“Hi,” Trojan said.“You must be Preston.”
Real fear streaked across his face.“You assholes better let me go,” he said in a low voice.
“We’re not keeping you here,” I said.
“Nash,” Clara said, tugging on my sleeve.“People are watching.”
I heard her voice over the thump of my heart and my very real desire to put my fist into Preston’s face.After my conversation with Cross earlier, I was primed to fight, but Clara won.
“Go on,” I goaded him.“Leave.”
Preston glared at me, edging between Trojan and me.We didn’t leave much room for him, I’ll admit.He stalked away, and I could feel his humiliation trailing behind him like a fine perfume.
He joined a group about halfway across the room.A man I didn’t recognize, whose gaze was trained solely on us, stood beside none other than Sebastian Cross.
“What did he say to you?”I asked Clara, wrapping my arm around her waist.Trojan and Archer drifted in the direction of Preston.
Her hazel eyes were full of emotion.In a low voice, she said, “He accused me of marrying you for the money even though it’s not best for Mia.He thinks you’re dangerous or something.He doesn’t want her around you.It didn’t make sense.”
“Why is he even here?”
“He works for a commercial real estate brokerage.I just never realized he’d started working on development projects.Much less with Sebastian Cross.”
I looked over my shoulder.Archer and Trojan were about halfway between us and Preston’s little group.“Who’s that other guy with them?”
Clara squinted over my shoulder.“I think that’s…Sebastian’s cousin?I recognize him from a billboard.”
“Oh, so there’s another Cross asshole.”I paused, working it over in my head.“Cross-holes.”
She laughed, running her palms over the front of my shirt.“Have I mentioned how hot it was when you faced Preston down?”
I covered her hands with my own, grinning down at her.“Tell me more.”
“I love when you get protective over us,” she murmured.Then her words seemingly caught up with her because she straightened, her eyes widening.“I mean—”
“You meant to say you loveme, didn’t you?”I cupped her face, only pretending to joke.
She got shy, her cheeks going pink.“Maybe.I suppose a wife should love her husband, shouldn’t she?”
“I suppose she should.”I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand.I never wanted this to end.Not now.Not next year.Not at the end of my natural life.
I loved Clara.I had since the day I met her, no matter how absurd it sounded.
I hadn’t been lying when I told her during our brainstorming sessionsince day one.
I’d known then there was something between us.I’d ignored it.But that connection was what brought me back all these years later.
And now that she was here, as my wife?I wasn’t letting her or Mia go.I didn’t have words for all these things yet.They were too big.Too scary.Too deep.
“You know what else a wife does?”I murmured into her ear.
“Steals her husband into the back hallway to suck his dick while the hoity toity people aren’t looking?”
Her answer made me pull back.“Jesus, Clara.Is that an invitation?”
She giggled, cinching her arms around my waist.“I’m down if you are.”
“You make it hard to remember what I was even going to say.”I kissed her forehead.Once my dick stopped throbbing at the fantasy her words had caused, I said, “Oh that’s right.The other thing a wife does is move into her husband’s penthouse.”
