Chapter 22 Glitter – Rhodes
GLITTER
RHODES
Rory looked incredible in that dress. I knew she would. It was perfect for her, fitted yet modest, flowing but simple.
She looked like a princess, which was exactly what I wanted. Why I wanted that, I wasn’t sure—except I knew she’d never worn a gown that luxurious, and I wanted to give her pleasure.
The idea of giving her pleasure was also behind my insistence that my legal team put together her guardianship petition immediately. I knew how important her brother and sister were to her. I wanted to prove that I would follow through. I wanted her to get what she wanted.
There was a lot of wanting going around.
When she’d called me Sir—jokingly, innocently—it was like a one-two punch.
First, the dress. Second, her innocence.
I was starting to want her. I kept thinking about her.
As she stood by my side, it seemed natural for me to keep my arm around her waist. It wasn’t just to show the board members that our relationship was real.
It was because I wanted to.
Again with the wanting…
I introduced Rory to Haruki Sato and Rahim Aziz, two longtime board members. “Miranda told us you two are trying for a baby,” Haruki said, and I almost spit out my drink.
Rory gently elbowed me.
“That’s right,” I said, recovering quickly. I pulled her closer to me. “We want Luke to have cousins to grow up with. Nothing can replace his father, of course. But we want him to have a family.”
“I respect that,” Rahim said. “It’s terrible to lose a parent. What’s the status with Gigi?”
I shook my head. “Unfortunately, she’s not really involved in Luke’s life. She rarely sees him.”
Rahim looked confused. “That’s not what Miranda said.”
I stiffened. “Really? I can’t imagine what she did say, because what I told you is the truth.”
“She said that Gigi wants to spend more time with him—maybe even have Luke live with her and attend school in Manhattan.” He looked thoughtful. “Miranda was the one to bring it up.”
“Interesting,” I said, and left it at that.
“Luke’s a wonderful little boy,” Rory offered.
Rahim and Haruki smiled at her. “He’ll be lucky to have you as a second mother,” Haruki said.
“Thank you,” Rory said. I was the only one who could read the strain in her eyes.
It was both good and bad that Rory was sincere in her affection for Luke. On the one hand, it was positive for both her and the boy to have a connection. On the other, I knew it made lying more difficult.
For me, in the deep, dark recesses of my reasoning—a realm I didn’t care to examine—I was secretly relieved that she cared for my nephew. I felt this was somehow to my advantage. I wondered if she would ever consider actually giving Luke a cousin…
We chatted with Rahim and Haruki for a few minutes longer, until a butler appeared. “Dinner is served, Sir,” he said, and Rory bit back a laugh.
“It doesn’t have the same ring to it,” I growled in her ear, delighted when she shivered.
I pulled her against me and led her to the table, wondering whether she would ever call me Sir again.
And if she did, what exactly was I going to do about it?
I kept my arm around Rory during dinner, which made it difficult to eat. That was fine by me—my appetite for food had vanished.
Another hunger had stolen upon me.
The feel of her skin, the way her eyes sparkled in the candlelight, and her polite attention to the board members captivated me. Rory had me mesmerized. Somehow, sitting next to her was an event in itself.
“This salad is delicious,” she said, chatting to the board member next to her, Abigail Furst. “I love radishes. My Grammy grows them in her garden. I’ve never had them in a pesto like this…”
She talked vegetables and home gardens with Abigail, drinking her lemonade, completely over her head, and yet, somehow still holding her own.
Rory was just so normal. I hadn’t spent time with anyone like her, maybe ever, but she brought a friendly groundedness to the dinner party, even though she looked like a super-hot Disney princess.
I rubbed her shoulder, my fingers trailing over her exposed skin, and noticed a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. Good. I knew that I was playing with fire, but it pleased me to see her react.
I slid my hand from her shoulder and put it on her thigh, squeezing it. She tensed for a moment. I gave her a small pat, reassuring her, and she glanced at me.
“Do you want to skip dessert?” I asked. “We could always order some later in our room.”
I leaned closer. “I think the newlywed vibe is really working,” I whispered. “We should play it up.”
“Of course,” she said, and a zip of excitement raced up my spine.
I stood, taking Rory’s hand and gently pulling her up alongside me. “Dinner has been lovely, but if you will excuse us, my fiancé and I have a long day tomorrow.”
Most of the board was gracious, smiling and nodding and offering platitudes, but Abigail Furst snickered and raised her glass. “A toast to the newlyweds! They just can’t wait to be alone. Ah, to be young.”
They toasted us as we fled. Cousin Andrew was heading back from another trip to the bar. He grabbed my wrist. “You’re leaving?” His voice was slurred. His gaze skipped over to Rory.
“Yes, Andrew,” I barked, snapping him out of it. “It’s been a long night, don’t you think? You should probably go sleep it off.”
“Bah,” he said, waving me off. At least he was aware enough not to look in Rory’s direction again—I would’ve punched him in the face.
I kept her hand firmly in mine as we headed down the hall. I was grateful to be alone in the cool hallway, away from the others. I was burning up. Rory stared straight ahead as I marched her to our suite.
Once we were inside, I dropped her hand and stalked over to the windows. It was dark out, only a sliver of moon visible in the night sky.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets and stared out at the blackness.
After a moment, she came to my side. “Rhodes… Did I do something wrong?” she asked quietly. “You can tell me.”
“No.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
I turned to her against my will. I was fighting myself. A war had started raging inside me, one I was going to lose either way. If things got physical with Rory, I would lose control of the situation. My fake relationship would cross a line I never intended, and there could be hell to pay.
But if I held back, I was going to suffer. Hell, looking at her in that dress, eyes wide, hair flowing—I was already suffering.
“It’s nothing,” I sighed. “I’m just thinking too much.”
“I get it.” Rory nodded, ducking her head.
“You do?” Hope sprang in my chest. Maybe I wasn’t the only one feeling the connection, the heat between us.
She raised her head, eyes meeting mine.
“Of course I do… Sir.”