Page 18 of The Wife Deception
True. And I hated the grueling gym regimen my grandfather put me under in a short period, just so I could be the same weight as Aelin. The trainer he hired gave me a workout schedule and a diet plan, but I was in a rebellious mood. I hardly followed it.
"I eat whatever I want."
He seemed impressed. "Cool. Set the table while I reheat the food."
We ended up eating in the kitchen and basically self-served directly from the pots, pans, and trays. I made sure to sit opposite him. I did not want to sit next to him. There was an energy I sensed whenever I was near Nolan and I wanted to put as much distance as I can between him and I. However, having a slab of stone between us did little to dampen the electricity that flowed between us. I noticed it when we both grabbed for the chili spoon and I pulled my hand away too rapidly, making Nolan pause, yet he said nothing.
"We're going to a charity event the day after tomorrow. I'm the guest of honor, so make sure to wear something presentable."
"I thought you didn't want our relationship to be public?"
"That was before you told the world about our marriage."
"I didn't call the press. It was only a joke." I cursed my grandfather for that little trick.
"Sure."
"Believe me or not. I don't want this relationship to be public as much as you don't."
He paused, his full fork hanging midair. "Then who did if not you?"
Maybe I should have told him it was my grandfather, but I wasn't sure if he would believe me. I shrugged. "There were a lot of people at the courthouse. Maybe one of your assistants did. There are a lot of suspects."
"I trust my assistants."
"More than you trust your wife, obviously."
We ate in silence for the rest of the dinner and when we were done, I offered to do the dishes. He froze, and I immediately realized my mistake. Aelin would never offer to clean up. She would have complained about the lack of maids or something.
"You know. Like a good little wife," I added.
"Do you even know how tooperate a dishwasher?"
I got up and began collecting the dishes. "I am not as useless as you think I am."
Nolan remained seated as I removed all the dishes off the counter. His presence wouldn't have bothered me if I hadn't sensed his gaze following my every move. There's something about him that turned me into a bundle of nerves whenever I was in his presence.
There weren't that many dishes to clean, thankfully. I could be done and out of this kitchen as soon as possible, but when I finished loading it and tried to close it, it failed. The door jammed and refused to budge. The longer I struggled with the door, the more foolish I seemed. There must be something I must be getting wrong, but I wasn't sure what.
I felt him come to stand next to me as I closed the dishwasher. A faint scent of cardamom and musk wafted into my nostrils, making me aware of him. My entire body froze as his hand reached from behind me and pressed a button. "You press that to close," he said in my ear. He was standing close. Too close to me.
I turned around to get away from him and stumbled into hard muscle. My hands spontaneously moved to his chest, sensing the hard body beneath, and I forgot the almost fall as I perceived his power.
My gaze traveled from his chest to his face, where he was staring down at me. I gulped as Iwondered what his lips would taste like. We didn't kiss in court. Did he specifically ask the judge to remove it or did it just so happen coincidentally?
Subconsciously, I licked my lips. He took a harsh intake of breath. An electric charge coursed down my spine. He stooped. Or did I raise my head? Either way, the space between us reduced to inches.
Nolan's phone rang, piercing through the passion bubble. He cursed and reached for his phone on the counter. His voice sounded harsh when he answered the call. I dashed from the kitchen to the safe haven of my bedroom. I didn't want to know if his harsh voice was because of his anger at being interrupted before he could almost kiss me. Or if it was harsh, because he almost kissed a woman he hated.
12
Aire
"You rarely come to these things. What changed?" Nolan's friend's gaze drifted meaningfully to me. I glanced at nothing in particular beside Hunter Stratt, just so I wouldn't endure his glare. Like some people in this room, he must know of Aelin. Even though she spent most of her time in Los Angeles, it seemed there were a few people at this fundraising gala who had met her, one of them possibly being Hunter, and I didn't want to spend any more time around him. But because he was Nolan's friend, we hung around him longer than I wanted to. His gaze kept darting to me, making me uncomfortable.
"I attend this ball regularly." Nolan casually thrust a hand in his pants pocket. "It's you who is the anomaly."
Hunter chugged down half of his wine glass contents. "True. I don't know how anyone stands these things. Just send me a sad email and I will happily draft a check. You don't have to make me wear a suit."
