AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I told Natalie it was just for the cameras.
But that was a lie. It was for me.
I flex my hand around the back of her neck, and she blinks her eyes open.
They look glassy in the bright flashes.
I almost think I see sadness, but then she blinks, and it’s replaced with heat.
“That was quite the scene.” Natalie lets go of my suit coat and flattens her hands on my chest, smoothing down the material.
“Luke!” one of the photographers calls out.
I swallow the urge to ignore him, and, letting go of Natalie, I present her my arm.
She takes it, tucking her hand into the crook of my elbow, and we turn to face the cameras.
She’s the big shot here, and I’m just the arm candy.
I’m perfectly okay with that because, at the end of the night, she’s going home with me.
Chapter 107
Natalie
I digmy fingers into Luke’s arm, but he doesn’t complain as we wade through the rest of the photographers, the journalists in the lobby, and the throng of people stopping to greet us when we make it into the ballroom a few floors up.
“Talk about marrying Mrs. Popular,” Luke whispers as we move away from the last couple to flag us down.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen those two so excited before,” I whisper back. “I bet they’re secretly hockey fans but were too shy to admit it.”
Luke looks down at me. “Why would anyone be shy about liking hockey?”
I shrug. “Rich people are weird.” He snorts, and I narrow my eyes at him. “What?”
He holds up his free hand. “Nothing. I have absolutely nothing to say to that.”
I squeeze his arm. “That’s what I thought.”
Luke turns us toward the bar set up at the back of the room. “Drink?”
“Yes, please.”
As we walk, Luke looks around. “Warn me if your dad is approaching.”
“I will.” I don’t even tease him since I’m also a bit nervous about sitting through a dinner together with my dad. “I don’t think he’s here yet.”
I feel Luke relax next to me.
“Damn, they really go top tier here, don’t they?” Luke’s eyes bounce over the liquor options.
He probably has more money than half the people here, but he’s taking the time to actually appreciate the details around us. And it only makes me like him more.
When it’s our turn, Luke politely asks for a glass of chardonnay for me and a Perro Rabioso Whiskey on the rocks for him.
Luke lifts his drink. “I wonder if this guy is here tonight.”
“The person who makes the whiskey?”
