“I didn’t tell you where,” he says defensively.
“Didn’t have to. I just followed you.” Hux said I don’t have much experience, but I’m smart enough to know this isn’t the time to tell my wife about the tracking bug on her phone.
“Regardless, this doesn’t concern you.”
“My wife’s matters concern me a great deal.” I turn to Lareina. “When do you need the money?”
“Probably in a week?” She shrugs. “I’m not totally sure.”
I turn back to Beckman. “Can you get her the money she needs within a week?”
He looks away briefly before glaring up at me. “No. It’ll take a while to underwrite and—”
“I don’t need you to tell me the steps involved. I know them as well as you,” I say. “Stop wasting her time when you know you can’t provide what she wants, when she wants it. People like you are the reason lawyers have such a bad rep.”
Lareina’s eyes shift between me and Beckman. I hold out my hand. “Let’s go. He can’t do anything for you, but he’ll bill you six hundred bucks an hour for taking the time to tell you so.”
She bites her lip, then glances at Beckman. Is she seriously considering refusing my hand?
I stare down at her, willing her to take my hand. I can’t guarantee what I’ll do if she doesn’t.
Finally, she sighs. “I guess it’s more complicated than I thought. Thanks for your time, Ethan.” The friendly way she says his name grates on my already over-frazzled nerves.
But when she places her hand in mine, I can forgive her for almost anything.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lareina
Given Ares’s reaction to seeing me with Ethan at the café, I assumed he’d stay upset for a while. But instead, he offers to take me to the exhibition Lucie and Yuna told me about. I agree readily, trying to gauge his mood, but I might as well be trying to read Aramaic.
Since it’s our first fancy social outing as a couple, I spend hours selecting a dress and fussing with my hair and makeup. Lucie told me husbands can’t stay unhappy for long when their wives look hot.
–Lucie: Sort of like how it’s hard for me to stay mad at Seb when he’s looking particularly delicious after a good workout. He knows it, too, which is why he gets a good pump and flexes his muscles when he finally realizes that I’m annoyed with him “for some reason.”
By the time my prep is finished, my eyes are smoky and come-hither. The lip tint I picked out is blood red with an undertone of burgundy. My cheekbones never looked so sharp, and I pat myself on the back for a job well done. Makeup is a lot like painting, it’s just that one’s face is the canvas.
My hair’s pulled back into a chic updo, and a few tendrils frame my face just so. The cape dress Akiko and I picked out drapes over my body like a silken waterfall, showcasing my long limbs. I slip on strappy heels and silently walk down to the livingroom. Ares stands in the center, looking out the window, in a black suit and shark-gray tie.
I pause to take him in. The high forehead to the straight slope of his nose. The gorgeous, talented mouth with a tongue too clever for my own sanity. The intense blue eyes that always ensnare me like a trap and won’t let go. I noticed them first when I met him, and I still think they’re his best feature. I know he always thought that they were like his vile mother’s, but I hope he no longer believes that after what I told him.
Suddenly, he turns his head in my direction, like a wolf scenting his mate. Our eyes meet, and the brilliant blue grows darker with heat. I flush with pleasure at his reaction to the way I look. It was worth the time and effort.
He slowly comes toward me. I start to lick my lips out of habit, then immediately catch myself. Can’t wipe away the tint on my mouth.
He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into his delicious body heat. “Mrs. Huxley.”
“Hello, Mr. Huxley. You look fantastic.”
“And you look good enough to eat.” His eyes drop to my mouth, and my whole body tingles in response. “Do wehaveto go to the exhibition?”
I put a hand over his chest. “Yes. As much as I’d love to spend time with you, I also want to show off my handsome husband.”
Something soft and indulgent crosses his face. “Unfortunate.” But his tone is tender.
“We all must bear our crosses.”
He nudges my nose with his. “Mmm. It’s going to be agonizing.”
