Page 44 of The Wrong Fiancée

"You didn't? You really didn't?"

She looked so relieved that it was painful. What the hell was I doing? I was hurting her. I was hurting Elika. I was a fucking asshole. I was engaged to this woman. I'd made a decision about her, and now one whiff of Elika and I was once again panting after her. This wasn't who I was. This wasn't who I wanted to be.

"No, baby."

She touched her mouth to mine, and I kissed her, letting her feel safe with me. I was so confused—and I didn't know how to fucking fix how I was feeling.

"I love you, Dean."

I cupped her face. I loved this woman. I knew myself. I would have never asked her to marry me otherwise. I needed to get a grip. "I love you too, baby."

But I wasn't sure that I did.

As soon as we walked back to the party, I glanced over the crowd, my eyes scanning forher, though I wasn't sure why. It wasn't like she'd be looking back.

Elika.

Her name had become a quiet thrum in the back of my mind lately, growing louder each day, each time I saw her.

"Felicity, make it clear to your parents that there is no firm date, okay?" I warned her.

"Dean," she whined. "Don’t you want to marry me?"

I saw her engagement ring flash in the dark. "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't."

"Then why wait?"

"Because I think it gives us time to…."To what, asshole?"I don't want to rush this."

Her eyes flashed resentment. "What exactly does that mean?"

My chest tightened. "We can talk about this later," I threw her words back at her with a calm that surprised even me. "But awedding date and location isn't a decision you get to make on your own."

Felicity held my gaze for a moment longer, her eyes cold now, calculating. Then she smiled, the perfect hostess once again, smoothing down the front of her dress as if nothing had happened. "Fine, darling," she said sweetly, turning back toward the party. "We'll discuss it later. But for now, let's just enjoy the evening."

Right! There was no chance of that happening. As engagement parties went, this was a debacle of epic proportions since I was trying to ignore the thought that I had the wrong fiancée.

Chapter Sixteen

ELIKA

Iwas such a fool. Dean showed me a little kindness, and I had, despite myself, started to think I meant something to him.

Stupid, foolish Elika wants things she knows she can't have.

"Excuse me, can we get a refill here?" A voice jolted me back to reality. I turned, offering a polite smile as I poured another Mai Tai for a couple whose names I didn't know but whose wealth was practically dripping off them. Everyone here wore gold watches and diamond bracelets, casually, like they were everyday accessories, which for them they were.

The setting sun lent a golden glow over the party, and after the speech and wedding announcement, the atmosphere shifted. The luau was about to begin, and tiki torches lined the pathway to the beach, where tables were set up for the evening. The smell of roasted pork filled the air again as chefs prepared to carve the kalua pig, and the bar I was stationed at started to pick up orders for cocktails. The sky was a mix of deep oranges and purples; there was a kind of magic to everything—the firelight dancing across the faces of the guests, the rhythmic pounding of tribal drums beginning in the distance.

I stayed behind the bar, making drinks like an automaton. It wasthe easiest place to hide my emotions—pouring, shaking, serving.

Dean would be married in a few months. Why did it bother me so much?

I didn't believe in love at first sight or soulmates, but it was true that I had fallen in love with Dean, and right now, my heart hurt in ways it never had before.

Felicity dragged Dean to the bar, a lightness to her. Hell, if I was marrying Dean Archer, I'd also feel like I was walking on air.

"One Mai Tai." Felicity didn't even look at me. She turned into her fiancé's arms, her hand resting on Dean's chest like she owned him. Which she did!

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