Page 134 of The Ruse

As he led me out onto the stage, I forced a smile on my face and decided that I would pretend like I was happy to be escorted by Nash, that being at this stupid ball was exactly where I wanted to be right now.

He and Asher had said themselves that I was a good actor and could have been pretending to enjoy being with either one of them. I hadn’t been acting with Nash before, but I was certainly acting now.

I would get through the next few hours, play the part of a bashful debutante who was having the time of her life since everyone would be watching, and I knew how much my mom had been looking forward to tonight.

But once I got Nash alone, I was going to make sure he knew without a shadow of a doubt that we were over.

My chance at a future with Asher was not going to be a casualty of their stupid war.

39

ASHER

How much longer did Ihave to stick around and watch the girl I was in love with dance and smile and seem altogether enchanted to be at this stupid party with Nash?

Five more minutes? Ten?

I’d already sat through the part where she’d been presented and had him help her with the weird curtsey that was apparently customary for the debutantes to do.

Then I had to watch their stupid dance with the other debs and escorts. And as they sat next to each other at their table, I had to watch him lean over every so often to whisper whatever sweet nothings he had to tell her in her ear.

Was she enjoying this?

Was this her idea of the perfect night?

Was she hoping to have many more fancy balls and ballgowns in her future?

Because if that was the case, it was probably good that I found out now. Though I was here tonight, I didn’t belong in this world. I didn’t belong in the world of glittery chandeliers, fancy orchestra music, and dinners that cost more than a used car.

No, I was the guy who had always been on the edges of high society. Always watching and interacting with the rich and famous.

But never one of them.

And even when I was here, actually invited to sit at the fancy table, I couldn’t even enjoy my stupid overpriced dinner because Nash and Elyse were right there at the table across from me, in my exact line of sight.

“Do you think your mom will notice if I just head back to our room after dinner?” I asked Jace as the chocolate raspberry dessert was being served to our table.

“She might,” he said as he poked his fork into the dessert. “But before you go, you should at least try to talk to her.”

“To your mom?”

“No.” Jace nodded toward Elyse. “Talk to the girl you’ve been staring at all night.”

I sighed and looked back at Elyse. And almost like she’d sensed we were talking about her, she turned her head over her shoulder and looked back at me.

Our eyes locked, and my chest tightened as I met her gaze.

Even though I’d been staring at her all night, I still couldn’t get over how beautiful she was.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows were knitted together, and I tried to interpret what might be going through her mind. Was she looking at me because she felt sorry for me? Was she trying to figure out how to tell me that she had chosen Nash after all, that I’d never really had a chance with her in the first place?

Or was she looking at me with her light-brown eyes all sad and longing because she wanted to be sitting next to me?

I sighed and pushed the thought away. I was just making up the longing look in my head because I wanted her to wish she was with me.

Jace leaned closer again and said, “If she wanted to be with that other guy, she wouldn’t be looking at you like that.”

Nash tapped Elyse on the arm, to bring her attention back to him.

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