Page 46 of Dark Heart
He raises his eyes and locks my gaze, annoyed.
“Champagne?” I ask, raising the glass to my lips, trying to distract him.
He shakes his head.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yeah...”
He’s definitely not.
“You don’t talk much.”
“Do you pay me to talk?” he asks, anger flashing through his voice.
Oh... I see.
This is going to be a problem, and I can’t have it right now.
I can’t replace him with someone else while I’m on an island, and I only have a few hours.
I proceed with caution, and for starters, I back off, giving him space.
“No... You’re right. You don’t have to talk to me. You only have to pretend we’re a couple when we’re in public,” I say in a softer voice, without looking at him.
The silence grows awkward.
“I’ll go to sleep now,” I say after a few more moments, rising to my feet.
He cuffs my wrist and looks up.
“Stay,” he says in a different voice––gentler––and something crumbles in my chest.
My body responds to his touch with warmth and tingles.
“I’m sorry,” he says as I slide back into my seat.
We sit––both quiet––before he speaks again.
“Who are we supposed to meet tomorrow?” he asks.
“Saturday,” I clarify.
He arches an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.
“My family,” I say. “It’s my younger sister’s engagement party.”
“Why do you need a male escort to see your family?”
My eyes pull away from his, my mind coming up with a few ideas, all evading the truth.
I look at him again.
“We severed ties a few years back.”
“When exactly?”
“Five years ago.”
