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“I might have said I didn’t like musicals.” She winced. “Or singers. Or actors. But I also told him why. He could’ve told me who he really was.”
“Ah. This sounds promising.” His eyes lit up. “So he didn’t want to admit he was the very thing you don’t like. Didn’t want to be put into that category. Hmm … ”
It was a lie, pure and simple. The lights flickered, warning the show was about to start again. People all around them rushed to their seats, and she fidgeted with her cup. “He could’ve told me the truth.”
“But he didn’t. I’m assuming he had his reasons for not coming clean. Maybe women are always assuming things about him because he’s an actor. Maybe he wanted to pretend he wasn’t one for one night.” Max shrugged. “The only way to find out is to ask him his reasons. But I’m more interested to find out how you met him, and how you spent your time together.”
“Nope.” Lexi flushed and took a drink of her wine. She could use a shot of Patron right about now. What had Justin awakened in her? An image of her licking his wrist slammed into her, making her hold her breath. The man sitting on the other side of her squeezed through, and she moved her feet out of the way to avoid being trampled. “Not happening. That’s my own business.”
“Mmhm.” He crossed his arms over his chest, not dropping his gaze. “I’ll get it out of you eventually. And if I can’t—your sister will.”
Lexi dropped her head back on the seat. “You’re going to tell her, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
Lexi groaned. “You’re cruel and heartless.”
“Might be. But in all seriousness? I’m glad you met this guy last night.”
“Why? I barely even know him—and he lied to me.” She thumbed through the Playbill, finding the page with his picture on it. Staring down at his smiling face, she thought to herself, I probably don’t even know him at all.
But that wasn’t quite true, now was it? She knew how his hands felt on her skin. Amazing. How he sounded when he talked, and how good he made her feel when he held her close, or made her laugh. Incredibly free. All of those sensations hadn’t been pretend. Last night had been real. She couldn’t have imagined it.
She shifted in her seat, trying to ignore the stirrings of her body. Now was so not the time to get aroused.
Max reached out and squeezed her fingers. “When I came in here, I was expecting to find you crying in the chair, alone and miserable about Hugh. Instead … you look more alive than I’ve seen you in years.” He motioned between her and the stage with his finger. “And this? Hugh would’ve approved of it. Of you moving on.”
Lexi tensed, her heart plummeting. He was right. She’d moved on. Had been so distracted by everything going on with Justin that Hugh hadn’t even crossed her mind throughout the whole musical. She hadn’t even thought of him once since she saw Justin again. She hadn’t thought of anything but Justin. Would Hugh really have wanted her to be happy already? To move on so fast? Was moving on just over a year later too fast? Would he have been betrayed by how quickly she went into Justin’s arms—and how right it felt to be there?
She shook her head. “I’m not so sure you’re right. It feels wrong. We were supposed to grow old together. Have a family together.”
“But he wouldn’t want you to grow old alone.” Max hugged her close. “Trust me on this. Don’t run away from something that makes you happy because you feel guilty. You shouldn’t. Hugh wouldn’t want you miserable and alone.”
Lexi swiped the tears that had nothing to do with the musical away, just as the lights dimmed. “I will try to move on—but I don’t think it’ll be with Justin. It was one night and one night only.”
Justin strode onto the stage, his eyes falling immediately to her and Max—who had his arm around her shoulder. Justin stiffened, tearing his eyes away from her and onto his pretty costar, and sang without breaking stride. But that one-second span where their eyes met told her all she needed to know.
He wasn’t happy that she was in the arms of another man …
Chapter Six
Bloody fucking hell. If Lexi got even so much as an inch closer to that asshole next to her, Justin was going to flip the fuck out.
Outwardly, he sang his part with all of his soul, pretending his mind wasn’t wandering to the woman in the first row. He acted as if his heart wasn’t being ripped in two right now—since that was his job. To act. But it was a lot harder to act when the feelings were real. When they hurt as much as he hurt right now.
There, sitting with tears running down her face, was Lexi. She was crying and obviously enjoying the musical she supposedly hated. She had fucking lied—and had obviously lied about other things, as well. After all, she was with a bloke who seemed awfully familiar with her. And awfully comfortable touching her.
And he felt fucking gutted over this whole situation.
Who was the asshole next to her? Why was he touching her? And why did she bloody well let him? He wished he could stop singing, storm off the stage, and demand to know the blasted truth about what she was doing here. Had she lied to him about her relationship status? Was she really married, or engaged—instead of a grieving fiancée left behind? Worse yet, had she known who he was all along?
Perhaps she had led him on so she could brag to her friends about how she had bedded him the night before his big opening. Had he been played?
It sure felt like he fucking had.
Toward the end of the play, he couldn’t help but look down at her as he sang. Couldn’t help but sing to her and her alone, silently questioning her motives and the one night they’d shared together. She straightened when their eyes met, her own not dropping from him no matter how long he stared at her. He was forced to look away first, since he needed to kiss his fiancée on stage.
As he closed his lips over his fiancée’s, holding the kiss for the required five seconds, he could feel Lexi’s eyes on him. What was she thinking right now? Was she angry with him for not telling her the truth? Her face had been closed off and unreadable. No big surprise there.
