I shook myself, pushing off the funny feeling in my veins. Here I was, with a perfectly nice guy, and I wanted to chase something intangible and probably dangerous.
“Oh? How come?” I asked, eyes still on the private dining door. “I thought your company had the contracts cinched.”
After all, Archibald Loring was their chief counsel. There was no way my dad was letting a contract of that nature fall through.
“My brother died.”
My gaze cut to my boyfriend. “I’m so sorry!”
The condolences sounded blunt. I squirmed, scrambling for the right thing to say.
“Thank you,” Steven replied smoothly. “It was a shock.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” I gulped. “But why are you back here? Shouldn’t you be with your family?”
His light chuckle seemed out of place. “Words every bloke wants to hear his girl say after he’s spent all day on a plane to see her.”
I reached over to clasp his hand. My clean, short nails made my fingers look smaller, lying in his great paw. My knuckles were thick and inelegant compared to his long, slim fingers. And there were wrinkles on the top with calluses on the palm that made the contrast even greater. A plebian holding the hand of a nobleman.
“I’m always happy to see you,” I admitted softly. “That wasn’t how I meant it.”
My phone vibrated under my thigh.
Steven shot me a look but quickly banished the displeasure from his face. “I actually came back to talk to you.”
I frowned. A low-pitched buzz spiked in my ears. The air around me seemed to thicken; it was harder to take a proper breath. “Oh, that wasn’t necessary. You could have called.”
Shit, why was I saying all the wrong things tonight? Usually, I comported myself far better in his company. Pretending I had generations of good breeding was a skill I developed at a young age, and it served me well in my chosen career.
“No, this was something that needed to be said face-to-face.” His smile tightened, annoyance at my obvious blunder well hidden. “You’re a beautiful, smart, creative woman, Amanda. We’re different people, and you deserve better than me.”
Shit…he’s breaking up with me.
I wasn’t in danger of crying, and I tried not to frown. I could handle this. Actually, in terms of a break-up, this was the best one I’d had. I steeled my resolve, ready for the words to end the casual contract. I would be sad to see him go. It was the ideal setup, dating a guy who was as invested in his work as I was. It wasn’t like we were in love or anything. When Dad introduced us a few months ago, I liked that Steven was away so much. He didn’t interfere with my routine.
Plus, my dad doted on his young client.
Crap.How was I going to tell my dad I let an eligible bachelor slip through my fingers?
“Amanda?” Steven’s smile confused me.
“Yes?”Here it comes.
I resisted the urge to shake my head and clear the steadily increasing buzz, but my stomach tightened in a knot.
Why did it feel like someone was watching me?
A swift around proved that idea was crazy. The paranoia was just my jumble of thoughts trying to make sense of what was playing out in front of me.
“When Ronald died, I became the heir to my family’s estates and titles,” Steven explained. “I spent the last three weeks putting things in order, but there’s one very important piece missing.”
Three weeks? My mind fixated on that detail. We had talked once or twice in the last month he’d been away. Right? Shit. Had I missed the information that there’d been a death in the family? I’d been busy at work, what with the promotion up for grabs. But I would have remembered a message or a conversation talking about his brother dying…right? I resisted the urge to check my text messages.
“In order to become the next earl,” Steven continued. “I need a wife.”
The knot tightened. Here was the break. I wouldn’t cry. We weren’t that kind of couple, but the idea of being single stung. I didn’t want to go back into the dating pool. It was too much work finding an eligible guy who wasn’t intimidated by my career.
“—and my grandmother gave me this.” Steven pulled a velvet box from his breast pocket. “I can’t think of a better woman to wear it, Amanda.”
