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“Thanks,” she muttered, taking the glass. “What’s this drink called, anyway?”
His lips quirked. “It’s called a Rudolph.”
“A Rudolph? Why?”
“It’ll make your nose red and you fly all night.”
“Oh,” she muttered. Ask a silly question. Knocking back her head, she drank deeply, aware of his gaze upon her face, her neck, her breasts. She kept drinking until the cup was empty, and she had no choice but to meet his eyes. His dark eyes caressed her face.
“Have you ever had a hangover before?”
?
?No.”
“Want one?”
She’d never experienced a hangover, but the idea of waking up with one tomorrow sounded appealing. It would be a welcome distraction from their impending divorce. “Maybe.”
Music from the orchestra swelled across the ballroom and he held out his hand. “Dance with me.”
Shaking her head, she looked toward the gorgeous cluster of supermodel-types on the edge of the dance floor, who were still watching Eduardo with voracious eyes. “Why don’t you ask one of them?”
He frowned at her then glanced over before setting his jaw. “Why would I?”
“They seem to know you.”
“Lots of people know me.”
A lump rose in her throat. “Why don’t we just end the charade? You don’t need to be so discreet. I know perfectly well that you’ve had lovers during our marriage.”
His eyes turned sharp. “Who told you that?”
“No one had to tell me. We haven’t been having sex, so I assumed …”
“You assumed wrong.”
For a long moment, they stared at each other.
“Are you really telling me the truth?” she whispered, her heart in her throat. “But it’s impossible. There must have been someone else!”
His dark eyes burned like fire. “So that is what you think of me.” His voice was low and terse beneath the rising music. “That while insisting on your absolute fidelity, I would cheat on you and betray our marriage vows?”
“What else do you expect me to believe? I know you, Eduardo. There’s no way you’ve been celibate for the last three months, especially when women throw themselves at you! No man could resist that. Especially not—”
“Especially not me?” he said with dangerous quietness.
She shook her head tearfully. “You got what you wanted. Our baby has your name. Now all your friends have seen me, they’ll know you did the right thing by our baby, and they’ll know why our marriage didn’t last.”
“Which is?”
“Just look at me!” Starting to feel dizzy from the alcohol and the heat of the ballroom, she looked down at her overflowing curves in the tight dress then gestured toward him. “And look at you!”
Eduardo’s brow creased as he looked down at his tuxedo, then back at Callie in her silver gown—the gown that had made her feel so pretty at the house but that now only seemed to emphasize her overblown figure compared to the stick figures of the models. He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Oh, forget it!” she choked out. “It doesn’t matter. Not anymore!”
But as she started to leave, she felt his larger hand enfold her own. Taking the empty glass from her, he set it on the silver tray of a passing waiter and pulled her into his arms. His dark eyes searched hers. “I never betrayed you, Callie.”
