Chapter 8 – Silas
8
SILAS
I toss back my single malt whiskey as I watch my “girlfriend” across the room. This is the first night and there isn’t much happening tonight. The light supper was easy to get through with Georgie as my companion. She might be a little klutzy, she almost spilled water on me, but she charmed Mr. and Mrs. Darling. She had the old curmudgeon Milo calls a father belly laughing through the entire dinner.
Now, there is an open bar—not a good thing in my present mood, and dancing.
I hate dancing. So here I sit.
“How’s it going?”
I glance at Milo, who sits down beside me, then back to the object of my obsession. I’ve taken up sitting at a table that gives me a good line of sight to watch Georgie. My mother descended on us when we walked in after dinner. She assured me Georgie would be fine and shooed me away. I made my way over to this table, ignoring anyone who came up to talk. Not really on purpose, it’s just that all I want to do is watch Georgie, like I’m some kind of creeper.
The simple dress she is wearing clings to her curves, without being overly revealing. There is something in the jade fabric that catches the light and shimmers. Her hair is down again, lightly curled, and she’s wearing a bit more makeup.
She’s stunning and I can’t take my gaze away from her for long. I’m still trying to figure out how I missed her at work. I walk by her every damned day, and this jewel was sitting there greeting our clients.
“Silas?”
“What?” I ask, my tone not all that welcoming.
His eyebrows rise at my blunt question. “Trouble in paradise already?”
I sigh, irritated that I’ve let her get to me. The car ride put me in a bad mood. And it wasn’t anything she did particularly, it was just so much. The sweet, citrusy scent of her, the way she laughed at her own clumsiness…the way she dragged her fuller bottom lip through her teeth…I’m surprised I kept it together.
And then the sleeping arrangements. I knew we would end up in the same suite, but I didn’t count on the intimacy. There is something about sharing such close quarters, watching her get ready. Since I have never shared anything with a woman, mainly because I thought it would annoy me. The only probability is that I liked it. A lot. More than I am willing to admit out loud to anyone.
“Sorry. It’s just… a bit much.”
He looks around, before he leans closer to me. “I know you like her.”
I tear my gaze away from Georgie once more and narrow my gaze on him. “How do you know that?”
“Everyone was talking about the way you yelled at your driver when you arrived.”
“I did not yell at him. I just suggested he stop touching my girlfriend.” I turn back and find her laughing at something my mother says to her. Lord only knows what is going on there, but I will say one thing, my mother loves Georgie. I don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that I have never brought a woman to a family function. It’s the woman herself. She’s funny, self-depreciating, sweet, and you can tell there is so much going on behind that pretty smile and sparkling eyes.
He points to me “And there. Just right there.”
I pull my attention away from Georgie for a second. “What?”
“It sounds like you like calling her your girlfriend,” he says quietly.
“She is my girlfriend.”
He blinks. “Uh, Silas, you know this is just this weekend.”
My entire body rejects that idea. Seeing her stand in our room, the way she blushed when I said we would figure it all out later. I had nothing to decide. I want her, more than I want my next breath. The ride here solidified that decision.
“Maybe.” I look back over at Georgie.
“Have you talked to her about this?”
I shake my head, smiling when I see Georgie smile at something my mother said to her. I just can’t get over the way she sparkles when she’s happy. It’s as if the air around her vibrates with her happiness. The dress she’s wearing is perfect for her small frame, with just a little shimmer in the fabric. She’s wearing little heels, probably my sister’s doing. Georgie, while the most beautiful woman in the room, is not the most graceful. She left her hair down, which I love. I can just imagine wrapping the silky strands around my hand as I take her from behind.
“Silas?”
I turn to look at him. “What?”
He sighs. “I know that you sometimes live in your own world.”
“I do not. I live in the real world with real consequences.”
He studies me for a long moment. “But you somehow think this thing is real?”
I open my mouth to explain that it isn’t. I understand that this is all make-believe, but as I do, I see Milo’s brother Theo make his way over to Georgie. He smiles at her, and she smiles back. Anger hits me hard, and I’m standing up before I know what I’m doing.
“Silas, where are you going?”
Theo steps closer as I notice the band is coming back from their break. I realize what’s about to happen and take a step in their direction. There is no way on this earth that Theo Darling is going to touch my Georgie.
Milo grabs me before I can step away.
“Where are you going?” he repeats.
I lower my voice so only he can hear me and say, “I know this is all fake, but there is no way I’m going to let your skanky brother touch my woman.”
I tug my arm free, ignore my sister as she starts rushing over to me, and make my way over to Georgie. She needs to learn that no one touches her but me.