When I found her, she was, thankfully, alone for the first time. Leaning against a high countertop, her back was to the room and her head was dipped to look at a brightly lit tablet. I took my time approaching her, deciding on my plan of action while I did. When I got close enough, I stepped into her space and planted my arms on the countertop at either side of her.
Belle’s back straightened, bringing her body closer to mine. I dipped my head low so our conversation could be kept private.
“I just had an interesting conversation with Sonia.”
Belle stiffened further. “Oh yeah?” she squeaked.
I nodded against the side of her head. “Yeah. She was wondering if I’m only into guys or if I make exceptions every once in a while.”
Belle’s head whipped to the side, her eyes narrowed at me. “No, she didn’t.”
I nodded again. “She did. I think she wanted to be that exception for me. She even offered to be a part of a threesome if that’s what I’m into.”
Her lips pursed and her gaze intensified. “That slut.”
I chuckled, my breath blowing loose strands of her hair. “Yeah, that was a little more forward than I’m used to, but not my biggest problem.”
Her throat bobbed with a swallow. “No?”
“No.” I leaned in closer, my lips grazing the shell of her ear. “What I’m wondering, is why you’d tell your assistant I was gay to begin with.”
She swallowed again. “Did she tell you I told her that?”
“She sure did.”
Belle closed her eyes for a moment and let out a deep breath. “Bitch can’t keep a secret to save her life,” she mumbled.
I laughed softly. “That may be true, but it still doesn’t answer my question. Why did you tell Sonia I’m gay?”
Belle’s eyes opened and met mine with a wide stare. “Oh. Um.”
I watched her lips move. Watched them form around the words she spoke. I took a step closer until her whole body was plastered against mine. She shuddered delicately and my dick twitched in my pants.
“That wasn’t an answer, Belle.”
She squeezed her eyes closed again, her whole frame rocking with her deep inhales. Finally, she snapped those light brown orbs open and speared me with a look. “I was sick of hearing her talk about how hot you are. I just wanted to shut her up.”
Okay, we were getting somewhere.
“If you knew she found me attractive, why didn’t you give her my number? Maybe help your roommate get a date.”
Her eyes narrowed again with a glare and I barely suppressed a laugh. “No.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not going out with Sonia.”
“Why’s that, Belle?”
Her face reddened, the angry look in her eyes reaching atomic levels before she spun around and faced me. “Because I friggen said so.”
I kept my hands locked on the counter behind her, so she had nowhere to go. Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breaths and I tried my best to keep my eyes on her face, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
“So, what you’re telling me is you can date random men from an app, but I can’t date your assistant?”
She nodded once. “Yes.”
I chuckled. “That’s a little unfair, don’t you think?”
She shrugged and ducked underneath one of my arms. “Don’t care. And I have shit to do. Excuse me.”
I caught her wrist before she could get far. “We’re not done talking about this.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No. We aren’t. But it can wait until we get home.”
Her body shook with a soft shiver on that last word, but she remained silent.
“I’ll be at the bar when you’re ready to leave,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and turned on her heel before storming away from me. I watched her go, knowing that she may have won our last battle, but this one was a definite notch in my win column.
Chapter 24
Belle
Son of a bitch.
Fucking Sonia.
Fucking Remy.
And worst of all, fucking me.
Why had I opened my big mouth and lied to Sonia about Remy? Of course it would get back to him, eventually. With the amount of time he spent hanging around the gallery, I was surprised it had taken this long.
I hustled across the building, shooting polite smiles at the guests, but not stopping to talk to anyone. All I wanted to do was get to my office where I could finally take a deep breath. Where I could hopefully get Remy’s cologne off my skin. Where I could try to forget the way it felt being between his arms like that.
“Belle!”
My steps faltered, and I turned to find my best friend and her fiancé making their way through the crowd toward me. I pulled my lips into the best smile I could manage as they got closer.
“Hey, Bailey. Hey, Ryder. So glad you guys made it!”
Except, of course, they had shit timing.
Bay wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me tight before passing me to Ryder.
“Of course we made it! We wouldn’t miss it! Sorry we’re so late though. I got stuck at work.”
I waved away her excuse as Ryder released me from his brief embrace. “Don’t worry about that. I’m just happy you’re here.”
And happy I had someone else to focus on besides the maddeningly sexy man who’d just called me out.
“Have you had a chance to look around yet?”
Bailey shook her head, her golden hair swishing around her shoulders. “No, not yet. We wanted to find you first.”
“Why don’t you guys take a lap around the room and I’ll find you in a little bit?”
The need to flee to the privacy of my office was still strong, and despite how happy I was to see Bailey and Ryder, I wanted to be alone. Where I could try to sort out the confusing mess Remy had made of my insides. Where I could figure out what my next step would be. Because despite the fact that I’d love to have just avoided him for the next year or so, we lived together and that wasn’t possible. Even if it was, I had a feeling Remy wouldn’t let me get away with that anyway.
“Hey, is that Remy over there?”
I closed my eyes briefly and let out a small breath. It was like there was no escaping this guy.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
Ryder grinned. “I’m gonna go say hi.”
As soon as he was gone, Bailey turned to me, suspicion creasing her pretty face. “What’s Remy doing here?”
I shrugged and did my best to hold her gaze. “He’s here for the opening, like you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Did you invite him?”
“Of course. The more people here, the better, right?”
She pursed her lips as her eyes continued to scan my face. “Yeah, I guess. I’m just surprised. You’re having lunch with him, now he’s here at your opening night. I just hadn’t realized you guys were getting so close.”
I shrugged again. “It happens when you live with someone and see them every day I guess.”
She nodded. “Are you two still getting along well?”
Ha.
At that moment, I wanted to strangle him, but I couldn’t tell her that.
I forced another smile on my face. “Yeah, of course. He’s really easy to live with. And I get free rides to work with him every day.”
She didn’t need to know that he also brought me lunch, stopped by for dinner, and then drove me home too. And she definitely didn’t need to know that I’d hung out with his grandpa, even though I still wanted to bring that up with her, eventually.
“That’s great, Belle. I’m so glad it’s not awkward or anything.”
Again, ha.
If only she knew exactly how awkward it was at that exact moment.
Bailey peered over my head toward where Ryder had disappeared, and I took the opportunity to change the subject. “Hey, listen, I have to run to my office for a few. Why don’t you
go find Ryder and I’ll check in with you guys a little later?”
Bailey smiled. “Of course! I know you must be super busy. I’ll get out of your hair.”
I pulled her into another hug. “I’m never too busy for you, Bay.”
She hugged me back before pulling away. “Stop being a fucking sap before you make me cry.”
I slapped her on the ass as I walked by. “Later, bitch,” I called over my shoulder.
Dodging patrons left and right, I finally made it to my office and took my first real breath in what felt like hours.
I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do about the Remy situation, but I needed to figure something out quickly because the hours were ticking down and soon it’d be closing time. That meant an uncomfortable as shit car ride home with him and I didn’t know if I’d make it through that.
***
It was a successful night, and we wound up selling most of the pieces on display. I was even more grateful for the fact that I’d been able to avoid Remy for the rest of the night.
The only people left were the caterers, the man I was trying to avoid, my friends, and I think Sonia was hiding around here somewhere. I was doing some last-minute totaling of the numbers when Remy, Ryder, and Bailey approached me.
“How’d you do tonight?” Bailey asked.
I turned to her with a smile, resolutely ignoring Remy. “Best show we’ve had this year! We almost sold out.”
Bailey wrapped me in a big hug, bouncing us both up and down. “That’s great, Belle! I’m so proud of you!”
I hugged her back, my traitorous eyes glancing at Remy. His gaze was already locked on me and I looked away quickly.
Ryder slapped Remy on the shoulder. “You’ve got this guy to thank, too.”
I frowned and reluctantly met Remy’s chocolate gaze. He shrugged. “I picked up a couple pieces for my new place.”
That was… unexpected.
I pulled my lips into what I hoped looked like a grateful smile. “Thanks, Remy.”
He shrugged again, and I had to look away because the way his shoulders pulled at his suit jacket was making my belly clench. “Are you ready to head home?” he asked.
My stomach dropped to the soles of my feet as I wracked my brain for an answer. I did not want to be alone with him right then. Not in a dark car. Not where all I’d be able to smell would be his expensive cologne. Not where he’d only be inches away from me.
The loud clacking of high heels approaching saved me from answering for the moment. Sonia walked up to us, her eyes fixed firmly on Remy before glancing at me.
“Did you need anything else before I head home?” she asked.
“No, you’re good. Thanks for everything tonight.”
She shot me a small smile before turning to Remy. “Hey, if you’re heading out, I was wondering if you could give me a ride home.”
My blood was instantly simmering. My hands itched to clench into fists, but I kept them straight at my sides. Remy glanced at me, questions swirling in his eyes, but I looked away.
He cleared his throat. “Um. Sure. We were heading out now anyway, right?”
I glanced up and saw his eyes were still on me, the question directed my way. And suddenly, I had the opening I was looking for.
“You know what? Why don’t you take Sonia home and I’ll ride with Ryder and Bailey?”
Remy frowned, but Sonia spoke up before he could. “That works for me.”
I clapped once. “Okay, great. Sonia, I’ll see you on Monday.” I turned to Ryder and Bailey. “Just let me get my things and I’m ready to go.” Without waiting for an answer, I turned toward my office and left the whole situation behind me.
When I made it back to them, Remy and Sonia were already gone, and I told my twisting stomach to shut the fuck up. I didn’t really care if something happened between the two of them. It was none of my business what either of them did in their spare time.
I finalized things with the caterers who were almost finished and then followed Ryder and Bailey out to his truck. It was a tight squeeze and would have probably made more sense for me to have gone with Remy, but I’d have squished myself into this truck another dozen times if it meant I got a reprieve from him.
And hell, if it meant I didn’t have to listen to Sonia simpering at him, it was all the better.
The conversation was light, thankfully, and we made it back to our house in no time. I said goodbye to them both at my door and made my way into my apartment. With a head pat for Charlotte, I hurried into my bedroom to take off this damn dress. It was beautiful, but not comfortable at all and I was glad the night was over.
When I was done in there, I took Charlotte out for a small walk, doing my best to ignore the time and how much of it had passed since Remy left with Sonia.
It wasn’t my business.
I didn’t care.
They could do whatever they wanted.
Those words were on repeat in my head, but they were thin and brittle.
I poured myself a big glass of wine and settled into the living room to catch up on some TV. Sure, it was late, and I was tired as hell, but I told myself I was too wound up to try to sleep. It didn’t have anything to do with Remy. I didn’t care what time he got home, and I definitely wasn’t waiting for him.
In the next hour, I came to realize just how long I was willing to lie to myself.
Three-quarters of a bottle of wine later and I finally heard a key slip into the lock of our door. I sat up straighter and ignored Charlotte as she barked and yapped at Remy. My heart pounded as I strained my ears to listen for him. I tried my best to not tally up how long he’d had with Sonia and to definitely not think of all the things they could have accomplished in that time.
“You’re still up.”
I jumped slightly in my seat and turned to face Remy. His tie was loosened around his neck, but the rest of his clothes seemed to be in the same state they’d been last time I saw him. Not that it mattered, right? He was perfectly capable of undressing and redressing himself. The way his clothes looked now was no indication as to whether they’d stayed on the whole time he’d been gone.
But again, I didn’t fucking care about that.
I finished my glass of wine and turned off the TV before standing up. “I was just going to bed, actually.”
I breezed past him, holding my breath so I wouldn’t have to walk through a cloud of his cologne. I wasn’t strong enough for that right now.
“Are we going to talk about what happened earlier?”
I set my glass in the sink and turned to find him much closer than I’d anticipated.
“Talk about what?”
He pressed his lips together and eyed me closely. “You know what, Belle.” His voice was deeper now, and I struggled to keep still.
“You’re talking about the misunderstanding between Sonia and me?”
He raised a brow. “Misunderstanding?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Misunderstanding.”
“So, you’re telling me it was a misunderstanding when you told Sonia I was as gay as they come?”
I couldn’t stop the wince but straightened my spine and met his eyes anyway. Never again would I tell that bitch anything. “Yep. That was a misunderstanding.”
He laughed once and ran a hand through his hair. “When are you going to stop lying, Belle?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What about you? Are you going to admit you just hooked up with her?”
“I didn’t hook up with her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Now who’s the one lying, Remy? You’re telling me it took all that time just to drive her home?”
“Yes! She lives in fucking Warwick!”
I rolled my eyes again and moved around him. “Whatever, Remy. I’m going to bed.”
He grabbed my wrist before I could escape and turned to face me again. “Isn’t this a bit hypocritical? When you went out on a date and I asked if you slept with him you got all righteous with me. All I did wa
s give your employee a ride home and now I’m the bad guy? I didn’t even do anything with her!”
I pulled my arm from his grasp. “Well, why the hell not?! You know she’d be more than happy to do whatever you wanted. Even threesomes, apparently!”
“Because I don’t want her.”
“Why not?! She’s available.”
He shook his head. “Availability isn’t my only criteria, Belle.”
I threw my hands in the air. “Then what is, Remy?”
He took a step closer, his chest bumping into mine. “I’m not sure why, but recently I’ve got this thing for hardheaded women who drive me out of my fucking mind.”
I was practically panting by then, my hardened nipples rubbing against his chest with every breath.
“There’s this one who argues with me over everything, fights me at every turn, and still I can’t get her out of my head. Can’t forget the taste of her skin or the smell of her hair. You know what I mean, Belle?”
Hearing him say my name like that sent a shiver racing down my spine that I was helpless to stop. My heart was thundering in my chest as I watched his eyes darken above me.
“Ask me.”
I frowned and licked my dry lips. “Ask you what?” I croaked.
He stepped even closer, leaving no room between us. “Ask me to touch you.”
I shook my head quickly.
“I know you want me to, Belle. I know it’s all you can think about right now. Just ask me.”
I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath. “How would you know what I’m thinking?”
He leaned in close until his scent engulfed me, and his warm lips were grazing my ear. “Because that’s how I feel. Like if I don’t touch you soon, I’ll lose my fucking mind. I know you feel it too. Just say the word and I’ll make us both feel better.”
My hands shook where I’d fisted them at my sides. “No,” I whispered.
He pulled back slightly until his eyes met mine. “No?”
I shook my head again and whispered, “No.”
He scanned my face for a long moment before taking a big step back. Suddenly, oxygen rushed into my straining lungs and it felt like I could breathe again for the first time in a long time.
Beyond Beautiful (Love in Providence Book 2) Page 21
