Page 178 of Now and Forever

Frowning, I cocked my head to the side, gazing at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re attractive with a beautiful body. That dress surely doesn’t downplay your amazing physical attributes, so she felt the need to protect her own.”

My eyes flickered toward his while I tried to grasp what he had just stated. “What does my dress have to do with it?”

“If you’re the third wife, you know that you can be easily dispensed.”

WTF?

“God, if you think for one second I’d ever flirt with your dad, I’m going to murder you in your sleep, Drew Cavendish.”

He chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he bestowed me with that beautiful smile of his. “That dress ought to be illegal. You commanded every man’s attention tonight.”

Did that include him? I doubted it. Next to Poppy, I paled in comparison.

Speaking of which, I took a careful sip of my drink before voicing out my thoughts. “Was Poppy too busy to join you and your family tonight?”

“She’s back in England.”

“That’s too bad.” It was all I could say.

“It is,” he stated without any hint of emotion. He could very well be speaking about the weather and not his girlfriend.

Okay, then. This was beyond awkward. Why, oh why, did I have to bring her up when things were beginning to ease between us? My timing sucked. Ugh.

“Care for a dance?”

Shit. Why was he doing this to me? Was this his way of trying to see if he could get his wicked way with me since his girlfriend wasn’t here? He could think again. My body wanted him more than ever, but I wasn’t keen on cheaters. He should know better.

“I’m not really good at that. Besides, I’m trying to save you from people gossiping that you’re cheating on Poppy.”

“Do you honestly believe I care what others say?” He raised his brow, mocking me … challenging me. “Make this dance my belated birthday present.”

He wasn’t going to let it go, so I reluctantly agreed.

He then handed our drinks to the nearest waiter before taking me in his arms. With my head resting against his chin and my arms wrapped around his neck, we slowly swayed to Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable.”

It had been mad of me to agree, and I realized just how much when I couldn’t help myself from smelling him over and over again, pressing my nose against his skin. He was intoxicating, and my addiction wasn’t going to taper away in this lifetime.

“Poppy’s not my girlfriend. She never was,” he murmured as his grip on my hip tightened.

His declaration didn’t help ease my fears that he was trying to seduce me. Considering the way he was intimately holding me, I knew with every fiber of me that he was biding his time until he made his move. The question was, would I be able to resist him? The clear answer would be a big no. Therefore, the only way I could hold my dignity was to walk away before he was able to hurt me like before.

“How are things with him, Chloe?” he probed. “Are you happy?”

This was quite tricky. If he realized I was available for him to ravish, he would do it without hesitation. And at this moment, hesitation was the only thing hindering me from insanity.

Licking my lips, I decided to choose my words wisely. “Yeah, I’m happy … and things with him are just as expected.”

“Are you in love with him?”

This was pure fucking torture.

“Let’s not do this. This is making me uncomfortable.” It was, and God help me if my blabber mouth activated itself and confessed that he was still and would forever hold my heart. What then? It was best to nip it in the bud before things got out of hand.

“Whatever makes you happy, Chloe.”

What did he expect from me? He was getting too personal, and I liked things between us casual, friendly, but never personal. I loved him, yet guarding my heart from getting smashed again was my priority.

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