CHAPTER 32 ROMAN #2
Her lips part and she glances sideways at my mum as if she needs permission. I see the exact moment Mum understands what’s happening. She looks down at me, then at Fae, and makes a dramatic noise I can hear over the guests before physically pushing her towards the staircase.
I can’t help the low chuckle that escapes me as I shake my head at her antics. Fae throws one last half-helpless glance over her shoulder before disappearing from the balcony.
By the time she reaches the final step, I’m waiting at the bottom. She barely has a chance to steady herself before I close the distance. My hands slide to her jaw, my thumb brushing just beneath her ear as I tilt her face up towards mine.
Leaning in, I kiss her softly. It’s not the consuming kind, just enough that I can feel her body melt beneath my hands.
Her fingers curl into the front of my jacket and her breath catches as though she still hasn’t grown used to how easily I undo her.
I don’t rush it, I let the kiss linger as the room dulls until there is only her mouth under mine.
When I pull back, her lashes are lowered and her lips are parted as I bend to press our foreheads together.
“Dance with me,” I murmur. She blinks rapidly, as though she is just remembering where we are.
“Here?”
“Yes, here.”
“I don’t… I’m not good at this,” she says as she glances towards the forming crowd on the dance floor and the tension creeps back into her shoulders as I study her face.
“You’ve dismantled grown men without hesitation, so surely a dance is nothing.”
“That’s different,” she snaps, and that fire I also love about her radiates from her eyes as I smirk.
“Nervous?”
“No,” she says, lifting her chin.
Liar.
It’s also painfully endearing and I take her hand anyway as I begin guiding her towards the floor.
We’re abruptly stopped as Quinn and Rebecca step into our path.
The shift in Fae is immediate. It’s subtle and most people wouldn’t see it, but I feel it.
Her fingers tighten around mine as her spine straightens, and my arm wraps around her waist without conscious thought, pulling her flush to my side.
Quinn’s eyes drop to the gesture as she flashes a smile, it’s controlled and viscous and completely fucking fake. It’s everything my Tinkerbell isn’t and I grind my teeth at the absurd notion that my dad thinks this woman is the one for me.
“Roman,” Quinn says smoothly.
“Quinn.”
Her gaze slides to Fae. It’s not openly hostile, just dismissive.
Quinn thinks I can’t tell, but I can. Her jealousy is stinking up the place as she looks at Fae like she is examining fabric before deciding whether it is worth buying.
The irony is my Tinkerbell isn’t for sale, but she very clearly is.
“I was hoping I’d find you before the evening ended,” she continues, adjusting the delicate strap of her purple dress. “Your dad mentioned tomorrow.”
Fae goes still beside me and I internally curse not only my dad but Quinn too.
I could bet my life savings this bitch knew my dad had just had that conversation with me.
She probably waited until I greeted Fae to place this small bomb in my lap.
Rebecca watches the exchange with thinly veiled curiosity, clearly enjoying the tension humming beneath the surface as I keep my face impassive and squeeze Fae’s hip gently.
Refusing to entertain her, I go to take a step around them.
“Dinner,” Quinn elaborates quickly. “At your house,” she adds, glancing at Fae as my heart rate goes through the roof.
The conniving little bitch.
Anger rolls off me in waves as I feel Fae’s fingers twitch against my back.
I catch the flicker of confusion out of the corner of my eye, then the quiet attempt to swallow it down as she tries not to react or give Quinn the satisfaction.
I’m proud of her, but I hate that she has to do this and that she feels she can’t speak freely.
I’m not sure if it’s learned behaviour or if she simply doesn’t want anything to blow up in her Father’s home.
I lean down and press a kiss to Fae’s forehead before she can spiral, and then I turn my glare onto Quinn.
“I’m aware,” I reply coolly.
Quinn’s gaze sharpens at the intimacy, but she keeps her composure. As she flicks her hair over her shoulder, I catch a flicker of apprehension across her face.
“Good. I’d hate for there to be… misunderstandings.” She glances at Fae and sneers.
“Misunderstandings?” I bark out a laugh before I can stop myself as I step towards her. I use my size to my advantage while I look down my nose at her. “The only one with misunderstandings here is you.”
Quinn gasps dramatically. I roll my eyes as I take a step back.
“But Daddy…”