16. Sully
Sully
“ W hat are you doing here?” The words may escape my wife in a hiss, but the way her body arches against me tells me the annoyance is an act.
I won’t call her on it. My plan tonight is to thaw the ice lingering between us, not add fuel to her anger.
“I forgot to give you this.” I slip my hand into my pocket, brushing my fingers against the sharp edges of the gemstones. As I pull the necklace out, I ensure the thick string of diamonds and emeralds rests on my palm so she can get a good look at it. So Will, the prat, can get a good look too.
Sloane’s breath catches as she stares at the jewelry. “Sully…I…” She shakes her head slowly and runs a finger along the line of jewels. “It’s stunning, but…” She looks up at me, her eyes full of questions.
“Just because you’re not here with me, sweetheart, doesn’t mean I don’t still want you to feel like a queen.”
Her eyes flash and her throat bobs. I’ve memorized all of my wife’s looks. Everything from you’re in deep shite to I’m having the time of my life . And right now, her expression tells me that my simple words touched her in a way nothing I’ve said in months has been able to.
“May I?” The words are rough, full of uncertainty.
With her teeth pressed into her bottom lip, she spins.
Carefully, I shift her hair over her shoulder, and as I drag my fingers along the silky skin, she shudders.
For a heartbeat, I freeze, taking in the way she feels.
Warm and soft. She’s always had such flawless pale skin.
For years, it’s tempted me to mark it. To leave behind proof that she’s mine.
Even though she’s not at the moment, I can’t help but rub a slow circle against her spine with my thumb.
What I wouldn’t give to pull Sloane into a dark corner and drag her zipper down her spine. Drop the dress to the floor so she’s naked in front of me. Because I know by the way her breath has picked up and her shoulders have tightened that if I did, I’d find her wet and wanting.
Will clears his throat, breaking through the tension.
“Sully,” Sloane whispers. Although her tone is laced with a longing I wish she would unleash, there’s an underlying question there too.
She probably wants to know what the fuck I’m doing. Especially in front of Will. Her date.
He doesn’t deserve the title. Not after he let her out of his sight like he did. Sloane and I have attended dozens of events together over the years, and the only time she wasn’t within arm’s reach was when she excused herself to the bathroom.
Tonight, I’ll be forced to watch Will fail to treat her even half as well as she deserves.
Though I suppose if I’d treated her as well as I should have, she wouldn’t be on a date with someone else right now.
Bloody hell, I’d been such a wanker.
Gritting my teeth, I focus on getting the rope of emeralds and diamonds secured around her neck. Once the clasp is fastened, I reluctantly step back.
Turning, she fingers the jewels, her eyes wide and her expression open. “ Thank you.”
Quickly, that look disappears, and she eyes her assistant, then Will.
As much as I hate it, that’s my cue. I refuse to make this hard for her.
I won’t make a scene. I won’t demand she come with me.
I want to. In my mind, I’ve already tossed her over my shoulder and stormed out.
But she’s her own person. She makes the choices.
And if we’re going to repair our relationship, she needs to choose me.
So I give her a small smile and take half a step back. “I’d better go. I’m sitting with Judge Masters.” I tip my chin to the far side of the room. “Enjoy the night and save me a dance.” Angling in, I press my lips to her cheek. The hitch in her breath will haunt me for the next two hours.
Though nothing haunts me quite as painfully as Will’s flirting does. All night, he works hard for her attention. He sits beside her, his arm on the back of her chair, a sleazy grin on his lips.
Instead, I try to focus on the conversations happening around me.
On the music. On the food. Every year, Higgins, Smith, and Dodge throws an elaborate themed party, and this year’s is just as extravagant.
The entire floor looks like it’s been transported to nineteenth-century London.
The walls of the large ballroom are decorated to look like 1800s storefronts and homes.
Just outside the double doors are cobblestone streets, complete with carolers and live horses.
There are at least twenty lit Christmas trees and even gas streetlights set up between building facades.
The cost of this kind of party is staggering, and they’re not the only firm in town vying for the best holiday event.
My father never saw fit to waste resources on such frivolity, instead giving his employees large holiday bonuses and making charitable donations.
It’s a tradition Brian, Cal, and I have continued.
Despite my efforts to distract myself, I once again end up zeroed in on the meaty paw of the man who’s now touching my wife’s hair. It takes all my willpower to stay in my seat when my insides are roiling, telling me to stomp over there and break Will’s arm .
“What do you think about the proposed law changes?”
At the sound of Judge Masters’s voice, I inhale deeply and force my attention to her.
“Bloody ridiculous to say the court can’t order reconciliation therapy between a parent and a child,” I grumble.
Although the proposed law is utter rubbish, my mood has more to do with Will’s proximity to Sloane than anything related to work.
“The AAML needs to do something about it.” The man across from me postures. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers has had an email chain going for days, with dozens of attorneys ranting about the law. Unfortunately, more than one senator has backed it.
“I don’t know. It seems to be getting legs.”
Davis leans my way. “Couldn’t you put some pressure on the New York bar? You’ve got clout.”
I frown at him. “I work in New Jersey now.”
He winces, like he expects me to be upset by the reminder.
I’m not. At first, I was sure Jersey would be a nightmare.
And yeah, maybe it was for a couple of weeks.
Now, I like being stuck in a single room with my son and Sloane.
The rest of our flat is so small and crowded that it’s hard to find even a moment alone.
It’s a huge change from the way we rambled around our penthouse in the city.
But shockingly, we all seem to be happier.
And at this exact moment, I’d give just about anything to be locked in that shitty room with my family.
Without my permission, my focus drifts back to Sloane, who is leaning so far away from her dickhead of a boss she’s practically in her assistant’s lap.
As if he can feel my glare, Julius turns and locks eyes with me. He arches a brow, and I swear I can hear the mocking words he wants to say. What are you going to do about this, baby daddy?
I’ll show him exactly what I intend to do.
“Excuse me.” Without waiting for a response from my tablemates, I stand and stroll to the bar .
When she was pregnant with T.J., my wife had a favorite mocktail. I might not know whether she’ll crave the orange juice, cranberry, and soda like she did then, but at least she’ll know I remembered.
With the drink in hand, I wander to Higgins’s table.
I come up behind them, causing Will to drop his arm so he can crane his neck.
His face falls when he sees me. I get it. I don’t want him near her either. But he can piss off. I’m done watching him flirt with my wife.
Especially because while he’s been all over her, he’s oblivious to her body language and has yet to notice that she finished her drink at least a half hour ago.
The wanker isn’t even a good date. Probably shitty in bed too.
My jaw locks at that thought. He will never touch my wife.
“Sloane.” I step into the small space between them. She looks up at me, and her eyes brighten at the sight of the drink in my hand. “For you.” I hold the stemmed glass, and when our fingers brush, a thrill shoots through me.
“I can’t believe you remembered,” she murmurs as she brings it to her lips.
“How could I ever forget?” That’s the problem though, she believes I did. Sloane’s eyes flicker with surprise at my comment and I don’t look away. I hold eye contact, and that surprise melts to warmth. To desire. So I take a chance. “How about that dance?”
Her lips twitch almost imperceptibly, and my heart rate kicks up. She sets her glass down and holds out a hand to me. The second I take it, my body electrifies because in a moment, my wife’s body will be pressed up against mine. Finally.
I allow her to slip past me, to head to the dance floor, and when her back is to me, I shift and give a quick snap of my heel against the leg of Will’s chair, causing the chair to give out and fly backwards. As he tumbles, falling onto the floor, I can’t hide my smirk.
Dumbass didn’t even brace himself .
With long strides, I’m behind Sloane before she even spins to face me. “What’s so funny?”
I shake my head, not wanting to ruin the moment with talk of Will.
Focusing instead on her, I tell her exactly how I feel.
“I’m just happy to be here with you.” When her cheeks flush in response, that kernel of happiness grows.
“Come here, sweetheart,” I murmur as the live band breaks into a slow ballad.
Hesitantly, she steps toward me, and I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close in the way my body has been craving.
I expect her to be rigid beneath my touch.
Instead, she melts against me like she’s been wanting this as much as I have.
Feeling bold, I tuck her against my chest. She rewards me by resting her head on my shoulder and letting out the softest sigh.
The almost inaudible breath, a sign of her finally relaxing with me, settles something in my chest, and then inflates like a balloon. Nothing could be better than this.