Away from Nitro in that tuxedo that makes him look like he stepped off a runway. Away from Derek’s eyes, tracking us across the ballroom like a predator watching his prey.
The balcony is blessedly empty, just me and the Vegas Strip glittering below like a constellation of broken promises. I grip the railing, trying to steady my breathing.
“There you are.”
Derek’s voice makes every muscle in my body tense. I don’t turn around. “I’m not in the mood, Derek.”
“Too bad.” He moves closer, his expensive cologne choking me. “We need to talk about your boyfriend. Tell me, Marley, you think a guy who looks likethatactually wantsyou?This is obviously for show.”
The words land exactly where he intends them to. “You don’t know anything about us.”
“I know you.” His eyes rake over me with clinical cruelty. “You’re still the same girl who couldn’t lose weight if her life depended on it. Youreallythink someone likehimis interested in all…” he gestures dismissively at my body, “… this?Come on!He’s probably being paid to escort you.”
My hands shake on the railing. “You’re so unfairly cruel.”
“I’m honest. I tried to motivate you to be better, andthisis how you repay me? Parading some fake relationship in my face?”
“It’s not fake,” I say, but uncertainty creeps into my voice.
“Isn’t it? You’ve known him what, a few weeks?”
“Choose your next words very carefully.” Nitro’s voice cuts through the night like a blade. He stands in the doorway, filling the entire frame, and his face is carved from stone, cold and furious in a way that makes even Derek hesitate.
Derek turns, his bravado faltering. “We were having a civil conversation.”
“No.” Nitro moves forward, each step deliberate, and Derek actually steps back. “You were tearing down a woman who’s worth ten of you. That’s not a civil conversation. That’s you being a fucking coward who can’t handle that she’s moved on to someone better.”
Derek’s face flushes. “Who do you think you are—”
“Her boyfriend,” Nitro states, his voice deadly calm. “The one who seesexactlyhow incredible she is. How brilliant. How beautiful. Every single curve, every quirk, everything you were too blind, stupid, and immature to appreciate. Now get the hell away from her before I forget we’re at a professional event.”
Derek looks as though he might argue, but then he sees something in Nitro’s expression that makes him reconsider. “You’re both making a mistake,” he mutters, backing toward the door. “Don’t come crying to me when your little arrangement falls apart.”
He disappears inside, and suddenly it’s just us and the city lights.
“You okay?” Nitro asks, his voice immediately softening.
“No.” I turn to face him, and all the confusion, hurt, and anger from the past few hours come rushing up. “Derek just said everything I’ve been thinking since we started this arrangement. That you’re too good to be true. That this can’tpossiblybe real.”
Nitro closes the distance between us, his hands coming up to cup my face with devastating gentleness. “Marley… my feelings for you arereal.You can’t fake a chemistry like ours. Tell me you believe that?”
He’s right, you can’t fake the way my body ignites around him. The way he lights up around me. The way my day is always better when he is in it. So, do I believe him?I have to.“I believe you about your feelings,” I say finally, my voice steady even though everything inside me feels like shaking. “But Derek makes me question everything. I hate that he does that.”
Nitro’s shoulders relax just a fraction, relief flickering through his expression.
“Right now…” I continue, sliding my hand into the crook of his arm and lifting my chin. “We are going to go out there and show Derekexactlywhat he lost.”
Nitro’s lips twitch into a slow, dangerous smile.
And yeah, I’m concerned whether this is real.
And yeah, the age gap is a concern.
But tonight?
Tonight, I’m not giving Derek one more ounce of power.
Relief floods his face. “Whatever you need. Whenever you’re ready.”
