AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked, smiling like he wanted me to see his molars. There was a wide smile, and then there was this guy, grinning like he was auditioning for a role as the Cheshire Cat.
“Oh, no, thank you.”
He reached for my fingers as I walked away and turned me back to face him again. I had dealt with men like this for a long time, and their arrogance made me want to take the champagne flute from his hand and splash its contents in his face. But he hadn’t crossed the make-a-scene-in-public line yet. My champagne-glass-grabbing hand was prepared for action, though, should the need arise.
I tugged my hand free and pasted a smile on my face. “I don’t want a drink.”
“Are you looking for someone, because I happen to know everyone in this room, and I can help you find them.”
Everyone? Not only did he want me to inspect his incisors, but he was puffing himself up quite a lot. “I’m not, actually. I was looking to see if I knew anyone, but I’m not as popular as you.”
“I thought you might be new around here.”
He really wasn’t letting it go. I liked a confident man, generally speaking. There was something about the combination of straight shoulders, lifted chin, and casual smile that landed right in my chest. But cockiness? Gross. No, thank you.
Rhett crossed the dancing area, making his way toward the bar.
“I just saw a friend of mine.” I delivered an overly fake smile and walked away, and this time he found the sense to not reach for my hand again. Good flipping riddance.
Rhett didn’t see me approach, so I leaned against the bar beside him.
His gaze flicked to me, then back to the bartender. “Make that three.”
“No, thank you,” I said, lifting my hand. “I’ll have a glass of ice water.”
“Club soda?” Rhett asked.
I made a scrunched-nose look of disgust. “Nope. I don’t like bubbles.”
He laughed, then leaned a little closer and lowered his voice. “Portia thinks the dancing will begin soon. You’ll save one for me, right?”
“If you don’t think it’ll cause people to talk about us.”
“It’s just a dance.” He accepted the glasses from the bartender.
But he didn’t move to take the drinks to Karina.
My water was placed on the counter, and I took a sip.
Rhett moved away, then looked back at me. “Are you coming?”
“Didn’t realize I was allowed to.”
His eyebrows pulled together. “You’re my guest. You don’t have to stay away from us.”
Then it wasn’t his idea to deposit me at the back table, far away from the heart of the party. I felt a smidgen of relief at that.
Rhett led the way back toward the other side of the room. A shoulder brushed mine when we left the bar, and I turned to find the brown-eyed Mr. Teeth sending me an appraising glance. If that was his version of an “accidental” bump, he had a long way to go. It was incredibly obvious.
I followed Rhett. If he thought anything he did would go unnoticed, he was completely out of his mind. Every set of eyes in the room was either watching him directly or out of their peripheral—Karina included. She narrowed her gaze, analyzing me from the moment she spotted us coming her way.
Rhett handed her a glass. “Karina Bier, this is my friend Beth.”
“Hi,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Karina didn’t look as though she agreed. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
“No, but I was there during your date in Boston at the swan boat.”
