Chapter 18
My sister had evolved beyond a bride-zilla and turned into a full-blown bride-bitch, hellbent on making my life difficult.
“You could at least try and look happy,” Maya snipped.
“I don’t understand why you want me to do it? Why haven’t you asked either Daphne or Kitty?”
“They’ve already said they will be my bridesmaids.” She turned to look in the mirror behind her. “You’re my only sister, Livi; it would be weird if you weren’t my Maid of Honor.”
“I think it would be weirder if I was.”
“Haven’t we moved past all this already?”
“Maya, come on, being forced to organize all this is one thing, but use your brain and think about what you’re asking of me.”
Standing up at the altar, having to watch up close and personal as my sister marries the man I thought I’d marry someday—hell, a kick in the teeth would be preferable.
“Think of what people will say if you are sitting amongst the guests and not up there with me,” Maya continued, applying a new layer of lip gloss.
“It’s your big day, not mine. People will be too busy looking at you to notice where I am sitting.”
“You and I both know that’s not true.” Maya motioned to the door leading to the party happening on the other side. “All those people out there, you think I don’t hear them whispering? You don’t think I notice them talking about the three of us?”
She wasn’t wrong.
The very second people started arriving at Nirvana Gallery for the engagement party, all eyes were on Maya, Daniel, and me.
Everyone knew the fake version of events, the one my mother had spread far and wide to ensure that no one blamed Maya or Daniel for what happened, but it didn’t stop people from speculating and gossiping.
The guests watched us like animals in a zoo enclosure.
My sister exhaled slowly. “Livi, I love Daniel, and I know that’s still not easy for you to accept.” Turning back to me, she reached out and touched my arm. “But you’re my sister, and I love you too; nothing will ever change that.”
Was I a complete bastard in my past life or something? Had I pissed the cosmic gods off without knowing? Because surely there was a limit to how much shit one person could take.
Before I had a chance to try and talk my way out of it, the door opened.
“The photographer has arrived. She is waiting beside the champagne tower.” Daniel stood in the doorway as his gaze dragged slowly from me to my sister.
Maya clapped her hands together. “It’s about time.” Gathering the skirts of her blush pink custom-designed dress, she exited the room without as much as a glance back.
Draining the remains of my wine glass, I went to follow my sister only to be met by a wall of blond hair and broad shoulders.
“You’re in my way,” I said tightly.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but that dress on you….” He trailed off, his eyes hungrily taking in every inch of me.
I fought the urge to step back from him. “Are you fucking high or something?”
“Nope. I just forgot how hot you can look when you put in some effort and wear dresses like that.”
He had some fucking nerve.
I swore the universe was getting some sick kick out of messing with me.
“Where’s your boyfriend tonight?”
The million-dollar question.
“He got caught up at work,” I replied casually despite the blood thundering between my ears. “But he’ll be here any minute.”
“What a shame.”
Truthfully, I had no idea where Elliott was. It was as if he had dropped off the face of the planet. The last time we spoke was on the rooftop of Club Chaos three days ago.
Since then, he hadn’t responded to my embarrassingly many text messages reminding him about the engagement party tonight.
Each and every message he left unread.
I had no idea if he was even going to show.
I wasn’t too proud to admit it stung, especially when I’d begun to think Elliott was different than any of the other guys I knew.
“Can you move the hell out of my way?”
Daniel didn’t move a muscle. “Have you thought about what I said the other night?”
‘I miss you, Liv. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I think I made some wrong choices.’
No matter how much I tried not to think about it, no matter how much I tried to lock those words away in an air-tight box and bury it in the back of my mind, I couldn’t.
What did he mean wrong choices?
I hated how much time and energy Daniel kept stealing from me. Rule number two: don’t let shitty ex-boyfriends take up any more of my time.
Deep down, I knew Elliott was right. Daniel’s sudden declarations were nothing more than sprouts of jealousy, yet it didn’t make it any easier.
“No,” I lied through my teeth.
“Darling, we both know that’s not true. You always were a terrible liar.”
“I don’t have time for this. Move or I will drive my foot so far up your ass you’ll taste the ground I’ve been walking on.”
Finally, he relented, but he kept himself angled so my arm had no other choice but to rub against him on the way out. A bone-chilling shudder ran down my spine as I heard him inhale deeply the moment we touched.
“I meant what I said, Liv,” he whispered. “I miss you. I miss us.”
My arm, his chest. His words ringing in my ears and burrowing like parasites. His wood and pine aftershave, the one I used to adore, attacked my nostrils and birthed a wave of nausea.
It was too much.
Practically running through the gallery, ignoring my mother’s voice calling for me, I refused to stop until the night air embraced me.
Gulping mouthfuls of air, I tried to banish the scent of him from my senses, but my lungs refused to let go. The corset bodice of my deep scarlet dress dug harder into my ribs. My heart tried to break free from my tightening chest as beads of sweat slid down the nape of my neck.
I couldn’t breathe.
Oh, freaking hell, not again.
I slipped out of my high heels, grounding the flats of my feet to the sidewalk, and forced myself to focus on my breathing.
Inhale and hold. Exhale and hold.
Inhale again. Exhale again, all the while I counted the tips of my fingers and felt the cold sidewalk fusing with my bare feet.
“Peaches, are you okay?”
My head snapped up, the fog of anxiety slowly receding. “You’re late.”
“The traffic was crazy, not to mention trying to get a cab in this city is impossible. I got here as quickly as I could.”
“Where the hell have you been? Why haven’t you answered any of my messages? You left me to deal with these vultures alone!”
Elliott toed the ground. “There was something I had to do. I thought it wouldn’t have taken as long as it did.”
“And you didn’t think to let me know? A phone call or a text message would have been nice.”
He opened his mouth before firmly closing it into a thin line.
Tension steamrolled down my spine as voices from the party flittered out. “In the future, it would be nice to be kept in the loop. A courtesy I didn’t think I’d need to ask from you.”
“Livi, I’m—”
“Let’s get this over and done with,” I interrupted him, stepping back into my heels and walking toward the gallery.
Truthfully, I knew that I was lashing out and redirecting my anger at Elliott.
But if Elliott had arrived on time, if he’d stuck to his end of the agreement, I wouldn’t have found myself alone and cornered by Daniel.
Back inside, the party was officially in full swing.
Photographers, influencers, and a few hand-selected tabloid journalists weaved between the crowds, capturing the event in all its glory.
Given the circumstances, I had to admit it was one of the best events I’d put together.
And thankfully, after a few stern words from Khloe, Benjamin Gates had tucked his tail between his legs and started to perform, enticing people to the dance floor.
Grabbing a flute of champagne from one of the servers passing by, I knocked the glass back without tasting it.
Before I got the chance to grab another glass, a hand slipped into my outstretched one.
Hazel hues poured down into mine. “I should have called.”
“Hindsight is a wonderful yet useless thing.”
“I’m sorry.”
My lips rolled together.
Sweet hell, it wasn’t fair how handsome he looked right now. The tailored suit molded perfectly to his body like a second skin, and his deep green tie brought his eyes to life.
“Same for your messages. Things have been a little chaotic, but I should have replied to you. I messed up.”
“Whatever, it’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine, and I can tell I’ve upset you.” A deep exhale escaped from him. “The reason I was late was that my mentor…my friend, Adam, passed away a couple weeks ago.”
Oh, way to go, Livi, way to be a Category Five bitch.
“It was so sudden, one second he was there in front of me, and then the next—” He cleared his throat. “There was nothing more I could have done.”
I gasped. “You were there when he passed?”
Elliott nodded tightly.
My heart physically ached as pain settled deep into his features. I fought the urge to reach up and touch his cheek, to smooth out the deepening lines forming along his brow.
Instead, I interlocked my fingers with his and ran my thumb along his knuckles.
“It was the reading of his Will today,” he continued. “The letter arrived a couple days ago, inviting me. I spent the whole day debating with myself whether to go, but after everything he did for me, how could I not? I couldn’t let Adam down again.”
“Dios mío…” I struggled to find the words. “Do you want to leave? I mean, this is probably the last place you want to be right now. We could go somewhere quiet and talk about it?”
With a shake of his head, he shifted his attention to those dancing nearby.
The atmosphere around us shifted tempo as the lights dimmed lower and the strum of Benjamin’s guitar turned from fast and upbeat to slow.
“Dance with me?” Elliott asked quietly.
In the low light, all I could see was him.
Without giving it a thought, I let him guide me to the dance floor, moving between the bodies, until we stopped in the center.
Strong fingers curled around my hip bone and pulled me forward until my breasts came flush against his chest. Slowly, his other hand trailed the length of my arm, tips of his fingers tracing my skin like feathers as he guided me to rest my hand on his chest.
His heavy heartbeat drummed beneath my touch.
Being this close to him, all I could think about was how good he smelled, how warm his body felt against mine, and how dangerously close his fingertips were to discovering that the best way to wear my dress was without underwear.
Attempting to focus on the music and not on my own heart beating in my throat, my hips swayed in motion with the beat.
Elliott’s grip tightened on my waist.
I dared to look up and found him staring down at me.
His jaw and shoulders were drawn so tight as if he were trying to hold back. “I didn’t think it was possible, by the way.”
I arched my brow in question.
“For you to be any more breathtaking. But every time we are together, you leave me more breathless than the last.”
My heart actually skipped a beat.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I know.”
An inferno scorched my cheeks.
His attention flicked up before dropping back down to me. “You should know, he’s been watching us this whole time. He can’t take his worthless eyes off you.”
I refused to turn around, though it didn’t take three guesses to know exactly who he meant.
Elliott lowered his face to mine. “Let’s give him something to really look at, shall we?” Without warning, the tip of his nose brushed against mine, and the whisper of his breath traced the seam of my lips. “Let me show him how big a fucking mistake he made by letting you go.”
I swallowed against the dryness coating my mouth. “How?”
“Let me kiss you, Livi.”
God only knew how, but somehow, I managed to nod.
Rolling my tongue along my bottom lip, Elliott’s pupils dilated as he tracked the movement.
If he hadn’t been holding on to me, I would have melted into a puddle on the floor once his hand grasped the back of my neck and tilted my head upward.
“Don’t forget to make it convincing,” I whispered, my breath mixing with his and leaving my head spinning.
The corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that, Peaches.”
Everyone around us fell into the background. The music echoing throughout the venue became nothing more than static, with the only noticeable noise being my own pulse.
There was no Daniel, no Maya, no one freaking else.
All that existed was him and me.
Two hands dived into my loose curls, causing my back to arch. Our shared breath caught in my lungs, heat surging and pulling tight in my stomach as Elliott’s lips sealed themselves to mine.
He nibbled my bottom lip, his hands wrapping curls tighter in his grip and beckoning a small moan in my throat that I couldn’t swallow on time.
His kiss grew ravenous, urgent, all-damn-consuming as the noise escaped me. Fire erupted between my legs, my toes practically curling in my high-heels as one of his hands left my hair and gripped my hip with such force that I knew—I hoped it left a mark.
I inhaled sharply, giving him perfect access to slide his tongue along mine.
The way his body molded against me meant I could feel his hardening cock resting against my stomach. Fuck me, even behind the constraints of trousers, I could feel every thick inch of him. Grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket, my core tightened painfully.
The way Elliott kissed me was as if I was the very air he needed to breathe. He was a man unchained, and damn it all to hell, I lost myself in him.
Taking his tongue between my teeth gently, I sucked the tip, teasingly enticing him to push his hips harder against my lower stomach.
Sweet hell, he tasted so freaking good.
Not to mention the way his tongue danced with mine, it was impossible not to imagine it doing the same between my legs. I’d bet a pretty penny that he knew exactly how to make a woman’s legs shake with sheer torturous pleasure.
Someone cleared their throat loudly. “Break it up, love birds, before some poor bastard has to clean your bodily fluids off the ground.”
Snapping us both back into reality, I pulled back first and found Khloe standing next to us with a shit-eating grin.
“Sorry to interrupt the live sex show,” Khloe playfully taunted, “but your dragon of a mother is looking for you.”
“Oh, right, um...of course,” I muttered, turning back to Elliott. “I have to go and deal with this.”
Heat blazed behind his glasses, his breath shallow and his lips stained with red lipstick. “Go, I’ll be right here waiting for you.”
My knees wobbled walking away. Tracing my thumb along my bottom lip, I told myself not to dwell on how good his lips felt on mine and how, for the first time in almost a year, every nerve in my body sparked into life.
It didn’t matter that Elliott just gave me the best kiss of my life, because none of it was real.