13. Chapter Thirteen #2
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before the waitress and staff showed up with trays of food and passed the plates out. Because sitting there, ultra-aware of Violet nestled into my side, reminded me of the other two times she was pressed to my body.
And just like those other times, I couldn’t say I hated it.
VIOLET
“Feeling better?” Seth’s warm breath skated across my ear as his hand rubbed up and down my back, sending a shiver racing down my spine.
It was hard to remember that this was fake when my body kept reacting to him in very real ways.
Had I ever had such a quick and intense reaction like this to a man before?
I nodded, not trusting my voice to answer his question. Maybe I should have skipped the shot. At least I wasn’t feeling so dizzy anymore. But I was definitely feeling all kinds of other things. Had the alcohol enhanced my body’s reaction to him? Or was it just him?
And why did he have to smell so damn good? So rustic and manly. Rugged. Very Seth.
The food definitely helped me get my senses under control.
I’d always been a lightweight when it came to alcohol, but on an empty stomach, it was ten times worse.
I spun the green aventurine bracelet on my wrist, its properties of calm and balance probably helped decrease the effects of the alcohol as well. Hey, every little bit helps, right?
The waitress appeared again and handed Seth a glass of water.
“Thank you,” he said before setting it down in front of me and moving my empty water out of the way. I hadn’t even realized it was empty. “Try to drink more. It’ll help.”
I nodded and picked it up, bringing it to my lips.
“How long have you two been dating?” Hattie and Savannah’s sister Ashley asked from across the table.
Shit. Didn’t expect Ashley to be the one going straight for the jugular. At least the surprise didn’t have me choking on my water. Seth and I hadn’t talked about any of this. But it was always best to go with as close to the truth as possible.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Seth beat me to it. “A couple of weeks.”
That was perfect, and exactly what I was going to say. I hid my smile behind my glass as I took another drink.
Ashley grinned, and I thought I caught a bit of a suggestive glint in her expression. “It was so obvious in that video as you carried her down the ladder. The way you held her close to you.”
This time I actually coughed on the sip of water I’d just taken.
“But I am curious,” she continued. “Why didn’t you just climb down the ladder?”
Seth glanced over at me with a raised brow and a smirk pulling at his lips.
It was a question that came up repeatedly in the comments on the video.
And one I had no problem answering when people asked me in person.
But no way was I about to engage with the trolls online who were looking for an easy rage-bait discussion about how I was too stupid to live.
“I’m afraid of heights, and I don’t think he wanted to risk me panicking halfway down.”
Seth cocked an eyebrow at me. “I wasn’t sure you were climbing out that window without a plan.”
That was probably true, although if it came down to it, I wouldn’t have had a choice.
Hattie leaned over close to me. “Don’t look, but James just walked in with Evelyn.”
I stiffened, resisting the urge to turn around and glare at them.
Seth raised a brow but didn’t miss a beat. His arm wound around my back and he pulled me tight to his side. His lips brushed my temple. “Do you want to go?”
I was grateful Savannah had invited me to come tonight, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay now that James and the girl he’d cheated on me with were here. On the other hand, the whole point of fake dating Seth was to show James I’d moved on.
I looked up at Seth, unsure what I wanted to do.
He searched my face and gave me a clipped nod. “We’ll stay a bit longer and then go. Okay?”
My body relaxed. “Yeah.”
Seth made no attempt to move his arm. Instead, he brushed his hand up and down my bicep.
I focused on the movement of his hand and the conversations around me, trying to ignore the fact that my cheating ex was there.
I closed my eyes, letting Seth’s touch ground me, and then laid my head against his shoulder.
I was just a little bit curious how Seth was still single.
The guy brought me a freaking plant, made me a playlist, and was pretty amazing tonight.
How attentive he was made it glaringly obvious how horrible James had been at that.
And while I understood Seth didn’t mean it the way a boyfriend would, it still made me wonder what his story was.
He definitely didn’t like the attention from the women around town, which made me believe he wasn’t looking for anything.
But when his gaze met mine, the intensity in his eyes made me wonder if he felt the little zaps of attraction between us too, or if he was just that good of an actor. My stomach flipped.
Dammit . Regardless of his story, I had to remember this was fake. Neither of us were looking for anything, and we’d agreed that this was a mutually beneficial plan.
I refused to mess it all up by reading into things that weren’t there.