Hope turned to find Colin watching her, his dark eyes moving over her with deliberate thoroughness. He wore a tuxedo that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, the lean strength of his body. The silver at his temples caught the light, giving him an air of distinguished authority that made her mouth go dry.
Lala stepped back, assessing them as a pair. "Perfection. Like they were designed for each other."
A flush crept up Hope's neck. They'd barely spoken in the two weeks since her arrival, their interactions limited to stilted dinners and brief strategy sessions about the reunion. Colin spent his days at his office in the city, leaving Hope alone with her borrowed finery and rising anxiety.
"The car is ready whenever you are," Colin said, his gaze lingering on the curve of her shoulder.
The other woman handed Hope a small clutch purse. "Lipstick, powder, breath mints. Essentials only."
Hope took it, feeling like a child being prepped for her first day of school. "Thank you."
Lala departed with a professional nod, leaving Hope alone with Colin for the first meaningful moment in days.
"Nervous?" he asked, stepping closer.
The scent of his cologne enveloped her, and Hope's pulse quickened traitorously.
"Should I be?"
"Princess can be... intimidating."
"So can you," Hope countered with a helpless smile.
Colin didn't smile back, and she had to repress a now-familiar urge to squirm under his gaze. Why did it seem like he was studying her all the time? Was he trying to look for some flaw? Or something else?
"The dress suits you."
It wasn't quite a compliment, but Hope's cheeks warmed anyway. "The dress costs more than my car."
"Then perhaps it's time for a new car."
Hope shot him a horrified look. "Please don't buy me one."
Colin's eyes gleamed, and her heart tripped at the sight even as her horror grew. "I'm serious—-"
Colin suddenly reached out, and she forgot what she was saying as he adjusted one of the diamond earrings Lala had insisted on. His fingers brushed her earlobe, sending an electric current down her spine.
"I'm just as serious when I say this: you belong in beautiful things, Hope Soukoulis."
It was her first time to hear him call her that, and it made her feel so vulnerable that she couldn't help jerking back. "We...we should go." Hope avoided his gaze even as she felt him frown. "I, um, don't believe in being unfashionably late." She could feel him staring at her as she hurried away from him.
She didn't care.
This marriage wasn't designed to last. She had to do what she could to survive its end.
****
The ride to his reunionwas spent in tense silence. And her tension only grew when they arrived at their destination. Hope's palm grew damp against Colin's as they approached the check-in table. The woman seated there—blonde, petite, with a name tag reading "Kimberly"—looked up and froze.
"Colin Soukoulis? Is that really you?"
Colin's posture shifted subtly, his public persona sliding into place like armor. "Kimberly. You look well."
Kimberly's gaze darted between them, lingering on their joined hands. "No one knew if you'd come. And you brought..." Her eyes scrutinized Hope from head to toe.
"My wife," Colin supplied, his arm sliding around Hope's waist. "Hope, this is Kimberly Davis. We shared AP Chemistry."
Hope extended her free hand, offering a warm smile. "We were in AP Physics together."
