Page 18 of Scary Suitor

I smile courteously, reeling back the consuming hunger as my gaze lingers on Alina’s rattled form.

“I’m Cassio,” I introduce, formally insinuating that Finny is a pawn. “We have not met before.”

I shake her offered hand and pull back, not willing to touch another woman. My hand is stained, and my pretty girl is right here to purify it. Not heeding the whispered temptation to hold her hand, I drop mine to the side.

“How do you know her?” Finny elbows Alina, who avoids my eyes.

“Boyfriend.” I’m proud of myself for the self-restraint; “husband” has a wonderful,possessivering to it.

“Pardon me,” Finny excuses, then clears her throat at Alina. “You little shit. You told me you didn’t have a boyfriend. I helped you cheat with Beckett.”

The woman jerks her head to me, apologies erupting through her rambles. Her excuses leap between bouts of bumbling words.

“He’s not—” Alina tries, but Finny doesn’t hear it.

I lift a hand and brush off her explanation. The sympathetic demeanor fractures at the thought of Alina going on previous dates, and more importantly, because of Beckett.

I hate the name.

“It’s all a big misunderstanding,” I remark, inflating the compassion in my voice. “Alina and I are fine. She wanted to keep our relationship a secret.”

“You want to hide this beefcake—” Finny stammers, visibly horror-stricken until she stops. “This lovely man.”

Alina’s face glows red at her friend’s attention. My lips twitch at the humiliation in her plea for Finny to shut her mouth.

“Would you like to join us for dinner? I have a reservation,” I ask Finny, naming an expensive restaurant. “Please, I’d like to extend the invitation to your boyfriend as well.”

Finny takes the bait like a hooked fish. “Really? We’ll go!”

Alina won’t willingly go on another date with me, not yet anyway, so this will do. She’s not going to upset her friend with disappointment when Finny’s hope is skyrocketing.

“Is that alright with you, pretty?”

Alina’s lips form a subtle pout, clearly not happy about being ambushed. The anticipation rebelling through my blood wants to make her pout harder.

She glowers as a reply.

Chapter Five

Alina

“I’m going to marry him,” Finny declares, hair tousled and crusty drool at the corner of her lips.

This is not the time or place to announce her future plan for her boyfriend or whichever fictional character she’s fixating on.

The man up at the podium speaks loudly, and he’s one key tone from hitting a high note. He is practically out of breath by the time he finishes his zealous buildups about “love your colleagues like your secret spouse” to a bunch of seven o’clock zombies.

He passes the microphone to his co-host and hurries to the side for a water bottle. The woman continues the everyday speech with all the gusto of someone reporting metro bus delays.

We’ve been listening to them drone on for the last thirty minutes; everyone would’ve dropped dead if it weren’t for the boost of energy from the breakfast table, comprised of sugar-dusted doughnuts and watered-down coffee.

There is tea, but they’ll have to wait for the antique kettle to boil water.

It’s a massive retreat resort, paid for by the company for a week of mandatory team bonding, and everyone in their employment has to attend. Finny’s slot got bumped to later, so we luckily got placed on the same trip.

It’s a vacation of some sort; beautiful scenery, lovely staff, great food, and fun activities. A week away from Cassio sounds like a slice of heaven.

He makes me lose my confidence, trampling on my thoughts and invading my life with his scent. The smell of him puts me on edge, acting as the trigger for my flight response to his dangerous aura.

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