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“For fuck’s sake, Aug, will this be your answer to every problem we ever encounter in our relationship?” I shouted.
“You don’t understand—”
I cut him off. “I understand perfectly. I understand that no matter if it’s now or in a few months or years when I’m with you, I will be a constant person of interest. You’re the most eligible bachelor in the United Kingdom. People will be jealous of me. People will want to be me or want to fantasize about taking my place. You’re sexy as fuck. You know it, they know it, and I know it. I don’t need you to cut yourself off from me. I need to be taught how to deal with them when they turn up.”
He considered my rant for a few excruciating moments. “Are you talking about media training?”
I dipped my chin. “If need be.”
“That’s an awfully big step.”
Why did that sound like a warning?
“It’s an important one.”
Augustus released a sigh and relented. “You’re right. In hindsight, I can’t believe Linda forced you into all of those interviews without any lessons. No wonder you cracked under pressure.”
“Gee, thanks for the reminder.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll look into something after New Year’s.” Augustus’ line of sight moved from his pancakes to his work, then back to me. “Give me a few hours and maybe we can christen this room together. I’ve never fucked anyone in here.”
I slapped my lap as I got to my feet. “No can do. I’m going celibate for a week.”
Augustus nearly choked on a piece of chocolate chip pancake. “You’re what?”
I moved my arms in a cutting motion. “I’m not having sex with any of you until the gala has gone off without a single hitch. It will be like a celebration and a personal after-party orgy all in one.”
Augustus rose from his chair. “You’re going to give me blue balls.”
I went over to him and straightened the collar of his polo shirt. I secretly loved that I had him on a tightrope. “We’ll have to find some other way to entertain ourselves. Like a date.”
Augustus’ entire face wrinkled up in disgust. “Adate?I don’t do dates.”
I rested my hands on his shoulders. “Then how do I get to know you better?”
I could feel him stiffen.
“I need to get back to work.” He pulled away from me and sat back down. “Shut the door on your way out. Thank you.”
I was confused by his behavior. He was pulling away from me, and I didn’t know why. But I thought I knew him well enough to hazard a guess.
Augustus Huntington was afraid of falling in love.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
It was a couple more days before I decided it was safe to return to my place, and I was incredibly relieved to be able to do so. Augustus had kept his distance from me over the last forty-eight hours, and it had done nothing but infuriate me. My video calls with Ruben helped, and I filled him in on what had happened. While he was disappointed he couldn’t be there to help, he was pleased the others had my back.
Ruben leaned his elbows on the arms of the timber chair he was sitting in. “As soon as I met Jeremy, I knew he was a good bloke, and I knew how much he cared about you.”
“How?” I asked.
“Call it intuition. He was falling hard for you from the get-go. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better guy to catch your attention. Riva practically worships you, so I’m not surprised about that outcome, either.”
I took the mail out of my mailbox as I passed it. “You’re okay with this?”
“You know I am, Sienna-Belle. I’m happy you’re happy, and I can’t wait to be a part of this again when I come back for New Year’s. I guess I’d like to explore more with Augustus.”
“Well, this is the part where I should warn you that Augustus is acting all weird and distant.”
