Upstairs, the penthouse is dark except for the light Silas left on in the kitchen.
Tania kicks off her heels in the entryway, and the sound echoes through the space.
“Goodnight.” She keeps her eyes down.
“Goodnight, Red.”
She disappears down the hallway to head to her bedroom upstairs.
“You good?” Evan asks.
“Yeah.”
“You sure?” He doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame him.
“I’m sure.”
I head to my room, close the door, and strip off my shirt. The city glows beyond my windows, thousands of lights stretching into the distance.
I can still feel her hands on my shoulders. Her breath against my neck. The way she didn’t pull away.
And if I had any choice in this situation, I would have taken her home and peeled that dress off of her to find out what sounds she makes when she’s not pretending.
But I didn’t have a choice. Because Evan was right. We promised Ben.
And I almost broke that promise.
CHAPTER 6
Tania
I’m eating toast at the kitchen table when Silas walks in.
He pours coffee into a travel mug, then glances at me. “Are you busy today?”
I swallow my bite of toast. “The museum doesn’t need me until Thursday. Why?”
“I’m flying out of town today. I have a business trip, with meetings all day and dinner with our chief financial officer. I’ll fly back tonight.” He caps the mug. “I’d like you to come.”
Three weeks living here, and this is the first time Silas has asked me to do anything with him.
It’s been two weeks since the club—since Callum had his hands on my hips and Evan pulled him away.
Callum avoided me for a week after. He made sure we used the gym at different times, he didn’t join Evan and me for meals, and when I asked him anything, he only offered one-word answers. He’d even leave rooms when I walked in.
That didn’t last long, though. Now he’s back to stealing food off my plate and calling me Red. He even tried to convince me to go skydiving. Twice. I declined both times.
But Callum still avoids touching me.
Evan’s the opposite. He holds my hands when the staff is around. He’s more playful, and last week, we even snuggled on the couch watching a movie because Sandra was around.
And Silas... Silas just works.
Things should feel easier since Callum is no longer avoiding me. They don’t.
Because now, when Evan kisses my cheek in front of Sandra, I feel it longer than I should. When Callum grins at me across the dinner table, desire prickles through me. When Silas brushes past me in the hallway, I hold my breath.
Pretending to be in a relationship was supposed to be simple. But it’s getting harder.
