Maximum Dare - Vanessa Fewings Page 0,1

we’d shared in Bermondsey was going to be sold. Moving out was inevitable because Nick was now living with Morgan in her Chelsea high-rise.

That girl was my opposite: Tall and blonde and a first prize winner in the genetics lottery. I was a brunette with blue eyes who wore round-rimmed glasses—my look was more the girl next door. Not wild and sexy like Morgan, a woman who chased after endless fun and thrived on surprises.

Before she’d stolen my man, I’d followed Morgan’s make-up tutorials posted for and viewed by millions. She had two speeds—partying fashionista or poolside babe.

My speed was literally in reverse. There was no competing with a woman who was an expert at wooing men with her fake charm. And I’d never have the kind of money it would take to look like her. She indulged in cosmetic surgery to tweak imperceptible imperfections, giving her a flawless, airbrushed appearance that was hard to imitate.

Nick was destined to become another “Most Hated” post on Morgan’s Instagram page after she’d tired of him and moved on. It was inevitable. That was her thing.

I couldn’t let it happen to him.

A few minutes alone with Nick and I’d be able to show him the evidence I’d found on Morgan’s social media pages to prove she was bad news. He seemed oblivious to the long list of exes mentioned in her blog posts—whimsical fancies who formed the fodder for her emotional breakdowns and at the same time garnered her more followers.

But even knowing all of this, I still hesitated—guilt for stealing that envelope niggling at my conscience.

Don’t do it.

Don’t lower yourself to her standards.

Rummaging around in my handbag, I retrieved the envelope ready to slip it back into Morgan’s Prada purse.

Oh, no!

They were leaving.

Hand in hand, Nick and Morgan waved goodbye to the crowd like they were a celebrity couple. My worried glare tracked their movement along the other side of the window.

Having not quite used up my stalker quota for the evening, I decided what the hell and grabbed my parka from the barstool, pulling it on. I followed them out and was hit with a blast of freezing cold January wind that stung my face.

A limo was waiting for them. A chauffeur wearing a grey suit opened the back door in a formal gesture so that Morgan could elegantly slide into the back.

Nick stopped short of climbing in behind her to pin me with a look of disbelief. My humiliation rose with each faltering step and I forced a weak smile to reassure him.

It’s just me, your ex. The girl with no life who refuses to let you go.

I gathered the courage to sprint forward, holding out the envelope. “She dropped this—”

SLAM!

My glasses went flying as I collided with a rock-hard male body. My cheek squished against a woolen coat as my body fell heavily against his, a flood of pheromones rushing through me from his heady cologne. It reminded me of endless nights filled with sordid pleasures. At first I was reluctant to look up, afraid I might be disappointed after that incredible preview…

“Hi, there,” he said, his tone amused, his accent seductively foreign.

Dazed, I peered up at his face. He was too tall to kiss, this dark stranger with a three-day stubble. His masculine scent stirred a forbidden desire deep inside of me and I couldn’t speak for a moment. He was so damn gorgeous. His temples revealed just a hint of grey—making me think he was in his thirties. His hypnotic brown eyes crinkled with kindness as he gave me a dazzling smile.

“Thank you?” I finally said. The response had made sense in my head.

He must have found it humorous, as I saw his full, kissable lips quirk up in a smile—a smile that suddenly faded as he glanced over my shoulder.

Someone from behind me gripped my arms and dragged me away from him, forcing me to trot on unsteady heels towards an SUV. I had no choice but to move in that direction, feeling dizzy as the world whooshed by.

My handbag slipped off my shoulder and landed on the ground as that someone then shoved me against the front of the vehicle, pushing me forward until my cheek pressed against the hard metal of the car bonnet. I tried to push myself up, but my hands were suddenly drawn behind my back and I was held down, incapacitated—and vaguely aware that the handsome stranger was watching.

My cheeks ablaze, I cringed at the thought that Nick was seeing