AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gabriel smiles, again causing a strange reaction in me. “Yes, you do. Let’s go get it.”
He and Tennyson walk to the center of the room where his cape is draped across the back of a chair at a round table adorned with fresh flowers in reds and pinks.
“You have to admit,” Erin says, “that was nice of him. He could’ve ignored the fact Tenny is bored.”
“I know,” I say, confused.
When they return, he leads us out of the ballroom and makes a call to alert his staff to get things ready. Tenny can barely contain his excitement, bouncing down the stairs that lead to a room filled with five rows of oversized leather recliners and a projection screen on one wall.
A smiling woman, with a dark bob, stands by a popcorn machine.
“This is Leah,” he introduces us. “She’ll take care of you.”
“Have fun, sweetie.” I give him a kiss. “I’ll be back soon.”
“No rush,” Erin says, reclining with a smile.
Gabriel leads me out and back toward the party.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
His dark eyes flit down to me and he shrugs it off, sliding his hands in his pockets.
“I remember being a kid at functions like this bored out of my mind.”
Thankfully, his long strides slow, so I don’t have to rush to keep up. “And now? Do you enjoy these things?”
“Fuck no,” he answers.
“Then why do you do it?” The chatter from the party drifts closer to us as we turn the corner. “It’s not like you need to impress anyone.”
“For reasons you wouldn’t understand.”
When we reach the entrance, I sneak a peek at his profile, and see the moment the mask slips back into place, blocking the life from his face.
His hand returns to my lower back as he guides me to different clusters of people. In a messed up way, it soothes me.
After a painstaking round of mingling, he leans down to whisper in my ear, “We need to dance.”
His husky voice causes my body to rebel once again, and my nipples harden.
I look up at him. “I think you’re supposed to ask me.”
His brow raises. “Would you like to dance?”
“No.”
He chuckles. “Exactly.”
Before I can object, he takes my hand and leads me out to the dance floor. All eyes are on us as he pulls me flush against him. My hand lands on his chest, and I stare at the black tie around his throat, to avoid looking at him as our bodies sway with intimacy against each other. If I thought the meet and greet was torture, I was wrong. This is.
Finally, I glance up at him, and the look in his hooded eyes makes my heart pound against my chest.
One year. I can do this for one year. And watch my life change forever.
The soft music from the band wraps itself around us, and I can’t breathe until it finally ends.
I step away. “I just need a few minutes of me time,” I tell him.
