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I raise a brow. “Really? The absoluteworstthing, William?”
The corners of his lips quirk up a bit. “Barring an alien invasion or a humanity-ending meteor? Yeah, kinda.”
“You’re such a drama queen,” I say before taking another sip of champagne.
I roll my eyes, but when he moves to stand closer and his scent envelops me, I find myself losing the little amount of strength I’d built up. I stumble a little in my heels, but he catches me with an arm around my waist, my back to his chest.
“You do, you know,” he whispers in my ear, his body pressed up against mine.
“I do what?” I struggle to answer.
“Look incredibly beautiful. You always seem to top yourself, and I have no fucking idea how you’re able to do that.”
I scoff, but my cheeks blush, and betray my fake nonchalance.
He smiles and glides his nose up and down my neck, inhaling deeply as he does. “You’re wearing that perfume of yours,” he murmurs. “You almost always wear it, and I miss it so much when you aren’t around. When I think about it…” He inhales again against my cheek. “When I think about it and you aren’t there, it’s like my lungs seize up, paralyzed from missing it.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, thankful he can’t see me—and no one else can for that matter. Because it’s one thing to have sex with your best friend, but is this part of it, too? The way he speaks to me, the things he says, and the way they make me feel? Is this normal friends-with-benefits behavior?
I have no frame of reference for what we’re doing, which sometimes makes this whole thing seem impossible. But then I turn in his arms and stare up into his dark eyes and feel that superhuman tug on my heart. And I know. I know I could never leave him. I know that, no matter how much this hurts me, I would never be able to stop this. It will have to be him. Because with everything happening, Will’s my silver lining. And if I don’t have him…
My free hand rises to his chest, my eyes following the way my manicured fingers travel over it. “You look good in a tux.”
I don’t see his wicked smile, but Ifeelit. That’s how attuned to each other we are.
“Thanks. You should see me out of it.”
This makes me snort. So I surrender and look up, a little thrilled by the way he looks down at me, the way he has me a bit cornered against this column. “Your jokes are unoriginal.”
Will laughs softly in my ear. “You love them anyways.”
I loveyou.
I close my eyes and let myself inhale his perfect scent just once. Just enough to hold me until the next time we’re together. I let it fill my lungs and heart and brain; let it run through my veins, build beneath my skin like it’s the fuel that keeps me going. And in a way, it is.
Finally, I’m able to get myself together. And that’s a good thing because I’m at a work event and flirting with the man I’ve been sleeping with for the past few weeks. I’m supposed to be doing my job, but he’s driven me wild to the point of distraction. A clear head is my priority. Or it should be.
“I have to go back to work,” I tell him with an involuntary pout.
“Ah. This secret mission of yours. I’m not sure what you think you’re going to find here, but if you guys are thinking of stealing some jewels or something, you’ve got the wrong gala. Maybe try one in a museum?”
I laugh and slap him on the shoulder. “I can’t tell you what the mission is.”
Will leans against the marble column with one hand and brings the other to push some hair off my face. A chill runs down my spine, and it isn’t because the marble is cold. By the smug smirk that flashes across his face, he notices.
“Why’s that?”
“We talked about this, remember? We agreed to separate work from this friendship. Besides vague venting about bad days and bosses and asshole coworkers, no details. Neither one of us wants to compromise the deal between our companies. Even though it’s not like we have any decision-making level authority.”
“You told me about your VP stealing your idea. How is this any different?”
“It just is.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just making up some excuse because you somehow found out I was going to be here, and youreallywanted to see me in a tux?”
I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “You don’t lookthatgood.”
It’s a lie, of course—the first one I’ve told in a long time. Because he looks like heaven and hell combined.
