Indigo Nights (Nights #3)(47)

He kissed her knuckles. “It’s a complete pleasure to meet you,” he said.

“Really?” I interrupted. “Are you kidding me? Do women fall for that—the kissing the hand stuff?” I looked at Beth and she just smiled. She wasn’t falling for it.

“Well, given you’re still a virgin, I’m guessing it works better than whatever it is that you do.”

“I’m guessing you’re Raf,” Beth said before I could punch him.

“And you’re the mystery woman I’ve heard nothing about until this week. How did you two kids meet?”

“We were sitting next to each other on the plane on the way to London a few weeks ago,” Beth replied. “All the cabin crew were excited about him; I couldn’t see what the fuss was about. He was so serious and moody.” She looked up and grinned at me.

I shook my head. I was confident she’d been interested since we’d locked eyes that first time.

“He is desperately moody, that’s for sure, though less so the last few weeks. We should put you on the payroll. I like him better since he met you. Do you live in Chicago?”

“I grew up here and my father’s here but I live in London now. I might be spending a bit more time back here though.”

“Do you know what table we’re at?” I asked, interrupting the natural course of their exchange. Beth was a sentence away from saying she was here to film for WCIL TV and neither Raf nor Beth knew about the connection. I needed to be the one that filled them in.

Raf peeled his eyes away from Beth. “Table one, I hope. We’re paying for this thing.”

“Come on, let’s go.” I walked us in the direction of the entrance to the Gold Coast Room.

“Does he irritate you?” she asked.

“Of course.” I opened the door and gestured for Beth to go in. “He’s irritating.”

We were the first ones into the room, as dinner was yet to be called.

“I like him. He knows how to handle you.”

I laughed and stopped, pulling her toward me. “You think? I think you know how to handle me.”

“How so?” She looked at me, sweeping her fingers across my jaw.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m more me when I’m with you.” My heart tripped under my shirt. I felt so comfortable around her. There weren’t many people in my life with whom I could just kick back and relax. Most new people I met liked my money or my connections a little too much. In her own words, Beth had been attracted to my tight ass. The fact that we’d started with the physical somehow meant we had started out equals in our relationship. She hadn’t expected more from me, and that gave me room to relax and be myself.

“That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. I really like the you that you are when you’re with me.”

Could she feel the thud of my heart as I held her? It was as if my love for her were knocking, trying to get out.

I loved her.

I wanted her to know. No one had ever made me feel as good as she did.

“Beth . . .” I needed her to understand what she did to me, how different she was to any other woman I’d ever met.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, glancing up at the ceiling.

“You’re beautiful.”

She looked back at me and smiled. “This being out in public thing is overrated.”

“Now you agree.” I sighed.

“When’s your speech?”

“After the entree. We can leave then, right?”

Before she got a chance to agree, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I was irritated at the interruption and would have ignored it had Beth not nodded in the direction of the intruder.

Without loosening my grip, I turned to see who was ruining this moment I was having with Beth, and came face-to-face with the last woman who’d had any kind of hold over me.

Alicia.



Beth

“What are you doing here?” Dylan snapped at the woman who had just approached us.

I was used to him being surly and gruff but never angry.

“Well, that’s not the way to greet the love of your life,” the redhead replied.

“God forbid.” Dylan’s arms pulled me closer. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to catch up with old friends,” she said, turning to me. “And make new ones. I’m Alicia Munroe, and once upon a time I was engaged to the man you’re clinging to.” She smiled at me as if she’d complimented me.

“You poor girl, you must feel so silly to have let him go,” I replied, my smile equally big. I turned back to Dylan. “I won’t be making the same mistake.” I should have taken the high road, but something about her trying to claim him created a red mist in me. Dylan was a good man who hadn’t deserved to be traded in for a richer model.

His grin was wicked as his hands rounded my ass.

“I wanted to follow up on our lunch date,” Alicia said, her focus on Dylan now. He didn’t look at her. Instead he tried to kiss me but I leaned away. What the f*ck was this about a lunch date? My stomach twisted.

“There is no lunch date. I hung up on you, if you remember. Can you leave us please? I’ve got a hard-on and you’re ruining it.”