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“I will not pull her into this, and neither will you. Do you hear me? Now, back. The fuck. Off.” I punctuated each word to make it as clear as I could without a drawing.
“You think you can just walk away?”
“Damn right.”
“Fine. I’ll prove you wrong then.”
Jamie
If looks could kill, both Matt and I would be stone-cold by now. Liam’s glare would be shooting daggers if it was loaded.
I watched as the two men pulled away to a safe distance, purposely leaving their backs to me so I couldn’t make out a single word they said.
If this was going to be my night, I needed another drink.
After collecting another one of those pink champagne flutes from a passing waiter, I sauntered back to the foyer. Looking at beautiful things had a calming effect unless that beautiful thing was Liam. I parked in front of the Dalí, its surrealism matching the one of my current predicament.
It was less disturbing than his normal pieces, but still messy and raw, just like all the emotions running through me. This night was definitely going to persist in my memory for eternity. Pun very much intended.
There was no lying to myself. I knew it was wrong, but that didn’t change the fact that I enjoyed watching the way Liam was seething. There were only a few times when his words weren’t controlled and carefully chosen, so forgive me if I relished in the fact that he was jealous to see me with another man.
“There you are!” Matt spoke straight into my ear, his hand resuming to what I figured to be his favorite spot. “I thought you had run out on me.”
I should have.
“Just taking in the beauty in this piece. Shouldn’t this be hanging at a museum somewhere?”
“Not that one. That piece is personal. Salvador was a close friend of my grandfather’s. That woman blended in the sky?” Matt stood behind me, his full body pressed against mine while his lips rested on my ear as he pointed towards the canvas, “That was my grandmother.”
“Why is she wearing two rings on her necklace?” That particular part of the painting was more prominent than the rest, the huge ring standing out with its bright tones of gold against the darker colors around it.
“That’s somewhat of a family tradition, running for many generations now. Our initials are engraved in it, and the patriarch of the family is expected to gift it to the love of his life. My grandfather gave that ring to her as soon as he knew she was it. Which just so happened to be the first time they met.”
“Wow. He moved fast.” I couldn’t help but notice some resemblance. “And the other one? There are two rings there.”
“Let’s just say she was a very courted woman.”
“She’s holding a gun bigger than her. She looks like a force of nature.”
“Yeah, she was fierce.” There was admiration and longing in his voice, a soft tone coming out of such a rough man.
“She was beautiful.”
“Salvador, my grandfather, and another handful of men thought so, too.” He whispered before spinning me around to face him, “Imagine if they saw you.”
Smooth. How he spun that around was a lesson in mastery pick-up lingo. I had no response other than a deep blush that settled on my cheeks.
“Come, let’s get back to the party.” He offered, seeing that my words were lost.
While Alison was busy greeting her guests, Matt paraded me around the room, his strong hand caressing my skin in a permanent touch. I could feel Liam’s gaze on us, his glower burning a hole in the back of my skull.
To say his reaction was confusing was an understatement. He was pissed to see me with someone else, yet he was the one who had pushed me away. I’m not good enough for him.
So I can’t have you, but I can’t have anyone else, either?
Fuck that!
I was not about to get it on with his brother, but what I knew to be certain was a long way from what I was willing to let Liam believe.
