Page 76 of Whatever You Need

Seeingher across the room was more painful than I could imagine. It felt like someone was chipping away at my heart, piece by piece.

I paced along the hallway, praying that I wasn’t too late. I didn’t want to believe it when Quinn told me, but after witnessing that kiss, there was no denying it.

Our eyes collided as she rounded the corner. “Marco?” I faltered at the sight of her. She was beautiful. So damn beautiful. “What are you doing here?”

I took a minute to look her over slowly. She looked the same, but she might as well have been a stranger. She was so close but felt so out of reach. The faint voices and music down the hall could be heard, but the only thing that mattered was standing right in front of me.

“I need to talk to you.”

Her eyes darted nervously around the room as I took a cautious step toward her. “Marco, I…”

“Amelia.”

She whipped her head around to the man who had just stepped into our path. This is the first time I actually laid eyes on him and suddenly all my anger had returned. His attention landed on mine and I had to bite my tongue to keep what I was really thinking about him to myself.

“Owen.” Her eyes dropped closed. “Could you please give me a minute?” She looked up at me with a mixture of regret and panic on her face, but it was no match for the anger I felt.

He stepped forward and I had to hand it to the guy. He knew a threat when he saw one. I looked him over and stretched taller.

His eyes narrowed; they were cold and calculating. He took in my gray jeans and black button-down, passing silent judgment. Smug bastard. While I was dressed well enough for the party I just left, I would have been turned away by his staff at the door for not wearing a suit and tie. Thank God, Quinn snuck me in through the security entrance.

He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Amelia?”

Her eyes flashed with alarm as she fiddled nervously with the diamond bracelet on her wrist. Not my bracelet, it was probably one he gave her. I clenched my jaw, not wanting to show any emotion in front of the prick. “Owen, this is Marco.” She swallowed. “Marco, this is Owen.”

His upper lip curled, like he couldn’t wait to gloat about having what I wanted. He stretched his hand out for me to shake. “I’m the fiancé.”

He might as well have sucker punched me. The effect would have been the same. His point was made and it sucked balls. Still, I hated this for her and everything about this backhanded business arrangement. Seeing them together just hammered home the reality of it all.

“Congratulations.” I forced the word out, feeling like I had a knife held to my throat. He looked like he wanted to tell me to fuck off and that only made me want to ruffle his feathers even more.

He snaked a hand along her waist and pulled her in. “Thank you. As you can see, I’m a lucky man.” The sight of his hands on her and his possessive tone ignited a fury inside me. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss here. How do you knowmyAmelia?”

It was taking every ounce of control I had not to surge forward. “Why don’t we just cut the bullshit. We both know you’re not a real couple. So why don’t you go schmooze with all your country club buddies in there and let us have a private conversation.”

I was no doubt fucking things up royally, but this arrogant ass was exactly what I was expecting.

“Who the hell do you think you are, coming here and insulting me?”

I knew this was wrong, but I could not stand here and continue to act calm. I might regret this stunt in the morning, but right now I couldn’t imagine just standing back and doing nothing.

Amelia unpeeled his hands from around her waist and stepped between us. “The last thing you want is to cause a scene, Owen. Remember, appearances are everything.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked as he seemed to weigh his options. You could tell he wasn’t ready to be done with this conversation, but it wasn’t worth risking his precious reputation either. He squared his shoulders, pulled down on his lapels, and straightened his jacket. “Make it quick. We have a couple’s dance coming up soon.”

My shoulders relaxed as I watched him spin on his heels and march off.

Amelia crossed her arms over her chest. “What is it you have to say to me?” She was close enough to where I could see the faint dusting of freckles across her nose. The same freckles I used to love to trace with my fingers while she slept.

“Why do you seem so standoffish?” I asked, wondering if I was missing something. Her anger took me by surprise. Wasn’t I the one who was supposed to be pissed?

“I think the better question is, why are you doing this to me?” Her voice trembled as she looked away. “I’ve been calling, texting, sitting outside your house, waiting for you to come home. You shut me out, Marco. I understand that you needed space, but you pushed me away and your words hurt me. I’m not trying to stand here and make this all about me and my feelings; you have every right to feel the way you feel.” She took a breath, and I stood there, feeling my heart twisting and tightening in pain. “Don’t you see this is exactly what I was afraid of? This moment, right here, is exactly what I feared.”

“But I’m here now.”

“Why now? What changed?”

“Because the thought of losing you forever scares the shit out of me.” My voice was desperate, but I was past caring about appearances. “I just needed time to think.”

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