45. Shayla
45
SHAYLA
“ I f you don’t stop kissing me, we’re going to be late,” I warned as I poked a dangly earring through my lobe. The Wraiths’ organization was hosting their annual holiday charity event tonight. We were supposed to meet up with some of the guys and their dates so we could sit together for dinner, but Easton didn’t seem to care that we needed to leave in the next five minutes. His hands roved over my body, unhurried and unbothered by our lack of time.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” Easton asked, his lips skimming over the bare skin where my neck met my shoulder. I shivered as he trailed kisses up to my ear.
“Easton,” I playfully chastised, stepping out of his grasp and turning to place my hands on his chest.
My husband was insatiable. He hadn’t been able to keep his hands off me ever since our first time together two weeks ago. When he wasn't traveling for a game, we were humping like rabbits. I thought he would’ve lost interest by now, or at least slowed down, but he wanted inside me at least once a day, sometimes twice. And I reveled in his touch, in his attention. He made me feel beautiful, like a queen who deserved to be worshipped. And it was forcing me to do something I swore would never happen.
I was falling for him.
A little at a time, he was winning me over. And I was helpless to stop it. My heart didn’t care that this was only temporary. It didn’t matter that the passion between us was born out of attraction and opportunity, not love and affection. I had no illusions about what this was. Besides, he wasn’t a one woman type of man. He would get bored eventually, and when the time came for us to part ways, he would move on to his next conquest, and someone else would get the pieces of him I wanted to keep forever.
And that was okay. That was what I’d signed up for. It was worth getting my heart broken if it meant I got to keep my mother.
“Hey,” Easton said, gently tilting my face toward his. “What’s wrong?” He searched my gaze, his brow knitted with worry.
“Nothing,” I lied. “I just don’t want to be late.” He eyed me doubtfully, but didn’t question me further. He released me, and I finished donning my jewelry while he slipped on his suit jacket. We were dressed to the nines. He looked sharp in his navy blue Tom Ford suit. The corseted bodice of my emerald gown hugged my waist and flared slightly at the hips, accentuating my curves. The scoop neckline showed off my cleavage in a way that was just short of being indecent. I felt good in it, sexy even. And the way Easton’s gaze tracked me from across the room as I slipped on my shoes made me feel more desirable than any man ever had before. He swallowed hard as I approached, his throat bobbing before his tongue darted out to wet his lips.
“Are you sure we really need to go to this thing?” he asked, grabbing me by the hips and pulling me closer.
“The entire team is going to be there,” I replied with a giggle as he buried his face in my neck. He took a deep inhale and groaned.
“This is going to be torture,” he lamented, and a wicked grin curved my lips. I’d intentionally worn his favorite perfume, knowing it would drive him wild.
“It’s only a few hours,” I assured him.
“Too long,” he groaned, his voice muffled by my collarbone.
It was tempting to just stay here, to let him undress me and tangle his hands in my freshly curled hair, but we couldn’t. We were both passionate about the charities that would benefit from this event.
“Come on. We better get going,” I urged.
“Fine,” he grumbled, sounding like a petulant child.
Weiss and his wife, Julianna, Kent and his sister, Luna, Tillman, and Claire were already seated when we arrived. Easton pulled out the empty chair next to Claire, and I slowly sank into it, afraid I’d damage my gown if I wasn’t careful. The moment he took the seat next to me, his hand found mine under the table. He didn’t let go until our food arrived, and he only released me long enough to cut his chicken. Otherwise, he kept a hand on me the whole time. He rested it on my thigh while I ate, immediately threading his fingers through mine once I was finished. Even as he spoke with others at the table, he didn’t release his hold on me, and that made my insides feel all warm and melty. My stomach dipped as he lazily stroked his thumb over my knuckles.
Following dinner, there was a silent auction. There were several items of Wraiths’ memorabilia up for grabs, including a signed jersey from Easton. With their growing popularity and winning streak, people were eager to bid.
Once the silent auction was over, there was live music and dancing accompanied by an open bar. Easton pulled me onto the dance floor, holding me close as we swayed to the music. After a few slow songs, we joined his teammates at the bar. We made our rounds, chatting with all the players and their significant others while we sipped champagne. The only person whom Easton hadn’t spoken with was Maxwell. He’d shot Easton a wary glance while conversing with Quinn and Slater, but didn’t say a word to us. Easton never acknowledged his presence, but the tension in the air was thick.
Had something happened between the two of them? Was Easton still holding what Maxwell said about me in the locker room against him?
A buzzing from my clutch drew my attention away, and I rifled through it to find my sister’s name flashing across my phone. Panic surged in my chest. She was home with our mom. What if something was wrong? I excused myself to take the call, but it had stopped ringing by the time I reached a private, quiet area. I instantly called her back, and she answered on the second ring.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as she picked up. My sister released an exacerbated huff before replying.
“Why would you assume something’s wrong?” Makenna snarked. I ignored it, eager to find out why she’d called.
“Is Mom okay?”
“Mom’s fine. I didn’t mean to worry you,” she replied, her tone laced with remorse.
“Oh.” Relief washed over, and my tense shoulders relaxed. “What did you need?”
“I just wanted to see if I could get your Movie Stream login.”
Lord above. Now I understood why people complained about teenagers so much.
“Sure,” I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose. It wasn’t her fault I assumed the worst when she called me. I needed to relax. Mom was doing okay. We hadn’t had any major issues in a couple weeks, and she was receiving the best care possible.
I promised to text her the info before bidding her goodbye. The faint sound of footsteps approaching sounded behind as I typed out my text and hit send. Assuming it was Easton coming to find me, I turned around, a smile on my lips. It died the moment I saw who’d joined me.