“Exactly.”
He reached over and stole another bite off my fork, unbothered, and I was about to say something slick when the news cut in.
“Breaking news from Bryson Richey with WXZY.”
“Thank you, Jamie. Just fifteen minutes ago we got word that two vehicles registered to federal agents were found engulfed in flames this evening. As you can see behind me, fire department crews are still on scene working to get this under control.Authorities are calling this a targeted incident. No injuries have been reported. An investigation is currently underway.”
I froze as his hand softly rested on the side of my neck.
The anchor kept talking. I stopped hearing words.
I turned slowly. He was watching the screen with the same expression he used when he was reading a menu. Completely unbothered. Like the TV had just reported the weather.
He clicked it off, set the remote down, and stood up. He held his hand out to me.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “It's late.”
I looked at his hand. I looked at his face and put my hand in his.
I was blushing as he led me down the hall without another word, his thumb moving slowly across my knuckles. I decided right then and there that the clouds were actually a pretty nice place to live.
The wedding…
The chapel at Hollow Haven Country Club was draped in white roses and baby’s breath, sunlight streaming through stained glass windows onto Coupeville’s elite. I stood beside Lesley, watching his cousin Taiwan marry his longtime girlfriend, feeling elegant and out of place at the same time.
The custom dress I’d selected was perfection, gold velvet that skimmed my body in all the right places. The dress had arrived this morning from the boutique with a note in Lesley’s handwriting:
For today. You look beautiful in everything, but this was special. -L
I was beginning to love his notes. No matter the message.
My Manolo Blahnik heels were the perfect height, and the Cartier watch and tennis bracelet on my wrist caught the light with every movement. I felt like I belonged in this world, standing beside a man who commanded respect just by breathing.
“You had to have the best suit, didn’t you?” I whispered to Lesley as the bride made her way down the aisle. He looked incredible in his custom Tom Ford tuxedo, the black fabric fitting him as if it were sewn onto his body.
“You’re the one stealing the show,” he murmured back, his hand finding the small of my back.
“Thank you. You know you have fabulous taste.”
One of the things I was adjusting to was his constant attention. We hadn’t been together long, but every day he found ways to show me he was paying attention. Sometimes it was a simple compliment about my hair or the way I’d handled a difficult client. Other days, things would just appear, fresh flowers on the kitchen counter, a piece of jewelry that perfectly matched something I’d worn, my grocery order mysteriously completed before I could get to it. Little gestures that said he was thinking about me even when we weren’t together.
Either Malice was reporting every detail of my daily routine, or Lesley actually listened when I talked. It was probably both, but I suspected it was more the latter. Despite his occupation—despite the dangerous world he moved through—nothing I’d witnessed suggested he couldn’t be thoughtful when he wanted to be. Gentle, even.
That realization caught me off guard because I wasn’t supposed to be seeing this for anything more than what it was.
During the ceremony, his hand stayed possessively on my waist, his thumb tracing small circles through the fabric. WhenTaiwan kissed his bride, Lesley’s fingers tightened slightly, and I felt him looking down at me.
At the reception, we were seated at the family table with Legend and his girlfriend, whom I no longer trusted. Luckily, we sat along with other key family members. I played my part perfectly—charming, elegant, the perfect wife—but Lesley made it easy. For the most part, he wasn’t insufferable. I could feel the tension between a few members of his family, but he whispered for me not to worry, and I trusted him.
“Beautiful ceremony,” I said to Lesley as we sat down with our drinks.
“Did you want one?” he asked quietly. “A big wedding like this?”
I looked around at the elaborate decorations, the five-course dinner, the happy couple surrounded by family and friends celebrating their love.
“No,” I said.
“No?” His eyebrow lifted. “Most women dream about weddings. You didn’t want the fairytale?”
