23. TWELVE #3
I would laugh at how indiscreet she’s being if it didn’t make my stomach somersault with panic.
For starters, I have no idea which secret she’s referring to: Macon’s existence—which Alex and I have agreed not to mention today, in case it’s leaked to the media—or the fabrication of her brother’s and my relationship.
“Wait, what secret?” one of the guys asks. Harley, I think.
I’m trying to think of a lie when Alex blurts out, “Eden’s going commando.”
My cheeks flame. I dig my nails into Alex’s arm through his jacket and hiss at him. “What the fuck, dude?”
“I don’t know. I panicked.”
Fantastic.
I can’t say it didn’t work, though. Harley looks so uncomfortable that he asks no further questions, and Brynn has turned her attention to a conversation with Arun about kill shelters, so she isn’t available to offer any further information.
Roman, the only man left whose voice I’ve yet to hear, watches on with a knowing glint in his eye. He’s the tallest of the group by a mile. Alex is over six feet tall, but Roman has at least a few inches on him. “Have you introduced Eden to Purview yet?”
“Does anyone else find them super intimidating?” Theo asks, his knuckles tightening around the neck of his beer bottle. “That Jacqueline woman gave me the scariest look earlier when I introduced myself. Made my balls shrivel to the size of raisins.”
Roman slaps him on the back. “That’s a stunning image, Theo, thank you.”
“No problem.”
Is it possible to adopt a man in his twenties? Theo is so adorable that I have the strongest urge to take him home and tuck him into bed.
“Well, on that note, I guess we should rip the Band-aid off.” Alex squeezes my waist and looks down at me. “You ready?”
As I’ll ever be, I guess.
My liquid courage has diluted somewhat, so I throw back my champagne in three gulps and shove the empty glass toward him.
“Let’s do this.”
He guides me to a table on the far side of the room where a small group of men and women are gathered beneath a rustic hanging candelabra.
A woman dressed in a black gown, with a sharp mouth and severe slant to her nose, stands at our approach and regards the two of us with a steely expression—which, to give credit to Theo, would indeed shrivel my balls to the size of dehydrated grapes if I owned a pair.
This must be Jacqueline.
“Alex Wolfe.” She holds out her hand. “It’s wonderful to finally make your acquaintance.”
Alex shakes her hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am. May I introduce my girlfriend, Eden Miller.”
My heartbeat trips over that word. Girlfriend. How long will it take until I get used to hearing it?
Jacqueline appraises me with a downturn to her lips, gaze stilling on the cheap crystal hanging from my neck. “Hello.”
For a greeting, she makes the word sound incredibly dismissive. Her distaste of me is potent, made even more obvious when she turns her body away from me.
Can’t say I’m a big fan of hers either.
Alex steps closer into me, smushing our bodies together so that she’s forced to acknowledge me when she speaks. Her lips twitch at that, but she makes no apology. I wasn’t expecting one, and, honestly, I was more comfortable when I wasn’t in her eyeline anyway.
“I must say, it’s incredibly convenient timing that you’re announcing your relationship now.”
I freeze.
Alex, king of deception, gives her a tight smile. “Eden has never been in the public eye, and we were wanting to keep things private.”
“Hmm. Well, as you know, we’ve invested a lot of money in the Strikers.
” Her voice is as cold as her demeanor. “And we’re all aware of your past reputation.
We’ve been kind enough to let you keep your place on the team for now”—she stresses the latter two words—“so I trust that you won’t do anything to jeopardize our company’s image. ”
Alex nods seriously. “No, ma’am. I understand that Purview’s reputation is built on family values, and I’m committed to upholding that for you.”
She hums derisively. “Make sure that you do.”
I guess that’s all she has to say, because she gives us her back. The woman doesn’t bother herself with unnecessary things like goodbyes or the very basics of manners, I see.
Family values, my ass.
I pull Alex toward the bar, wanting to put as much space between us and that terrifying juggernaut of a woman as possible. It’s only when we stop that I let myself take a breath.
“She hates me.”
Alex scrunches his nose. “No, she doesn’t.”
“I know lying is our main objective here, but don’t you dare do it to me.” I scowl, fisting my hands on my hips. “That woman could not have disliked me more.”
He scratches the back of his head with a wince. “Yeah, okay. She hates you.”
“That’s not at all comforting.”
He blows out an exasperated breath. “What do you want from me? I told you she doesn’t hate you, and you tell me I’m wrong. Now I’m agreeing with you, and I’m still wrong?”
I wave him off. His whining is the least of my concerns right now. “We’re fucked, aren’t we?”
“Nah.” He slings an arm around my shoulders. “All things considered, I think we’ll live to see another day.”