The Game (Wagered Hearts Series, #3)(32)

"It's 8:20," he said in greeting.

After the way he left me the last time we were together, he had some nerve coming in my house and giving me attitude. But I had to bury my annoyance. Getting into an argument the first thing in the morning was something I wanted to avoid, so I smiled sweetly instead.

"I'm sorry. I overslept," I said.

Rob shook his head in exasperation and headed toward my bags. He picked them up and began walking to the front door. I followed behind him, picking up my carry on that he'd left behind. He was handing my bags to his driver to be stored in the trunk as I came outside.

"We'll have to hurry. We're running late," he said as he opened the door for me.

"What's the rush? I thought you said the plane doesn't leave until 10?" I said.

He didn't say anything, and waited for me to get in the car. He was making it very hard for me to keep things civil between us. It was like he had a stick up his butt for no reason. I looked out my window the whole ride to the airport, not trusting myself to say anything to him. Occasionally though, I'd glance his way. Rob looked tense and I wondered if he was that upset that I'd overslept, or if it was something else.

"What time are we arriving in London?" I asked eventually.

"Around 8pm," he answered.

"And what are our plans after that?" I asked.

Now that the question had left my lips, I wondered why I hadn't thought to ask it sooner. Every time he mentioned the anniversary party, it'd been some vague thing far off in the distance. Now that we were actually going, I had no idea what to expect or what the plans were. It seemed like something I should have known or been told.

"We'll stay overnight in London before heading to my parent's estate. It's in Surrey. That's where we'll be staying for the weekend," he said.

I tried to ask him about his parents and the estate, but it was like pulling teeth getting him to talk. Eventually, I gave up and continued the ride in silence. We arrived at the airport and made it on the plane with no hiccups. In fact, we had some time left before 10am. I looked over at Rob, tempted to rub it in his face, but he had his head turned away as he stared out the window. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk. He probably didn't even want me on the plane with him.

I leaned my chair back and closed my eyes. If he were going to be such a grump, there was no point even trying. I was still tired from having to wake up earlier than I normally did, and sleeping through the flight was better than sitting in awkward silence with Rob.








Chapter 15: Rob



I took another sip of my whisky and looked out the window. I had to stop staring at Emilia. She fell asleep soon after takeoff and had been sleeping peacefully in her seat. I knew I was being a complete ass to her, but I didn't know any other way to act. If I showed her too much attention, she might think I'd changed my mind about our agreement.

Even though she seemed unphased by the sex, I didn't want to take any chances. I ignored that slight twinge of disappointment I felt when she had announced how meaningless it was for her. It was for the best that she felt that way. But even as I told myself that, I couldn't deny that I still wanted her. She was intoxicating and something about her drew me in--more than anyone I'd ever been with. But I knew it would be a huge mistake to act on my feelings, so I pushed her away.

I gulped down the rest of my whisky and refilled my glass. This trip couldn't have come at a worse time. We had to be thrown in each other's company all weekend, pretending to be engaged, when there was still so much uncertainty and tension between us. I decided after the weekend, I'd have to seriously limit my time with Emilia.

I'd fly back to New York and go back to my life while she did what she had to do in LA. When she needed me out there to escort her to some event, I'd go, but after award season was over, and she no longer needed me anymore, it was over. I just hoped we could both get out of this weekend unscathed.

My mother had invited pretty much the whole county to her and Dad's anniversary party. All our closest and not so close family and friends would be there, as well as neighbors, Dad's old business associates, their kids, and anyone else Mum could think of. It was going to be dreadful, but I also appreciated it because the house would be full, and that'd be less opportunity for Emilia and I to be alone together.

Roman and Lily were going to be there as well. I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet. On the one hand, Roman would be the perfect person to confide in. He already knew my relationship with Emilia was all a ruse. But I wasn't sure I wanted to divulge all my innermost feelings to him. He'd never let me hear the end of it. He'd probably run and tell Lily and they'd be insufferable.

Emilia stirred in her seat as the plane began its descent into London. I turned my head to look at her again, drinking in the sight before she opened her eyes and was fully awake. The thought flittered through my mind of what it'd be like to wake up next to her every morning, with her lips plump and red, her hair tousled from sleep and a lazy smile on her face as she awoke. I put that picture out of my mind and turned to face the window again. That feeling of longing crept to my heart, and I cursed myself for being so stupid.

Emilia was fully awake when the plane landed smoothly on the runway. A black Range Rover was waiting for us at the airport, ready to take us to my townhouse. I had debated whether to book a room for her at a hotel, especially after our night together, but thought that'd look too suspicious. We were an engaged couple, after all. If word got out that she stayed in a hotel while I stayed at my townhouse, I could just imagine what the press would make of that.