I keep my eyes on Jorgie and Hawke, remembering this day is about them. Hugo pulls me in close to his body, preparing to dance. Even fuming with anger, my body melts into his embrace. A huff of air parts my mouth when “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith booms out of the speakers.Of course Jorgie would have to pick the longest song in the history of songs to dance to.
My eyes rocket to Hugo when he mutters, “What the fuck is wrong with you today?” only loud enough for me to hear. “Jorgie has an excuse for her erratic mood swings. But what possible excuse could you have?”
Assholes who have sex with you and then turn up to the next day with a date. Instead of saying what I really want to, I keep my mouth shut. Hugo’s eyes shift between mine for several awkward seconds before his spine suddenly straightens.
“Are you on your period?” he brazenly questions.
Anger boils my blood. I try to pull away from him, but he strengthens his grip, foiling my quick getaway. “Nice try. But you still havewellover four minutes before you’re going anywhere.”
I glare into his eyes, silently delivering every obscenity running through my brain. He returns my stare, minus my blatant fury. By the time the song reaches halfway, I'm exhausted. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. I hardly slept a wink last night and spending the past several hours dodging Hugo is exhaustive work. But the crippled ache in my heart is more from dancing with him the past two minutes. We’ve danced previously, but it was to gritty club music, not a love song. Every word Steven Tyler sings has the constrictive hold on my heart firming.
“Why did you bring her?” I query, no longer able to harbor my anger.
My nails dig into Hugo’s shoulders when he asks, “Who?”
Gritting my teeth, I gesture my head to Victoria entering the dance floor on the arm of an older gentleman with strands of silver hair on his temples. Fury unlike anything I’ve ever felt before shreds through my body when Hugo follows my direction, and he has the absurdity to laugh.I'm glad he finds the situation amusing. I'm anything but amused.
“You’ve been avoiding me because you’re jealous?” he laughs.
Snarling, I slap his heaving-with-laughter chest before slipping out of his embrace. He snags my wrist and drags me back to him. My nipples bud when my breasts push up against his firm pectoral muscles. I glide my eyes around the people surrounding us, battling to keep my tears at bay.
When Hugo catches my disarrayed face, he mutters, “Vicky is Hawke’s stepsister.”
My eyes snap to his, seeking any untruth in his statement. The rhythm of my heartbeat recommences when I see the honesty in his eyes.
“I didn’t invite her,” he confirms, staring into my eyes.
Oh.
A bucket of water is thrown on the fire raging in the pit of my stomach, suffocating my anger in one quick swoop. I try to say something to Hugo, to apologize for my appalling behavior, but my mouth refuses to relinquish my words. Instead of kneeling and begging for clemency, I peer into his eyes, silently relaying my apologies.
When the bridal waltz is over, wedding attendees congregate onto the dance floor and the bridal party couples separate, returning to their respective partners. A dash of excitement surges through me when Hugo doesn’t release me from his hold, he pulls me in deeper. Any embarrassment about last night dissipates as he stares into my eyes while swinging his hips in sync to the music. The dynamic between us is as intense as ever: fire sparking and combustible.
Two seconds later, Hugo suddenly stiffens.
“Excuse me, I’m cutting in,” says a voice to the side.
Turning my eyes, I catch the amused face of Marvin. He is decked out in a full black suit with a light blue dress shirt. His hair is gelled in a side part, and his eyes are hazy. But the most notable feature of his face is the arrogant grin he is wearing.
“Back off, Marvin,” Hugo mutters, annoyed at being interrupted.
Marvin scoffs. “I can’t dance with my date?” he queries with his brow curved high.
A jolt of pain spasms my hip when Hugo strengthens his grip on my body. When his eyes turn down to me, I take a step backward. His eyes are crammed with irritation.
“Marvin’s your date?” he questions.
His angry snarl has my heart rate racing, but it isn’t in fear; it’s in excitement. Cowardly, I nod my head. A puff of air blasts out of Hugo’s nose before he relinquishes me from his hold. A shiver courses through my body when he steps away, taking his warmth with him.
“Please, don’t let me stop you from dancing with yourdate,” Hugo snarls.
With that, he stalks to the bar without a backward glance. I stand frozen, unable to decide what to do in a situation like this. Yes, unfortunately, Marvin is here as my date. But in my defense, I asked him to come weeks ago, way before I knew he had too many of my father’s characteristics, and way before Hugo was back in the picture. No woman in their right mind wants to attend a wedding without a plus one, so I stupidly asked Marvin to come with me. When he failed to show up to the wedding ceremony, I assumed he wasn’t coming.
Marvin clasps my wrist and yanks me into his chest. “You look beautiful, Ava,” he says, raking his eyes over my body.
Swiftly, he lowers in and plants a kiss right on my lips before I have the chance to object. Even with the blare of the music blasting my eardrums, I swear I hear Hugo’s furious growl boom across the room, quickening my pulse.
“Hi Marvin. I must have missed you at the ceremony?” Surprise is heard in my voice.
