Page 5 of Promise Me Forever

“If you say so.”

“You’ve never been in love?” I ask. “I don’t believe that for a second.”

He shakes his head and smiles, but it’s a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I was, yeah. But that was a long time ago, and I’m not keen to repeat that particular experience.”

I reach for his hand and twine my fingers with his. “I’m sorry, Charlie.”

“You do know that’s not actually my name, don’t you?”

I squeeze his fingers and flash him a devilish smile. “Hush now. Tonight it is. Tonight, you’re Charlie, a gorgeous stranger who’s new to town.”

“I actually am kind of new here. I just moved back after years away.”

“Really? Why’d you leave? It sounds like you have a great family here.”

He sucks his upper lip and is quiet for a long moment. I wonder if he’s about to lie to me, if I’ve accidentally touched a nerve.

“I moved away because I needed to be me,” he finally says, shrugging. “I needed to be independent, not part of a whole, you know? My familyisgreat. My dad is a force of nature, and my brothers… Well, we’re close, and they’re amazing. Sometimes so amazing that I don’t feel quite good enough, like I don’t match their high standards. It’s nothing they’ve ever said or done, it’s all on me. And moving halfway across the country felt like a way to escape that. After we lost our mom, I found it even harder to stick around. I managed it for a while, and I kept busy with work, but I never felt settled. It was almost a relief to get away from the home we all shared.”

It feels like a confession, and I can sense his discomfort. I also wonder what the rest of his family is like if this impeccable man feels like he isn’t up to par. They must all be superheroes. “Why did you come back now?” I ask.

“It just felt like the right time. And who knows, maybe it was fate. Maybe I was meant to be here for this wedding. Maybe I was meant to meet you, Amelia.”

“Oh no,” I say, playfully swatting his arm. “You were meant to meet Scarlet, the super-hot chick who is far more likely to be Emily’s friend than plain old Amelia.”

“There is nothing plain about Amelia.” He lifts my hand and drops a kiss onto my palm. My heart stutters and then sendssome highly excited messages to somewhere much lower. “But you and Emily do seem very different. She works in finance, right? Comes from old money?”

“Yep. And I work in admin with no money. But opposites attract, as they say. Sometimes, though, I do wish I was more like her. For more than just a night.”

“And why is that?”

“I suppose I’d love to have her confidence. Her self-assurance. Her ability to have fun without second guessing herself.”

“Oh?” He sits up straighter. His eyes narrow as he stares at me, and I wonder why I said that out loud. “And what would you do with that self-assurance? Right now? What would be fun?”

I could give him some vague and noncommittal answer to that question. In fact, I definitely should, because all my genuine answers could land me in a world of trouble. But his gaze is every bit as intoxicating as the champagne, and I figure I’m never going to see him again. We are wedding guests passing in the night. What’s the harm in telling him the truth? “Sometimes, I’d like to be able to let loose and do whatever I want. Just go wild. Make rash decisions, live for the moment, and have no regrets. You know what I mean?”

Staring down into his glass, he swirls the last drop around the bottom. “Tell me more.”

“I’d like to try being someone else entirely. Like Scarlet. She has no worries, no insecurities. No responsibilities. It would be nice to live like that for a while.”

“Yeah. I understand that.”

“You do?” Why on earth would this incredibly sexy, charming, obviously rich man ever want to be anyone other than who he is? He seems to have everything a person could possibly want in life.

“Of course. The chance to be selfish? To cast aside what people expect of you? To act on nothing but your own desires without worrying that you’re going to hurt someone or let them down? Hell yeah, I get that.”

When I look into his eyes, they’re no longer chocolate brown; they’re almost black. His voice is raw with emotion, and goosebumps prickle along my skin at the sound. We’re just playing a game here, aren’t we?

A game we’re both enjoying and that could allow us both to be winners. That thought urges me to speak. “What if we both agreed to abandon our real lives for the night? What would that look like? If you got the chance… What would you be looking for?”

His lips quirk up, and his head tilts to one side as he assesses me. I might be bad at flirting, but I’m also not a complete idiot. Unlikely as it may seem, this gorgeous man is interested in me. But now that I’ve basically propositioned him, a flurry of nerves erupts in my belly.

“I’d be looking for something a little…”

“A little what?” My eyes stay locked with his, my heart beating so hard I swear he must be able to hear it.

“Casual?” He arches one eyebrow. “I’m the kind of guy who goes all in, Scarlet, but only for one night.”

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