AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Long curly hair, green dress, beautiful woman… any of this ring a bell?”
It’s then I realize she’s talking about Twyla, and a slow smile spreads across my face. Her eyes narrow more and she inhales deeply. If she’s this worked up about me chatting with my best friend’s sister, it must mean she cares on some level. I can’t strip the smile off my face because I’m so damn happy.
“Ah… you’re jealous?” I arch an eyebrow.
She scoffs. “In your dreams. I’m just thinking about the poor girl sitting there in the ballroom waiting for you to return while you’re out here chatting me up.”
“Sure you are.”
“It’s true.” She raises her chin in a prideful way.
I step closer to her and lean in, whispering in her ear, “For the record, if I saw you here with a date tonight and I saw him looking at you the wayI’vebeen looking at you all night, I’d want to send my fist through his face. Right or wrong, I’d be jealous, so don’t feel bad about it. And just so it’s abundantly clear, that’s Miles’s sister, Twyla. She’s in town visiting, so he invited her along. If you saw us laughing together, it was likely at his expense. And yes, she’s beautiful, but I never have, and I never would, think of doing the things to her that I want so desperately to do to you.”
I walk away, leaving Shayna standing there with flushed cheeks and apparently unsure of what to say. Which is appropriate. Even I don’t know where we go now that I’ve laid my entire hand out there.
Twelve
Shayna
After I use the facilities, I stumble back to the table in a daze, Lee’s words echoing through my head like a constant reverberation causing an ache between my legs.
The way I’ve been looking at you all night…
I’d be jealous…
I want so desperately to do to you…
Every part of me wishes I was appalled or insulted by his forwardness, but my body betrays me. The area between my thighs hums, and my nipples are tight under the fabric of my dress. That man still gets under my skin and in my head.
“What happened in the bathroom? You’re all flushed,” Bryce says when I sit at the table.
“I’ll tell you later,” I murmur, reaching for my wineglass and finishing what’s left.
Bryce looks over her shoulder, presumably at the table Lee is seated at, then gives me a knowing look. “Can’t wait to hear all about it.”
I do my best throughout the rest of dinner to engage with my fellow tablemates, but Lee’s gaze on my back feels like a brand. Maybe it’s my imagination. Maybe it’s wishful thinking.
If I’m really honest with myself, I can admit that once Lee vowed to leave me alone and not press me for forgiveness, I missed his attention.
Jesus, the man has my head spinning. There’s no way I can continue like this much longer. I need some kind of resolution.
When dinner wraps up, Bryce goes off to mingle and I decide to head to the other side of the room to check out the silent auction items. I have no plans—or budget—to bid on anything, but I’m curious what’s up for grabs.
Helicopter tour of the city… a week in Turks and Caicos… tickets to the Grammys. I knew the people in the room were wealthy, but holy shit are they connected.
I stop at a week aboard a superyacht. I’ve never even been on a cruise, and to be honest, I’m not sure I’d want to be stuck on the high seas with thousands of people, but a private yacht is different altogether.
Studying the pictures of the ship, I allow myself a moment to imagine what it would be like to be afforded such luxury. Growing up, we couldn’t afford extravagant family vacations, and the handful we did take were always shorter road trips.
I eye the picture of the chaise lounges on the sundeck and I close my eyes, imagining the sun warming my skin and inhaling the salty air.
“Shayna, do you have a moment? I wanted to introduce you to someone.”
My eyes snap open and I turn to Dr. Carlisle standing at my side with a man who needs no introduction because I know who he is—heck, he’s the reason we’re all here.
Giles Hanover owns the San Francisco Kingsmen.
“Hi, Dr. Carlisle.” I smile at them both.
