Page 52 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

She stepped closer. Her perfume wrapped around me, messing with my already frayed nerves.

She patted my chest like I was some grumpy cat that she found adorable. “Thank you. You clean up pretty good yourself.”

I was wearing a crisp black suit with a gray and black striped tie. I hated the damn thing, but with the way her eyes dragged over me, slow and appreciative, I was glad I chose it.

I took one last sip of my drink. I needed to get my head on straight. I needed to focus, which would be easier if she wasn’t so close, looking like something I couldn’t touch.

She looked beautiful. She had always been. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was, I was close to crossing a line. I shouldn’t be thinking about crossing.

My focus should be on impressing the investor tonight, not pressing her against the nearest wall.

She smoothed a hand along her narrow waist. “You look nervous.”

I set my glass down on the table. “I’m not nervous. I’m annoyed because we’re running late. No thanks to you.”

Her lips twisted. “You realize you’re going to have to be nice to me tonight, right?”

“Trust me. I’ll be as nice as you want, as long as you stick to the script.”

She stepped closer, swaying her hips on purpose. “Relax, fiancé, everything is going to be fine, but you will need to stop looking at me like you want to strangle me.”

“If it looks like I want to strangle you, it’s because I do.”

She laughed, completely unfazed at how easily she was making me come unglued. The little troublemaker leaned in and smoothed a hand along my chest in a way that was completely inappropriate. “Try not to be so uptight tonight.”

I caught her wrist as it started to move up along my shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She smirked. “I’m trying to help you loosen up.”

“Harlow, I don’t need you to make tonight any harder than it already is.”

Her smirk widened. “Oh, but I enjoy making things ‘hard’ for you.”

I narrowed my eyes. The girl was playing with fire. She was going to be the death of me. She’d always been a weakness. I didn’t think that would ever change.

Tonight was going to be an absolute nightmare.

I pulled on the lapel of my suit coat and extended my hand. “Ready?”

She smiled up at me, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her fingers casually trailed the delicate curve of her neck, making my mouth go dry. “Give me one second.”

Harlow walked over to the mirror. Her eyes met mine, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

In case you were wondering, I wanted to tear that dress from her body and watch it hit the floor. I wanted to bury myself inside her and forget about this stupid dinner.

“You’re staring.”

I clutched my key fob in the palm of my hand like it was the only thing keeping me from making a bad decision. “I’m staring because I want to get this over with. The sooner, the better.”

She rolled her lips together like she knew she had the upper hand. “Whatever you say, babe.”

She grabbed her clutch and followed me out the door. Unfortunately, it was the front door, not my bedroom door, which was the one I wanted it to be.

I adjustedthe cuff of my suit jacket, letting out a nervous exhale as I scanned the restaurant.

I needed tonight to go perfectly. I’d spent the last six months working on this deal and convincing him that my company was worth investing in. While the numbers were good, he valued family more.

I spotted Richard Clark and his wife, Carol, sitting at a dimly lit table. Both were impeccably dressed and chatting with a server.

---