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And I live for it.
“Cillian…” Knox takes a step forward, closing the distance until we’re standing so close that if I stand on my toes, my lips will meet his. “You’re not talking to him,” he warns.
“I have to interact with all the guests,” I point out, forcing my eyes away from his mouth, and Knox hates that answer.
His jaw tightens, and his fingers wrap possessively around my hips, pulling me half an inch closer. “You are not talking to him.”
Holy shit!
Is he jealous?!
A wicked part of me considers flirting with Aurelio just to watch Knox lose his mind.
No…
Don’t be a dick, Cil.
Besides, the thought of being anywhere near that disgusting, cheating man makes my skin crawl.
Although… maybe using Aurelio to push Knox’s buttons wouldn’t be so bad.
He owes me, after all.
“I have host duties, Knox. But if you feel like he puts my security at risk, you can stay as close to me as you want whenever he’s around.”
“I will,” he agrees, his body hovering agonizingly close to mine. “For security, of course.”
“Of course,” I say, unable to hide my smile.
Suddenly, Knox tenses and takes a step back.
His hand moves to his ear, tapping it twice. “On it,” he answers before looking at me. “Your guests are here.”
— ¤ —
The main beach looks like a dream, lit with torches, Eden roses, and a pergola tunnel covered in wisteria vines and fairy lights.
It is stunning, exactly as my grandfather would have loved it… and yet, I can’t bring myself to enjoy it.
Between a psycho stalker, the worst ex in history, the pressure of making this auction work, and my own heartbreak, I’m barely functioning.
Thank God I have Leo and Julian helping me, because otherwise, I don’t know where I’d be right now.
“Cillian, darling!” Serafina, a longtime family friend and oil heiress, sweeps toward me, pressing kisses to both my cheeks… the same way she’s done since I was a kid.
“Serafina, you look stunning,” I say, hugging her back.
“Speaking of stunning,” she whispers, her eyes widening as she nods toward Knox and the other Harknetts. “What in the world, Cil?”
“They’re my security team.”
“Are you expecting an invasion?”
“Don’t exaggerate,” I chuckle, waving at a passing staff member with a glass of rosé.
“Exaggerate?! You have two hot tattooed Thors, darling.”
I laugh because the twins do look like Thor.
