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“Your scale is lying.”
“Like you always speak the truth?” she scoffs.
“Not something anyone can accuse me of, but in this case, I am. You’re gorgeous, earthy, and the most stunning woman in this room today. Everyone else would die for your curves. Everyone else here is jealous of your—”
“Large thighs?”
“Your shapely thighs which are exactly the right size for you to wrap about my neck when I lick your pussy from arsehole to clit.”
She gapes at me, “You’re crude, you—"
I slide the canape between her lips.
She closes her mouth, chews, then swallows.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I hold up another canape. When she hesitates, I glare at her. “No one’s going to take a photo of you, and if they do, I’ll track them down, teach them a lesson they won’t soon forget, and have the photo taken down.”
She peers up at me from under her eyelashes. “You mean it, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. In fact—” I move around and plant my body between her and the rest of the room. “There. Now you’re hidden from the sight of everyone else.”
She half-smiles. “Thanks.” She lets me feed her the second canape, and a third. By the fifth one, she’s shaking her head. “I’ve had enough.”
“One more.” I hold up another of the tiny starters.
She leans forward and bites off the grilled cheese at the end of the canape stick. She munches on the cheese, swallows, then licks her lips. “I really am full now.”
“Good.” I circle her wrist with my fingers, then tug her back to the center of the room. “Now, where were we?” I kiss the top of her forehead. She tries to pull away, but I don’t release her.
"If you do that, people are going to speculate we’re together.”
"Exactly.”
She stills. “And for a second, I thought you were being nice.”
“Because I made you comfortable enough to eat? That was me, looking out for my interests. Can’t have you fainting on me, can I? I was merely ensuring I get what I want from you this evening, is all.”
“Right.” Her face falls. The light goes out of her eyes, and something in my chest shrivels.Whoa, hold on, why does it matter that I hurt her? That’s why you reconnected with her, after all? To make her suffer the way you did because of her?So why does her getting upset make me feel like a worm of the lowest order?
"This is why you wanted me along?” She tips up her chin. “To leverage my family’s reputation for your benefit?"
I pull her even closer into my side. "You owe me."
6
Abby
He’s right. I do owe him for what I did to him all those years ago. When I was too young to realize that what I was going to do was not only wrong, but also quite serious. When I was too consumed by jealousy and a sense that I should have anything I wanted. How wrong I was. I didn’t have him then. I certainly don’t have him now.
I made sure he’ll hate me forever. I almost destroyed his life, and when I wanted to explain myself and justify my actions, but mostly, just apologize, it was too late. He was gone. I hoped, over time, he’d come to forgive me—I mean, I was only fourteen—but clearly, that’s not the case. Perhaps, it was naïve to think once he found success, he’d put the past behind him. Behind us. I hoped he’d forget about what I did, or at least, forgive me for it. It’s been twelve years! I’ve certainly tried my best to forget.And how’s that going for you, eh?
I glance at my reflection in the mirror in the restroom of the V & A.
After Cade told me I owe him, I fell silent. I allowed him to hold me close as he proceeded to make his way around the room. He met film stars, well-known authors, other sport stars, and socialites with a confidence and ease I envy.
To think, I grew up in the middle of the London social scene, with my parents loving to entertain at home—yet I shy away from that very scene. I never wanted to be part of it. I wanted to rebel against the constant need to put on a face, to make small talk, to pretend an interest in their very boring lives. All I wanted was to break free and find myself. To travel, meet new people, make friends who felt real, people who’d look behind the glitz of my background to the person I am.
Perhaps, I saw that lack of pretense in Cade, even then. Which is why I was attracted to him.
