You Will Be Mine (Forever and Ever #7)(49)

Theo’s words kept playing in my mind. Friends didn’t hold hands but we did. Did that mean something? Did I mean something to her? I wished I could just ask her. It would give my racing mind a break.

Halfway through the movie, she scooted closer to me then rested her head on my shoulder. Her arm hooked through mine then she placed her hand on my palm.

I liked her affection and feeling her lean on me like a crutch. I liked watching movies with her and spending time with her. She quickly became my best friend, the person I spent most of my time with. Theo was great, and Silke was always decent company, but Beatrice filled a void none of them could, not even Roland.

What was happening? What was I feeling? What did this mean?

I was still insanely attracted to her and thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen but I didn’t think of her sexually anymore. Now when I looked at her, I noticed the shape of her upper lip. I noticed the way her hair shined in the sun. I paid attention to what she said and how she said it. I looked into her eyes and memorized the way they shined in the moonlight. I noticed everything about her, down to her smell.

Why did this feel differently than it did a few months ago? Was it me? Or was it her? I feared I would never know.

***

I arrived at her door wearing slacks and a collared shirt. I wore a red tie to acknowledge the holiday. I hoped she would appreciate it.

She opened the door wearing a black fitted dress with sky-high heels. Her hair was pulled back into an elaborate up do, and the make up on her face highlighted her features. She dazzled me the moment I laid eyes on her.

I’d seen her dress up before, but it was nothing like it was now. She looked like a supermodel about to take the runway.

“Conrad?”

I was snapped out of my thoughts. “Uh, sorry?”

“I said you look nice.”

“Oh.” I look nice? Ha. “You look…beautiful.” I was careful with my words around her, afraid I might scare her away if I told her how attracted I was to her. I could go on for three days straight about how gorgeous she was. She was humble and secretive. She didn’t like to be under the spotlight. Her beauty seemed to be a curse, not a gift.

“Thank you.” Her cheeks blushed slightly.

I walked her to my truck then got her inside before we drove to the house. “You know, you can just say no.”

“Sorry?” she asked.

“When Deana drags you to stuff like this, you can just say no. You aren’t obligated to come.”

“I know…but it’s important to her.”

She was selfless when it came to the people she cared about. It was something I noticed a long time ago. “Well, let’s try to have a good time.”

“Okay.” She smiled then got out of the car.

Once we walked inside, romantic music was overhead, and Valentine’s Day decorations were everywhere. People mingled in the crowd and helped themselves to drinks. Everyone was dressed nice for the occasion.

“You look gorgeous,” Deana said. She spotted me. “Good, you brought him too. Excellent.” She walked away and then spoke to a few more people.

“So, what do we do?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I think we grab a name tag.”

We walked over and examined them. You were supposed to write down your favorite hobby as a conversation starter.

She sighed then scribbled her answer.

I knew what it was without even looking. I wrote mine down then pressed it onto my shirt.

She did the same.

Deana came out of nowhere then grabbed my arm. “Perfect. You come over here.” She brought me face-to-face with a blonde. When I read her nametag, it said she liked to play basketball. We had a common interest.

I looked back at Beatrice and saw her forced into a quiet conversation with a tall man with blue eyes. Knowing I would be separated from Beatrice, I turned back to the woman and engaged her in conversation.

She turned out to be pretty cool, loving to play basketball like I did. She played in high school but quit in college. She was pretty and had a nice body but she didn’t do anything for me. Beatrice was the most gorgeous woman in this room—hands down.

When I was talking to a different girl, Beatrice caught my eye from across the room. Some guy was talking her ear off and she didn’t look entertained. She kept eyeing me, silently asking me to come to her rescue.

“Please excuse me.” I left the girl then headed to her side.

Beatrice looked relieved once I was near. Her eyes flashed in green light and her body became less stiff.

When I reached her, I didn’t touch her. I just made my presence known to her admirer.

Beatrice wanted more. She grabbed my hand and forced it around her waist.

I’d never touched her that way before, and it felt odd that it felt so right. Her slim waist was easy to get around, and her hip was perfect for my hand to rest on. Our height difference was obvious but I liked being so much taller than her. I especially liked knowing she wanted me to act like her boyfriend, to claim her when a guy was being too aggressive.

The guy stopped in mid-sentence when he caught our affection. “Uh, I’ll catch you later…” He walked away, his shoulders slumped and his sadness evident.

Beatrice breathed a sigh of relief but didn’t pull away from me.

I felt special being the one she ran to. Every guy here wanted her but I was the only one who got any of her time. She trusted me. “If you hate it that much, why do you come?”