in Koreatown, and the reservation is under Domhnull.”

  Angus rode in the front of the town car, ostensibly checking his email while Eliza and her friend chatted in the backseat. Actually, it was more like her friend chattered, catching Eliza up on the lives of everyone they had in common.

  He wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but he noticed that Eliza never gave Kristina a chance to ask about her life. There were no lulls in the conversation, just the briefest of pauses before she’d ask another question or remind the other woman of some shared memory.

  By the time they reached the restaurant, he was sure she was purposely avoiding talking about herself. But Kristina hadn’t really seemed to notice. However, he was seriously impressed by Eliza’s ability to sidestep nearly all discussion of her life. Though, he was concerned that her evasion was because of him. The thought that she felt like she couldn’t speak freely in his presence didn’t sit well at all.

  As the driver pulled up to the restaurant, he turned to look at Eliza. “Would you rather visit with your friends on your own? I’m sure I can get another table.”

  Her face clouded.

  “Either way, I’m still buying,” he reassured her with a grin.

  She shook her head. “No. You should join us. You’re one of Kristina and Audrey’s favorite authors. In fact, they’re the reason I picked up your books in the first place.” She paused for a moment, snagging her lower lip with her teeth. “Unless you’d rather not?”

  He shook his head. “I just don’t want to intrude.”

  “You’re not. Besides, Audrey’ll be pissed if she doesn’t get a chance to meet you.”

  Kristina nodded. “Libby’s right. She’d be super pissed.”

  “If you’re sure,” he murmured.

  Eliza nodded as he got out of the car and the driver opened the rear door.

  Shortly after they were seated in one of the bright teal high-backed booths, the hostess showed a statuesque blonde to their table. She immediately swooped in and hugged Eliza with a slightly more understated but no less affectionate greeting than the other woman had. Then she turned and dropped a quick kiss on Kristina’s upturned mouth before offering him her hand.

  “Hi. I’m Audrey Michaels, and I’m very pleased to meet you. I love your books.”

  He shook her hand. “Thank you so much. Angus Domhnull, and it’s lovely to meet you, too. I’m always delighted to meet Libby’s friends.”

  Eliza kicked his foot under the table, but her smile never wavered.

  “Speaking of...” Audrey turned to Eliza. “Where the hell have you been?” she demanded. “It’s like you got that job in London, and then, you dropped off the face of the Earth.”

  Eliza’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I know. I’m sorry. I had a bit of a rough time for a while, but...things are better now.” She smiled and gestured between Audrey and Kristina, deftly changing the subject. “This is new since last time I saw you both. When did you two finally figure it out?”

  Kristina blushed. “About three years ago.” She showed Eliza what looked like a traditional wedding band and then tugged gently at a snug-fitting silver necklace—a collar if he had to guess.

  “Congratulations!” Eliza’s smile was warm and went all the way to her eyes. “I’m so happy for you both.”

  The conversation paused briefly while the server took their orders, then Audrey dove back in as if they’d never been interrupted. “What about you two?” She glanced between him and Eliza. “How long have you guys been together?”

  Eliza choked on her wine, and Angus reached out to gently pat her back. She shot him a withering look. When she’d finished coughing, she said, “We’re not together. Not like that, I mean. I’m his assistant.”

  Surprise was clear on Audrey’s face, and she sat back in her chair. “Oh. I just assumed. You seemed—”

  He never got a chance to find out what they “seemed” because Eliza interrupted with a laugh. “No. Nope. Not together. We’re just colleagues. I work for Terra Ink—Angus’ publishing house.”

  Audrey laughed. “Well, I’m glad I didn’t do something awkward like invite you both to play at Sanctuary tonight.”

  “Sanctuary?” he couldn’t stop himself from asking. Images of Eliza bent over a spanking bench and covered with hot wax flitted through his overactive mind.

  “It’s a dungeon,” Kristina volunteered.

  “I’m aware,” he said. “I’ve been there several times on previous trips to L.A.; I just wasn’t sure if we were talking about the same place.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Eliza’s head slowly turn toward him. Her expression was fixed somewhere between horror and fascination.

  “We could still go,” Audrey said, looking between him and Eliza.

  Eliza shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, c’mon, Libs. You look like you’re wound tighter than I’ve ever seen you.” She leaned forward and murmured, “A couple rounds with a flogger or a paddle would do you a world of good.”

  “That’s not going to work for me.”

  “When’s the last time you’ve been there?” Kristina persisted.

  “Not for years.”

  Audrey studied Eliza who sat up straight in her chair and seemed to be pretending for all the world that this was an average dinner table discussion. “Right after graduation?” Kristina guessed.

  Eliza nodded tightly.

  “Stina,” Audrey said, warning clear in her voice.

  The other woman stopped pressing for answers and stared down at her plate, immediately contrite. She glanced up briefly at Eliza. “I’m sorry.”

  She reached out and clasped the other woman’s hand. “It’s okay. I know you’re just trying to help.” She glanced at Audrey, but he noticed Eliza seemed to be purposely avoiding his gaze. “A lot of things have changed.”

  The rest of their meal passed pleasantly enough, though, disappointingly, the discussion seemed to avoid all things BDSM. Eliza exchanged contact information with both women, promising
she wouldn’t disappear on them again. Back in the car on the way to the hotel, Angus studied her profile as she stared straight ahead. For the longest time, they sat in silence. And it definitely wasn’t the warm companionable kind.

  He looked at her again as the car turned onto the street their hotel was on.

  “Get it over with,” she snapped.

  “What?”

  Her lips turned downward slightly, and she kept her gaze forward. “I can tell you’re just dying of curiosity. You’re practically vibrating with it. I’m surprised you’ve stayed quiet this long.”

  Her tone was impossible to read. He couldn’t tell if it was because she was angry or tense or scared. Maybe a combination of all three.

  “Okay...” He paused. “You don’t seem like a Libby. It doesn’t suit.”

  She was quiet for a moment or two. “My family always called me Libby. It stuck through college.” She shook her head slightly. “Obviously.”

  “Do they still call you that?”

  Her expression darkened. “They don’t call me anything.”

  He wanted to know more about that, but it was clear from her stiff posture and the nails digging into her palms that her family wasn’t anything thing she wanted to talk about.

  “Is Burrows your married name?”

  “No.”

  “Was Perkins?”

  “I’ve never been married.”

  The car glided to a halt, and the driver quickly hopped out and opened the back door, offering his hand to Eliza. She thanked the man while Angus quickly exited the vehicle and tipped him.

  Angus followed her into the slowly moving revolving glass doors and through the lobby to the lifts.

  “Did I make a mistake by inviting Kristina to eat with us?” he asked as they waited for a car to descend.

  She turned to face him, surprise clear on her face—as if that was the last thing she’d expected him to ask. She was silent for a few moments before murmuring, “No. That was a really sweet thing to do. And it’s not as though you could have known how surprisingly awkward the evening would get—even if your end game was to sate your curiosity and find out more about Libby.”