Page 110 of David

Am I nuts?

The silence thickens as everybody expects me to continue.

A lump forms in my throat, and my lips are dry as James’ gaze bounces between David and me, while Chloe looks like a kid who ate too much chocolate and is about to throw up.

“Have you two met before?” James asks, and I have a feeling he’s already noticed something is off.

“I’m sorry,” I say, embarrassed, shifting my eyes to James, my hand still captive in David’s grip. “I wasn’t talking to David.”

I laugh, trying to obliterate my awkwardness.

“I was thinking about you. I didn’t think you were home,” I say, and James narrows his eyes at me, a faint smile on his lips.

“I wasn’t sure I’d be home either. I didn’t want to intrude. Make my wife’s guests uncomfortable,” he says with a hint of humor in his voice.

We all sort of move away from this mishap, although, except for Chloe, who seems oblivious to everything surrounding her, I’m quite doubtful James hasn’t gotten a clue about what’s going on.

“I’m sorry,” I say, retrieving my hand.

James’ eyes fly to David, who doesn’t let anything out.

“Rain has people over,” James says to David, who moves his eyes to Chloe.

I elbow her slightly, and she stretches her hand out.

“Liz’s friend. Chloe Ames. Nice to meet you too.”

Their hands connect and disconnect, and unlike when he held my hand, I sense no stream of awareness floating between them.

The moment ends, and the two men enter James’ office.

The door closes, and Chloe and I walk away.

LIZ

My legs are made of rubber as we return to the terrace.

Chloe says nothing, which is weird considering how much we gossiped about David.She’s either still affected by the guy she met last night or too tired to care.

Or she’s an amnesiac.

Normally, she would run her mouth like nobody’s business, but that’s not the case with her right now.

We spend about half an hour on the terrace before the women return to the table.

James’ brother, Tiago Rossi, makes an appearance and kisses his fiancé, who melts into a puddle before he pulls away and joins the other men inside the house.

He looks stunning in his high–end suit, his eyes mesmerizing like his brother’s.

No wonder Eve Malone’s cheeks turn crimson.Like Rain, she’s a lucky girl.

Tiago is fiercely in love with Eve.You can see it in his eyes. And that kind of thing gets to me, making me remember those times when Chloe, my cousin, and I went out to have fun.

And Thea is one of them now.

My cousin’s phone rings, and she checks the screen before looking at the house.

“Ed is here,” she says mainly to herself.

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