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Besides, she would have to deal with him some time—he was her baby’s uncle, after all. She might as well hear him out, let him say everything he wanted to say to her right now, and then maybe they’d be able to move past it. If she was lucky.
“I was just going to get her some water, actually—” Nic started.
“I’d love to dance,” she told Marc. Then she stood on her tiptoes to give Nic a quick kiss on the cheek. “The baby and I are perfectly hydrated. So stop worrying and dance with Isa.”
Then she turned to Marc and let him sweep her onto the dance floor.
He was a surprisingly good dancer. He didn’t have Nic’s finesse, but then again, who did? And it wasn’t as if he was trying to finesse her anyway. In fact, when she glanced up at him, it looked more as though he was trying to figure her out.
It was on their second turn around the floor that she said, “Let’s just get it out of the way, okay?”
He glanced down at her, brows lifted in surprise. “I’m beginning to see what Nic likes about you.”
“No, you aren’t. You don’t want your brother anywhere near me.”
“Touché.” He inclined his head. “Unfortunately, Nic doesn’t share my sentiments. And since you’re currently carrying the first heir to Bijoux, that isn’t an option anyway.”
“If that’s the case, then what do you want?”
“And here I was just about to ask you that question.” His eyes were hard.
“I don’t want anything—”
“Everybody wants something, Desi. It’s the nature of the beast. And I’d rather know your endgame now than find out about it the hard way, after you destroy my brother.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“You’re damn right it isn’t going to happen, because I’m not going to let it happen. So tell me what you’re after and I’ll make sure you get it, in exchange for—”
“In exchange for what?” Nic asked from where he was suddenly standing between them. “What do you think you’re doing, Marc?” He kept his voice down and his body language relaxed so as not to draw attention to them, but his gaze was fierce and furious. So fierce and furious that she didn’t know how his brother even managed to look him in the eye.
Marc did, though, and he was easily as livid as Nic. “I’m the one who should be asking you that question, shouldn’t I? This woman nearly destroyed us and now you’re playing house with her? I get that she’s having your baby, but you’re a lot stupider than I gave you credit for if you can’t figure out that even that was a setup. I don’t know what her endgame is yet, but you can’t be so blinded by the sex that you don’t know that there is one.”
Nic’s hands clenched into fists as he gave up any pretense of being relaxed. “You’re going to want to shut up and back off, man.”
“Nic, it’s fine.” She tried to get his attention. “Marc’s just trying to protect you.”
“Yeah, well, he’s doing a lousy job of it,” Nic told her as he moved to put his body between her and Marc.
“Or what? You’ll punch me in the middle of a charity gala?” Marc challenged him. “Go ahead. That’d be great PR for Bijoux, huh? Or has a week with her made you forget everything we’ve worked so hard for?”
“I think you’re the one who’s forgotten—”
“Stop it, Nic!” she said, grabbing his arm. She would not be the cause of them having a fight in the middle of SeaWorld, for God’s sake.
“Okay, that’s enough, you two.” Isa stepped in then, too, grabbing Marc’s arm and pulling him back a few steps. “Tomorrow in the office is soon enough to talk about this. For now—” she shot Marc a look that told him she had had more than enough “—you can take me home.”
“We’re not done here,” Nic told her.
“Yes, you are. We all are.” The look Isa gave him was as pissed off as it was understanding. “Your brother needs a time-out.”
“I’m not five,” Marc told her.
“Then stop acting like you are,” she answered sweetly as she pulled and prodded him until he gave in.
“We’re going to talk tomorrow,” he told Nic before turning away.
“Damn straight we are. And it’ll be your turn to apologize to Desi.”
