“Then the floor.”
“Oh my god, would you stop it? I’ll take the couch before you take the floor.”
“I’m not letting you do that.”
“You don’t decide what I do.” I flattened my palms to his chest and gave him a shove. Of course, he barely moved. “Get out of here so I can get dressed.”
I slammed the door behind him because my inner child was a moody teenager. Grabbing my makeup bag, I headed for the bathroom. In the bright lights, my ring glittered up at me.
I guess that made this our first fight as an engaged couple.
Tonight waslike a bar crawl of the most lavish estates in and around Louisville. We pulled up at a few parties and made quick work of seeing people on some mental checklist Ryan was working through.
For the most part, all I had to do was smile and talk about how nice everyone looked and how gorgeous the decorations were. As a lawn ornament, no one expected much of me and they didn’t go looking for more. I couldn’t decide whether I liked that but I did like the earrings Ryan gave me before we left.
He grumbled something about making good on his promise to pick out the jewelry and tossed the glossy red box on the solitary bed in our suite. The multicolored gemstones were like a bouquet of wildflowers that climbed up my lobe and dangled low enough to nearly brush my bare shoulders.
Iadoredthem. They were unusual enough to feel like something I would’ve selected for myself and they went perfectly with my long, full-skirted dress covered in bright embroidered florals.
On the way to the last stop of the night, Ryan warned me we’d be staying a bit longer and seeing more people. I warned him I’d be ordering the entire room service menu when we returned to the hotel and not sharing any of it.
We hadn’t revisited the topic of sleeping arrangements.
This party was held at a suburban mansion that was pretty much the size of the entire North End. I didn’t know what set this party apart from all the others, but right away I understood that it was very different. If I thought Ryan had kept me close before, he basically shoved me in his pocket now.
If I was being naked-in-a-nightmare honest with myself, I didn’t hate it.
I actually kind of liked it.
These past few months, I’d been so lonely. I missed being close to another person. I missed being wanted—even if it was just the performance of desire and a distant relative of the real thing.
But there was another part, one that had nothing to do with the dark days since everything went to hell with Teddy. A part that liked the way it felt when Ryan touched me—and much more than friends were supposed to like each other.
So, I went along, even if I was still annoyed about that little fight and hungry enough to scarf down anything on a passingserver’s tray, regardless of whether they could confirm the shellfish status.
I beamed up at Ryan every time he introduced me as his fiancée, every time he said, “My fiancée is the best second-grade teacher in the world,” every time he stopped a server to say, “My fiancée would like another mint julep.”
I curled into him, a hand always on his back, his shoulders, his chest. I’d let my palm slide down to his abs, but he was quick to grab my wrist and show off that new ring.
“When’s the big day?” asked a woman wearing a necklace that looked like my ring multiplied by forty.
Her husband, a hedge fund manager whose name I’d immediately forgotten, asked Ryan something about whether he’d looked at the new numbers. Instead of responding to him, Ryan said, “Soon, we hope.” He glanced at me with a slight smile. “Probably before training camp.”
“That soon?” I asked with a laugh. Camp started in late July.
His gaze dropped to my lips. “If you’ll have me.”
Another laugh. I didn’t know why he kept acting like I was going to back out at any minute. “I think you know I will.”
The hedge fund couple excused themselves and, for the first time since arriving, no one swooped in to fill the space. In fact, we were strangely alone in this moment, which was what made his next question even more confusing.
He trailed a finger down the length of one earring. “Do you like them?”
I arched a brow but I didn’t think he noticed because he was still staring at the gems. “I think you know I do.”
Humming in agreement, he gave a slight nod. “They look good on you.” He brought his hand to my jaw, swept his thumb over my cheek. “Can I kiss you?”
I tipped my chin up. If only he knew how long I’d waited for him to ask. “Always.”
