Page 38 of Let Me Love You

I tilt my head to the side. “Was it?”

She puts her glass to her lips and takes another sip, and another, and another, until she completely empties it. Her cheeks are a sexy shade of red. “Yes.”

I point at her empty glass. “Then why did you drink that in less than a minute?”

Serenity shrugs a shoulder.

The server comes and takes Serenity’s empty cup. She attempts to turn her whole body around, but her dress restricts her movements, so I help her. Once she’s facing me, she looks up at me from under her eyelashes and wraps her arms around my neck. Everything inside me screams at me to touch her, to pull her closer, to taste her. That one small peck at our wedding wasn’t enough.

I slam my eyes shut. I must resist.

She leans in, her body heat wrapping around me. I’m already under her spell as she asks, “Do you think they believe we’re a married couple now?”

I flash my eyes back open, and she blinks at me. Her words bring reality slamming back down around me.

This—us—Isn’t real.

Chapter 17

Serenity

Aplethora of voices intertwine with the music as I stare into Victor’s deep blue eyes. “I’m not quite sure.”

There’s a playful glint in his eyes—almost like he’s daring me. And I’m never one to back down.

The lights are dimmed in our VIP section, and alcohol flows freely through my veins, making me bolder. I’m facing him but still sitting sideways on his lap. This stupid dress is too tight for me to straddle him. I shift my hips again so that his hardness rubs against me.

I still myself as Victor’s groan reaches my ears. Inhaling, I drop my gaze. I insisted on no sex during our marriage for a reason. After the year is up, he’ll move on with his life, and my heart isn’t ready for devastation again.

Victor inhales sharply before wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulls me against him, and his mouth hovers above mine.

Remember to stay strong. This is all for show.

I bite my lip as my heart pounds in my ears. He’s so close I wonder if he can hear it. No, that’s impossible with the music. But maybe he can feel it. When I meet his gaze, his eyes are hooded.

Neither of us moves, but I should. I need to back away now before he takes this as my approval.

Victor leans down and whispers, “What are you trying to do to me?”

Before I can reply, the same server comes back with another Cosmo, placing it on the table in front of us, and he leaves before I have a chance to say thank you. Thank God.

I’m not sure I could speak to someone else right now.

I take a sip, but I don’t down this one. My head already feels a little heavy, and I need to be able to keep my wits.

Clearing my throat, I say, “I think this should be enough to convince everyone we’re truly in love.”

He takes a quick look around, probably to see if anyone is watching us, before his eyes shut and his forehead rests on mine. “Good point.”

I’m not sure if my ears are playing a trick on me, but his tone seems off.

After lingering for a moment longer, Victor straightens, putting a little distance between us again. All the knots tying up inside my chest finally unwind with a little extra breathing room.

“How about instead of being up here with people who are most likely watching us, we go dance?”

I’m suddenly on my feet, and I almost trip over my heels as he tugs me away from the crowd, out of the red velvet rope, and down toward the dance floor. After being so close and then rushing through the club, it’s like whiplash. I struggle to keep my grip on my glass, so I down the rest of it and place it onto a wet tabletop.

Ear-splitting music pumps out of the speakers, and people dance and sway to the rhythm. No one pays us any attention, and it’s a breath of fresh air.