Chapter 49
forty-nine
A sharp stab of guilt twists in my stomach when I surrender to Carrie, allowing her tug me away from Lizzy. Mouthing a quick ‘Sorry’ over my shoulder, I’m whisked away from my girl.
My girl.
I frown, swinging another glance over my shoulder.
“Come on! Don’t be such a grumpy-pants. This is a huge opportunity,” Carrie gushes as she drags me across the room.
What was supposed to be a quick photo op has turned into an impromptu interview, with the photographer directing us into various poses while a journalist peppers us with questions about how we juggle being exes while staying close friends.
I keep side-eyeing the room, doing what I can to keep Lizzy in my sights. The last thing I want is for her to feel abandoned.
“Can we wrap this up?” I ask, gritting my teeth. The forced smile I give him feels more like a grimace.
“Almost done,” he promises. “Just a few more with you two looking cozy. Your chemistry is fantastic!”
Carrie laughs and places her hand on my chest, leaning in to whisper, “Relax, silly. Lizzy’s a big girl. She’ll be fine.”
I crane my neck, scanning the crowd, frowning again when I realize I’ve lost sight of her in a sea of designer dresses and tailored suits.
“This way, please, Mr. Cole!”
My mind is racing as I do my best to paste on a professional smile. This wasn’t the plan. I promised Lizzy I’d stick with her. This was supposed to be her night, too. A night to show her off and prove to the bigwig execs that I’m serious about what I want. About her.
Carrie leans in and presses her lips to my cheek as the camera flashes. I smile automatically as years of practice kick in.
“Thanks, everyone. That’s a wrap,” the photographer finally announces.
No sooner have the words left his mouth, and I’m scanning the room again. The tight knot in my stomach hasn’t loosened one bit since I left her alone.
When I finally find her, my entire body goes rigid. She’s standing in front of her painting—the one I had Marcus display as a surprise—and she’s not alone.
My jaw clenches when I recognize the profile of the man standing next to her. Dark tousled hair, chiseled jawline.
I’d recognize Walker Prince’s smug fucking mug with my freaking eyes closed.
Of all the people in this room, she had to run into him? The guy who’s been my rom-com rival since our first audition together over fourteen years ago?
When he turns his head, catching my eye over Lizzy’s shoulder, the bastard actually grins at me before leaning down to whisper something in her ear. Then, knowing exactly what he’s doing, he casually drapes an arm around her shoulders, tucking her close.
Asshole.
“Crap. Is that Walker with Lizzy?” Carrie asks incredulously.
“Not for long,” I growl.
Man on a mission, my blood boils as I weave through the crowd. When Walker sees me coming, his grin widens, which only fuels my anger.
“Lizzy,” I rumble. My tone is all kinds of possessive as I knock Walker’s arm off her shoulders. Sliding my arm possessively around her waist, she stumbles a little as I yank her away. “I see you’ve met Walker.”
“We were just getting acquainted,” the bastard smirks, extending his hand. “Cole. Good to see you.”
I shake his hand, squeezing it tight enough to make one of his eyes twitch. “Prince. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he replies smoothly, his gaze sliding back to Lizzy as he shoves the hand I tried to mangle into his pocket. “So glad I didn’t.”
Lizzy’s cheeks are flushed. Whether it’s from the champagne or his undivided attention, I’m not sure. Just the thought of it being the latter makes my free hand clench into a fist at my side.
“I was just telling Lizzy how extraordinary her painting is,” he purrs, gesturing to the canvas on the wall. “You never mentioned your girlfriend was so talented.”
Despite the jealousy churning in my gut, I barely manage to keep my tone even as I bite out, “Why would I when the art speaks for itself? Speaking of which, I need to borrow her for a moment. Marcus wants to introduce her to some collectors.”
Spinning her around, I keep a tight grip on her waist, schooling my expression as I guide her across the floor as Walker calls out, “Nice to meet you, Lizzy!”
“You too!” she calls over her shoulder with a wave.
Weaving through a sea of bodies, I beat a hasty retreat down a deserted hallway.
“What the fuck, Rowan!” Lizzy hisses, trying to pull away as I lead her down the dark hall.
Once we reach a small, private alcove, I finally release her.
Green eyes flashing with anger, she wobbles as she spins to face me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she demands, crossing her arms over her chest. “You can’t just drag me away like that!”
“The fuck I can’t! You were flirting with Walker Prince in front of everyone! You’re supposed to be my girlfriend!”
“Oh, so you can spend time schmoozing with Carrie, but I can’t talk to someone for five minutes?”
“That was work!”
“Really? Because it looked a lot like she was all over you, and you were enjoying the hell out of it!”
“You do realize you were flirting with my competition, right?”
“So it’s okay for you to make it look like you and Carrie are back together? For the record, he was flirting with me! I was just being nice. Besides, you promised me you’d stay by my side the whole time!”
“Keep your voice down,” I whisper-hiss, glancing around.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I embarrassing you?” she snarks, voice dripping with sarcasm as she throws her hands in the air. “Heaven forbid Rowan Cole be seen having a disagreement with his fake girlfriend!”
“That’s not what this is about, and you know it,” I growl, gripping the back of my neck in frustration.
“Then what?” She steps into me, the scent of champagne and jasmine filling my nose.
Annnd, now my dick is hard.
“Because from where I’m standing, you abandoned me to take photos with your ex, then got pissed when someone else paid attention to me.”
“First? You said it was okay. Second? Walker isn’t just ‘someone else.’ He’s a calculating asshole who’s been trying to one-up me since both of us were nobodies.”
She narrows her eyes. “Is this really about Walker, or is this about your ego?”
“My ego?” I prowl into her, crowding her up against the wall. “This isn’t about my ego. This is about you letting him put his hands on you!”
“Oh, please.” She rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the way her breath catches when her back hits the wall. “He barely touched me. Also, why do you even care? This is all fake, remember?”
Like hell.
“Is it, though?” I ask, my voice dropping low as I brace a hand against the wall next to her head.
Her eyes widen, pupils dilating as she looks up at me. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that watching another man touch you makes me want to rip his fucking arms off,” I snarl.
“I’m saying that leaving you alone tonight killed me.
I’m saying that none of this—” I wave a finger in the minuscule amount of space left between us.
“—has ever been fake for me. Not. For. A. Second.”
Silence thrums. Her chest rises and falls, breasts straining against the fabric of her dress.
My heart thuds an erratic beat in the head of my dick. Mouth parted, her breath pants against my lips as I lean in, right before a shadow catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.
“Shit.”
Not wanting anyone to witness our little spat, I grab her elbow and drag her further down the hall.
“What the fuck, Rowan? Let go of me!”
I lean in close to her ear as we walk. “Will you keep it down for a second?” I mutter. “I think I saw someone. They could’ve been listening.”
“So?”
“So? You wanna end up on TMZ again?”
She lets out an indignant huff and falls silent.
Pulse pounding in my ears, I tug her around a corner and down another hallway. Spotting a door at the end of the corridor, I make a split-second decision.
Pushing it open, I shove Lizzy inside, quickly closing the door behind us.