12. Twelve
Twelve
Luke
She’s killing me in that emerald silk.
I’ve been watching Lila all evening, even when I shouldn’t be, even with Crystal’s perfectly manicured hand resting possessively on my arm. Every time Lila moves, the fabric catches the light, highlighting curves that make my mouth go dry. Her hair falls in soft waves around her shoulders, and whatever makeup she’s wearing makes her eyes look huge and luminous.
“Luke?” Crystal’s voice cuts through my distraction. “The governor’s wife asked you a question. ”
I drag my attention back to the conversation, pasting on my practiced smile. “I’m sorry, ma’am. You were saying?”
But my focus splinters again when I see James Harrison approach Lila. I know his reputation well—board member of half the charities in town, as well as the magazine. He’s also notorious for using both positions to his advantage. The way he looks at Lila like she’s his next conquest makes something dark and possessive twist in my gut.
“Up for another dance?” I hear him ask her.
Don’t say yes, I think silently. But she glances my way first, something flashing in her eyes that looks like a challenge, and accepts his hand.
Crystal’s fingers dig into my bicep. “Luke, you’re staring.”
“Just making sure Lila is alright,” I mutter, but I can’t look away as Harrison leads Lila onto the dance floor.
“Luke, she’s your neighbor—not your responsibility.” Crystal’s tone drips with annoyance. “I see the Prestons by the bar. I should say hello.”
She sashays away, leaving me to my own personal hell of watching Harrison’s hands on Lila’s waist. He’s holding her too close, whispering something that makes her laugh—that full, throaty laugh I used to hear across our deck at night. The one I haven’t heard in a while.
I down my whiskey in one burning gulp, signaling for another.
“Easy there, Luke.” Nate materializes beside me.
“I’m fine.”
“Sure you are.” He follows my gaze to where Harrison is spinning Lila in a graceful turn. “You know he’s got connections at every major publication in North Florida, right? Could be good for her business.”
“Or he could be looking to add another notch to his belt,” I growl.
Nate raises an eyebrow. “And that would be your business because...?”
Because she’s mine, the thought comes unbidden, dangerous in its intensity. Except she’s not mine. I made sure of that when I let Marcus dictate my life—when I chose obligation over what my heart really wants.
“I need some air,” I mutter.
But instead of heading to the terrace, I find myself stationed near the entrance watching as Harrison monopolizes Lila’s attention, as his hands drift lower on her back, and she again tilts her head back, laughing at some witty remark of his.
I’ve been standing there too long, staring at them like an idiot, when I see Lila excuse herself. She says something to James, her hand brushing his arm lightly before she walks toward the far side of the room. I watch as she heads for the hallway, slipping through the door that leads to the powder room.
Without thinking, I set my drink down on the nearest table and follow her.
The hallway is quieter, the noise of the party fading as I move farther from the ballroom. Finding the door leading to the stairwell, I lean against the wall to wait for Lila.
A few minutes later, I catch sight of her. Just as she exits the powder room, my pulse quickens. I know I shouldn’t be doing this. I should go back, find Crystal, and pretend I didn’t just spend the last hour watching another woman. But I can’t.
Just before Lila reaches the entrance to the ballroom, I catch her arm, pulling her into the private stairwell. She gasps as I crowd her against the wall, one hand braced beside her head.
“Luke! What are you— “
“He’s using you,” I say roughly. “You know that, right? Using your business aspirations to get close to you.”
“So what if he is?” Her hazel eyes flash. “At least that’s better than what you’re doing. Right?”
The accusation hits like a physical blow because she’s right. What am I doing? What right do I have to feel this surge of jealousy, this desperate need to stake a claim?
“I—“ I start, but she cuts me off.
“No, you don’t get to do this. You don’t get to play my protector while you’re out there with Crystal, looking like society’s next power couple.”
“It’s not what you think,” I say, even though I don’t exactly know what it is anymore.
“Isn’t it?” Her eyes narrow. She glances at my arm, penning her in, then up at me. “You’re here with a date.”
“That’s different,” I snap before I can stop myself.
Her laugh is sharp, almost bitter. “Different how? Because you’re ‘seeing’ Crystal? Because she fits into your world? Or is it just different because you say so?”
“It’s different because I can’t stop thinking about you,” I say, my voice rough. “Even when I’m with her, even when I know I shouldn’t, you’re all I think about.”
My hands go out and roughly pull Lila toward me, crushing her lips with mine. She goes straight to my head, and the whole world tilts, and I forget where we are. All I’m aware of is the soft, lush woman in my arms. Her scent, her warmth. Still keeping her pressed against the wall, I lean my weight on her, my hands roaming her generous curves.
Bending down, I press my mouth against her neck as I growl out her name, “Lila.”
I cup her breast through her gown, feeling its weight in my palm. My thumb rubs her nipple through the silk fabric, feeling it pebble. While my other hand roams from her waist over the curve of her ass, grinding her against me, letting her feel my body’s hard response. My mouth goes back to ravishing hers while I deftly gather the length of her skirt in my free hand, pulling it up around her waist. My other hand leaves her breast to delve between her thighs, finding her hot core.
I press my fingers in a circulator motion against the crotch of her panties, increasing the pressure with each pass .
While my hand stays busy below, I reluctantly raise my head from her lips. Allowing her to catch her breath before I immediately cover her lips again, sliding my tongue against hers to cover her soft whimpers. She’s like a drug, and I can’t seem to get enough of her, leaning even more of my weight against her, keeping her pinned in place.
I know I should stop, but I’m too far gone, my fingers slipping under the slim barrier of her silk panties and finding her wet and aching for me. Without slowing, I press a finger deep inside her, then another, pumping into her as I bring her to the edge of her desire. As my lips release hers, she lifts her head back, her eyes closed and I watch as her face flushes in the dim light. I continue to work her, knowing she’s close—wanting to see her face when she comes.
Her breathing grows harsh, and then I feel her clamp down on my fingers, but I continue to finger fuck her until she comes on my hand. A shudder coursing through her body. As I hold her, there’s a sudden hollow sound in the distance. A door to the stairwell opens and then closes, harshly startling us both back to an awareness of our surroundings.
Lila’s eyes suddenly fly open, and when she finds me staring directly into her eyes, her face flushes an even deeper red as she pulls herself angrily out of my arms. Without looking at me she silently straightens her gown. Then she lifts her chin, glancing around the dimly lit stairwell before she turns and opens the door, cautiously checking the hallway. Without another word or look in my direction, she sweeps regally out of the stairwell and into the hall. I watch her as she heads silently back to the powder room.
I stand there for a moment or two, hating myself for that brief look of shame that covered her face. Whether from allowing me to touch her so intimately in a public place or the fact that my girlfriend is somewhere in the next room, I’m not sure.
Glancing around in distaste at the grimy stairwell and the marked-up walls. A sudden thought hits me, and my heart thuds loudly in my ears as I glance hurriedly toward the ceiling, checking for cameras. Not seeing any monitoring devices, I gratefully let out the horrified breath I’m holding.
Finally, convincing myself I’ve waited long enough, I warily step into the hallway and walk casually toward the men’s room. When I stride back into the ballroom a few minutes later, I find Crystal waiting impatiently by the bar. As I approach her, my eyes discreetly search the room for another woman—Lila, but I don’t find her anywhere. She’s gone.
“There you are, Luke,” Crystal says stiffly, allowing me to see her displeasure. “I was wondering where you’d gone. ”
“Sorry. Did you get a chance to talk to the Prestons?” I ask her, knowing that will take her mind off my disappearance.
She smiles. “Yes, they invited us to dinner…”
Crystal continues to tell me about her conversation with the Prestons, but my mind is on Lila. I didn’t mean for things to go that far. But remembering the look on her face, how responsive she was, and the way she felt in my arms—I don’t regret it. None of it.
Glimpsing a flash of blonde hair, my chest tightens. It’s Lila. She’s talking quietly with Emily and Kendrick at a corner table. She seems almost subdued; gone is her cheerful, bubbly disposition. The way she animatedly talks with her hands. Instead, she holds herself stiffly, her shoulders slumped, keeping her eyes carefully averted, and I hate myself a little more. Knowing I’m the one who did this to her—made her feel this way.
My eyes flick back to Crystal, and I give a cursory nod, still not registering a single word. I need to get out of this situation. Extricate myself from this ridiculous arrangement with Crystal and her father.
Knowing I can’t bail on my father or his company—but even he wouldn’t want me to abandon my convictions just to save the family business. Besides, who am I saving it for? I think with a bitter laugh. I don’t have any interest in the company. No, I’m doing this for my father and the employees. I don’t want his company to go under, not if I can help it.
I’m suddenly aware of Crystal looking at me and waiting for me to respond.
“What did you say?” I murmur, giving her my attention.
“I said, Daddy’s just trying to help.”
“Is that what you call it?”
She grabs my arm. “What he’s proposing could solve everything. Your father’s company would be safe, and we could be together—“
“Is that what you want?” I turn to face her. “Really? Or is it just what your father wants?”
Something flickers in her eyes—doubt, hope, or maybe even hurt. But it’s gone so fast I might have imagined it.
“What I want,” she says carefully, “is what’s best for everyone.”
I shake my head. “No. What you want is what’s best for Marcus Davidson. ”
“Luke—“
“Are you about ready to go,” I cut her off. “Because I am. I just need to say goodbye to my friends.”
She insists on coming with me, of course. But her perfect facade is finally showing cracks. You’d never know it by the plastic smile on her face as she smiles sweetly and gives everyone a wave. Everyone but Lila who stiffly nods as we say our goodbyes. Not once meeting my eyes.
In the car, I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white, trying to figure out how everything got so twisted.
I narrow my eyes, remembering Marcus’s words. Time is a luxury some can’t afford.
Two months—I have two months to figure out how to save my father’s company without selling my soul in the process.