Page 101 of Between Commitment and Betrayal
Noah chuckled and leaned in to say something to Dom. Izzy and Lilah whooped while both of their husbands snickered. My hearing, vision—everything—was muted to the outside world. I was singularly focused on Everly. Her back straight, with that wide opening where a man’s hand would hold her as they danced; her eyes sparkling, alive with defiance that someone gets to see under the moonlight.
She wasn’t giving me the privilege of taking care of her much anymore. The change shook my soul. I’d gotten comfortable having her tucked against me, where I could protect her, command her, make sure I was alleviating her worries.
And when I saw her smile wobble just a second as Po yelled out a bid, I knew the ridiculous charade wouldn’t last long. I leaned back and watched Po and Noah and a younger man still on the dance floor go back and forth.
When the bids hit six figures, she gasped, her gaze ping-ponging between the men. Even Dom threw in a bid but quit when I glared at him. Didn’t she see the effect she had on everyone? Men wanted to be around her, women wanted to be her, and I wanted her all to myself.
It’s when a man hesitates, though, that the serious men step up, sure and strong and audacious.
At nearly $500,000, Clara announced, “Going once, going twice—”
“One million.” I held up my paddle without so much as a stutter.
“What?” she blurted out and whipped around to shake her head at me. “No, what are you doing?”
“I’ll tell you down in the garden when I get my dance,” I said matter-of-factly. She didn’t seem to understand that I’d have paid fucking eight figures for her at that point. I was beyond controlling anything.
“Well, that’s if I don’t bid,” Wes grumbled as he walked by.
“You bid on my wife again, I’ll end not only your membership to HEAT but your career as well, Wes.” I said it casually. It wouldn’t take much work.
“How’s that?”
“You think I don’t know your coach, all your teammates, that everyone doesn’t enjoy their HEAT membership? That I can’t drag your name if I want to with the shit you’ve pulled in the past?” I stood from my seat, done with games. Done with people not understanding that Everly wasn’t simply a transaction to me. I grabbed his paddle and snapped it in half and set it on the table before I held out my hand for my wife to take.
She glanced around with a blush staining her cheeks as Clara nervously chuckled out, “Well, I guess sold to the possessive husband of the night.”
People clapped and laughed, but I wasn’t worried about their approval. I pulled my wife to the balcony’s doors and opened them to feel the night air on our skin. My brother had done a phenomenal job creating the stone balcony that overlooked a garden of beautiful foliage that could rival the Gardens of Versailles.
I didn’t stop to enjoy the view. I pulled her down the stone steps and across the lush green grass into the small hedge maze that had been created for guests to enjoy. It would ensure the privacy I needed now. Here was where I needed to make her understand one thing, here was where I needed Everly to see only me and no one else.
Away from them.
Away from the bullshit.
Away from a life I’d created but didn’t enjoy without her anymore.
“Why did you agree to that?” I said once we were deep in the hedges, the stars and the moonlight highlighting her features.
She stood there in that gown that practically glowed the same color as her eyes, the material hugging her curves and then fanning out below where the wind could blow it softly over her thighs, the slit much too high for a man like me, a man so obsessed with her I couldn’t see straight anymore.
“It’s for charity, Declan. We’re giving kids a future in sports and athletics that otherwise wouldn’t get one.” She folded her arms close to her chest. “You didn’t have to be the one to bid on me.”
She thought this was about the money. “Oh, I had to bid on you.”
“Why?” She shivered as a gust of night wind blew past.
Already, I’d begun to unbutton my suit jacket. “You’re my wife. Everyone in that room knows it.”
“Right. Well, it’ll be amazing for the kids, but it’s not like we’re going to be married long anyway because—”
“Do you think my bid was for charity, Everly?” I cut her off as I stepped forward, my anger at her words licking through me fast.
She tilted her head in confusion. She didn’t get it yet. “Well, all of them are somewhat for charity.”
Maybe it should have been. But it wasn’t. This wasn’t about my ego either. This wasn’t about embarrassment. This was about her and me. This was about the raindrop that turned into a catastrophic storm, drowning me in thoughts of her.
I held her gaze hostage as I slid my suit jacket off my shoulders and threw it over one arm, taking my time rolling up my cuffs, one fold at a time. Neither of us said a word. The only sound was the violins from inside as she licked those red lips, watching me.
