“I wasn’t,” she snaps at me, and the dance falters for a second. “I still…I still had to break up with him in order for it to work.”
“He wasn’t willing to share?” I ask her.
Rosalie huffs softly, and hides her face in my hair for a moment. I feel her breath grow heavier. “I wasn’t sure you would be,” she admits. “Plus, it’s just easier this way.”
“Pretending that it’s real? I wouldn’t call it easy,” I mumble as the song comes to an end.
“It’s what we need to do,” Rosalie reminds me. “What Eivor expects.”
I purse my lips, and lean down closer to her face after pulling back. “Maybe,” I tell her. “And just so you know, I don’t care if you’re with your ex.”
Her eyes light up a bit. “You don’t?”
I shake my head lightly. “Why would I?”
A curious look overtakes her. “Is something going on that I don’t know about?” she asks.
My heart lurches into my throat.
All this time I hadn’t quite realized that being so open about not caring if she sees other people while we are married might give away my own interests.
“No,” I lie.
It’s only a partial lie.
Sure, I sucked Damian off and he gave me a hand job, but it isn’t like there’s anything more there. Or it’ll happen again. Right?
She squints at me for a second.
The song is over. People are waiting.
I lean down further and press my lips to hers soft and sweet. Just enough to make the crowd happy.
Then we walk off the dance floor as they clap for us.
Rosalie is taken by Eivor for a dance with him before anything else can be said. The evening goes by quickly, but not quick enough for me.
All I can think about is getting my chance to talk to the scumbag who was part of the plan to kill us.
The cake cutting, dinner, the endless mingling… all of it is in the way of me getting out of here.
Eventually, everyone is so drunk or caught up in talking to each other that I’m finally able to sneak out with Carmine.
“Where are you going?” Damian asks me just as I get to the exit of the reception hall with Carmine at my side.
“To talk to the fucker who shot at us,” I quip under my breath. “Probably the same guy who planted that bomb that nearly killed Nikolas.”Nearly killed you, is what I want to say. Frankly I don’t give a damn about Nikolas, I barely know him. Kid hasn’t said a single word to me tonight…but Damian? I don’t even want to think about it.
Damian puts a hand on my shoulder and my entire body covers in goosebumps.
Well. That was unexpected.
“I should be there,” Damian insists.
Carmine shakes his head. “You’re needed here to keep an eye on things, protect Rosalie.”
“Why doesn’t Rosalie come? She’s just as much a part of this,” Damian tells us. I can see that he’s just grasping for straws though. He doesn’t care if Rosalie comes or not. He just wants to be there.
The reason why is uncertain, though. Is it for me or some other reason?
