Page 72 of The Charmer

I turned around. "Thanks for... well, for everything tonight. It was a fantastic party."

His voice lowered. "Georgie. Why aren't you looking at me?"

I hadn't even realized I'd been averting my gaze, fixating on the streetlight outside like it was the most interesting thing happening at the moment.

"I'm just tired, I guess."

He touched my jaw lightly. I sucked in a deep breath. Ever so slowly, he nudged my chin, turning my head, meeting me halfway.

Leaning toward me, he said, "That's not it and you know it. What's wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"

Part of me couldn't believe he was actually asking that, as if he was a caring boyfriend. Not that I had a lot of experience with that, but still.

"It's been a long evening. Why did you want me to stay?" That's it, shift the focus.

"I did promise to take you dancing after the party.”

“Oh, I completely forgot. But it’s so late...”

“I know. That’s not really why I asked you to stay. I wanted to clear things up. You've been avoiding me—you can't deny it."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I could just tell him. He wouldn't make a scene or berate me, I was sure of it.

"Today has been... confusing," I admitted. "One moment you were dancing with me, and the next you were saying it was all for show."

Julian looked at me intently for quite a long time. He glanced at my lips before making eye contact again. His hand was still at my jaw.

"It wasn't for show. None of it."

Aaaaaaaaaaand I could hear angels singing. My heart nearly burst out of my chest with joy. I’d gone from feeling moody to exhilarated in a fraction of a second.

"None of it?" I whispered.

"No."

"But then you said there were others here, that the foot massage was part of your ‘fake boyfriend package.’”

He tilted closer. "I needed an excuse."

"For what?"

"For being close to you, touching you...”

"Julian," I whispered.

"I asked you here because I needed to see you.”

"I thought it was because some of your guests would expect your girlfriend to—"

“It was all a damn ruse. I've wanted you since you showed up at my bar in your sparkling dress."

His words just wrapped around my heart, then traveled down below.

“That first kiss wasn’t just because that moron was watching,” he continued. “It was instinct, and I followed it.”

"Do you regret it?"

"Hell no."

---