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I slap his hand away and glare up at him. “Would it kill you to say something nice to me? How in the hell am I supposed to face the kind of people in that room if all you do is make me feel like the village idiot?”
“Well, when you’re walking down the hall mumbling, light as a feather, stiff as a board, how else am I supposed to treat you?”
Yeah. I get that.
But I’ll drop dead before I admit it.
I stand my ground and meet his glare head on. Pretty damn proud of myself for holding his gaze without wavering.
“For fuck’s sake…” He runs his hand through his hair. Puts them on his hips. Looks down at me. Licks his bottom lip.
He’s about to say something nice to me.
Probably tell me I’m a vision.
That he’s in love.
That if this was the Jake Swagger show, he’d be proposing tonight. But he can’t because he respects his grandfather and all that bullshit.
“It’s about time you showed up.”
Fucking Cam.
“Damn, Penelope.” His eyes move very, very appreciatively over my body. This is the first he’s seen me in my dress. And the way he looks at me is almost embarrassing. And I don’t really get embarrassed. Ever.
He’s forgiven.
And too fine in his black tux. Even though, like Jake, I’ve seen him wear a suit, he looks different in full formal. Hotter. Sexier. Maybe because he doesn’t have that CEO vibe.
“If you’re finished eye fucking my date….” Jake’s agitation is evident. He wants me all for himself. I knew it.
He’s forgiven too.
Cam smirks. “For now. Save me a dance?”
Give you my virginity….
If I had it.
But I don’t.
I smile. “Of course.”
Jake doesn’t bother to offer me his arm this time, he just grabs my hand and tugs me along beside him. I look back over my shoulder to find Cam ogling my ass. I almost throw a hip out swaying it for him.
“Remember what I said, Penelope.”
I let out a sigh and turn back to Jake. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep my shit together.”
“No.” He’s thoughtful as he looks at me. His hand hovering on the handle of the door that will lead us into the party. “You find me if you need me.”
“Geeze, Jake. Are these people humans or comic book villains? I mean, is fucking Lex Luthor on the other side of this door? The Joker? Shredder? Loki? And if Loki is here, is Thor here too? Not comic book Thor but the real Thor? As in, Chris Hemsworth?”
His lips thin. “You watch way too much fucking T.V., you know that?”
“And you’re way too paranoid. I’m from a small town in the south. We have snakes and bears and Bigfoot. I can handle some snotty rich people. Trust me.”
“If you say so. Now, smile.”
I smile.
He smiles.
I melt.
He opens the door.
We walk in and every eye in the room turns to us. We really should’ve just came through the front. I can’t imagine we would get any more attention if we had. People stop talking and turn toward us. Men straighten. Women all but foam at the mouth. Everyone seems to be waiting for the perfect opportunity to come say hello.
It’s fucking weird.
And the room is a little…blah. There is nothing fancy about this place other than the massive chandeliers. It’s just an ordinary hotel ballroom. There’s not even a banner to congratulate ol’ Pee Paw.
Poor hateful bastard.
My eyes fall on a flash of flaming orange and I stumble a little. I want to stop and gawk, but Jake is steady in his steps—forcing me along beside him.
“Jake.” I squeeze his hand. “Jake. Jake. Ja—“
“You’re losing your shit, sweetheart,” he mutters around his smile.
“Yeah. I know. Cause that’s Ed Sheeran. Like, right there.”
“For fuck’s sake, Penelope. Don’t point.”
“You think he’ll let me get a selfie?”
“Pull yourself together.”
“I don’t think I can.”
Fucking Ed Sheeran.
Right. There.
Jake pulls me closer and dips his head to my ear. “Keep it together and I swear I’ll make sure you meet him, get your tits signed, take a selfie—“
“I want him to sing to me.”
“Whatever you want. Just…chill the fuck out.”
I nod. Pull in a breath. Force myself to look away from Ed, even though I’m sure he just waved at me.
“Jake! How are you?”
“Marvin, great seeing you here. Thanks for coming. This is Penelope.” I smile and nod at the old fart with the receding hairline who is blocking my line of sight to the stage. Jake continues to speak to him for a few minutes. Asking boring questions about family. Laughing at stupid jokes. I’m thankful when we move on, only to be stopped three steps later by someone else.
“Good evening, Mr. Swagger.”
“Tonight it’s just Jake, Charles.” He introduces me then nods to the woman next to Charles. “Stephanie. How are you liking The Windy City?”
Flustered, Stephanie rambles a minute before concluding that she is enjoying the city. I’m introduced and don’t miss the heated stare from Charles. Or the look of hatred from Stephanie. If Jake notices, he’s unaffected.
