Page 77 of His Temptation
“Have you found Mom and Dad?” Jace asks. “You know how Mom hates it if you dodge her and don’t say hello.”
That instantly takes away Lincoln’s smile. “Yes, I’ve seen her.”
“Kylie, come with me.” Sophia extends her hand. “Let’s get some food and let these two catch up.”
“You don’t have to,” Lincoln interjects.
“Oh, stop acting like I’m bullying her. I’m just trying to give her a chance to breathe from all the stuffiness in the room.”
“I’m all right. Don’t worry,” I tell him.
Sophia pulls me toward a table filled with small bites of food. I would need fifty of these to fill me up. We grab a plate, and I follow her lead.
“Ugh, these all look so good. I’m going to be bad and fill my plate.”
I’m all on board for this, but I’m shocked when I see her put six on her plate. I really am in an entirely different world if eating six mouthfuls of food is being bad. I already stand out in the crowd with my business attire. I’m not going to make it worse by being the woman who eats all the food, so I put the same amount on my plate.
I get a chance to stand and talk with Sophia for a little while. She’s nice enough. I can tell she’s trying to size me up, trying to figure out who I am and just how close I am to her brother. I don’t totally trust her, so I keep my answers short and never insinuate there is anything going on with Lincoln and me.
“Oh, there you are.” Delilah joins us. “I was just talking to Pam about you. Her son, Henry, just broke off his engagement. I told her that he should give you a call. You know how much that family is worth,” she whispers, leaning in.
Sophia’s eyes open wide. “He’s good-looking too.”
I stand quietly, not sure if I should walk away. But her eyes focus on me next.
“Kylie, it’s so good to have you here. I must say, I’m a little surprised. Lincoln never brings his assistants. But I’m so happy he found someone he trusts, whatever your relationship is.”
“Oh, um, we aren’t—” I start, but she cuts me off.
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking you about the nature of your relationship. You know, he just had such a rough childhood. We were so worried about him for so long. But to see him out in the world, succeeding the way he is, despite his issues?—”
“We’re leaving,” Lincoln’s voice demands sternly as his hand takes my elbow. “Goodbye.”
He doesn’t speak a word the entire ride down the elevator, but the tension is palpable. When we get outside, he pulls out his phone.
“I’ll text George. He’s just around the block,” he says curtly.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen up there?” I ask, stepping closer.
He shakes his head. “I can’t believe she was going to tell you. She was going to just blurt out …” he says, then stops and blows out a breath. “Forget it. It’s just … it was stupid to bring you here. I’m sorry.”
We stand in awkward silence while we wait for George. The car pulls up a minute later. Lincoln opens the door, and I hop in first.
“Drop Kylie off, then head to my place,” he instructs George, then lets the divider roll up.
Instead of looking at me, talking to me, he just stares out the window. There’s a layer to this man—a wounded layer that he doesn’t know how to face.
Am I annoyed with this side of him? Yes.
But I also care about him, and I hate seeing him so tortured. I’ll deal with his secrets and attitude later. Right now, I’m going to take away the pain, even if just for a moment.
I lift my skirt up to my waist and straddle him.
“What are you doing?” he asks, eyes lost and far away.
“Forget about tonight,” I whisper as I ground down on his lap.
His breath hitches.
