Fuck.
“Are you going to explain?” she prompts.
“No.”
She huffs. “What was that all about?”
“Thatwas Cooper Daley.”
“Uh, yeah, he introduced himself. But why are you freaking out?” She snags a glass of champagne as we pass a waiter, holding it like a weapon.
Her other hand stays tucked in my arm reluctantly.
“There’s nothing to explain,” I bite off.
“Whatever. You guys don’t like each other, clearly.”
“Nothing new. Lots of people I don’t enjoy, especially in these circles.”
“Yes, but youreallydon’t like him,” she presses.
I’m forced to look down at her again. Her eyelashes sweep up toward her eyebrows as she meets my gaze.
The height difference drives me insane, conjuring filthy thoughts better left muted.
This is Hattie Sage, goddammit.
Yes, she’s striking, but I knew her as a frizzy-haired nerd.
Annoying and stuck in her own world. Bookish to a fault.
Also, ridiculously gullible in an adorable way.
Now, she’s developed a talent for being a grown-up pain in my ass.
But when I think about the way Cooper caught her arm and leaned in and made her blush, I wanted to break something.Preferably his face.
This fake engagement bullshit must be getting to my head.
“Is it because he worked with your granddad?” she asks when I don’t explain.
“No. Not quite.”
“Then what?”
“What makes you think it’s any of your business?” I steer her to the left, avoiding another group that’s doing their best to catch my eye.
A moment to breathe.
Just a minute, then freedom.
By then, hopefully Cooper will have moved on, if he hasn’t left the building. Gone back home to his pretty wife.
Poor girl. He’s left her alone while he attends these events alone, all so he can chat up everything with tits.
Hattie untangles her arm from mine the second we step into the cool air. Goosebumps prickle her skin, and I shrug off my jacket, laying it over her shoulders.
“What’s this for?” She blinks.
