“And how would you know?” I went to fold my arms across my chest, and that was when I realized he continued to hold onto my elbow.
My movement broke his grip on my arm. A coldness invaded my body when his hand slid away from my skin. I swallowed the lump in my throat before peering up into those eyes again.
It was dangerous territory. Yet, like a magnet, I kept returning to those pools. If I could figure out what they reminded me of, maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to keep staring at them.
His gaze flickered to the end of the hallway that led to the main area of the lounge. “Because nothing’s closer to him than his fucking ego.”
A sharp intake of air sounded, and it took a few heartbeats for me to recognize that sound had come from me. In less than an hour, and probably half a dozen sentences exchanged between them, this guy was able to sum up what took me years to figure out about my fiancé.
Guilt formed in the pit of my stomach. I took a step backward, creating the space needed to gather my thoughts. Nate had a massive ego, but he wasn’t all bad. He managed me for the better part of a decade and helped me have a successful career doing what I loved.
On top of that, I did love him.
“He talks a lot, but he is very capable,” I defended.
There was that smirk again. “He talks enough to make you think he knows his stuff.”
“You don’t know him or me.”
“I don’t need to. I trust my gut and my gut says he’s full of shit.”
I didn’t know Gabriel. Why I felt the need to defend Nate to him was beyond silly.
“He’s your competition. You want to manage that fighter out there, and you’re afraid Nate will sign him first. Don’t try to bring my relationship in the middle of your business.”
He snorted. “Your fiancé’s arms are too short to box with me. He’s not even in the realm of my competition … in the cage, as a manager, or anywhere else.”
It was theanywhere elsethat started a low humming in between my ears. In the time it took to blink, I envisioned where that anywhere else could entail.
Moving pictures of king-sized beds, tangled bedsheets, and ash-colored hair between my legs danced like sugar plum fairies in my mind.
Yeah, time to end this conversation.
“You have a good evening, Mr. Townsend.” The words felt strangled coming up my vocal cords, but I managed to get them out, and that was what mattered.
“Lena.”
New guilt shot through me at the sound of Nate’s voice. He stood at the end of the hallway, a look of impatience on his face. I knew that expression well.
“What the hell is taking you so long?” he demanded. “I need you to meet some people with me.”
“She was busy.”
That deep voice stopped me in my tracks as I’d started walking in Nate’s direction. I didn’t miss the way Nate’s eyes’ widened either. I felt like a deer in headlights, caught between two men. But that was ridiculous. I was committed to Nate, a man I’d been with for almost nine years since I was twenty years old.
I’d met Gabe less than two hours earlier.
I wasn’tcaughtbetween two men. With that settled in my mind, I glanced over my shoulder at Gabriel before turning to Nate, who approached.
“Busy doing what?” I didn’t miss the accusation in his voice.
The call I received in the bathroom came to mind and was on the tip of my tongue to bring up. Yet, I still felt Gabriel’s presence behind me. I wasn’t about to air our dirty laundry in front of him.
“Using the bathroom. There was a line,” I said. “Who was it you wanted me to meet?” I asked, wrapping my arm around Nate’s for good measure.
He gave Gabriel one final suspicious look before bringing his attention back to me.
I listened as he talked about the supposed business tycoon he wanted to introduce me to, or more like, have me at his side while he did most of the talking. But I felt eyes on my back as surely as if it were a hand pressing into me.
