“Nope. Turned me down flat but you seem to like my moves, so I’d say it was worth it.”
I beam at him before remembering that I really shouldn’t and I drop my gaze to his chest. “Stop it,” I whisper, more to myself than to him but he hears me anyway.
“Afraid I can’t do that.”
My heartbeat stutters, like a scratched record, and a blush stains my cheeks. It’s insane how easily he can do this to me. With one simple compliment, he can turn my world upside down. Clearing my throat and stepping back, I meet his eyes and force a smile to my face. “I need to use the ladies’ room.”
“Sure. I’ll meet you back at the bar,” he suggests, not at all phased by the internal conniption fit I’m throwing right now. Nodding, I retreat as quickly as possible, winding through the attractive couples dancing around us and as soon as I step into the hallway, I cut to the right and prop myself up against the wall. Pressing my hand to my warm cheek, I pull air into my lungs and try my best to not completely lose it in the middle of this fancy hotel. God, I can just imagine what my mother would say if she found me right now.
My mind drifts back to the ballroom a few moments ago and I smile, despite myself. How does he do this to me? I’m stronger than this or, at least, I was until I met him. No. I cannot be falling for this man but if he keeps this up, continues being this incredible every chance he gets, I’m afraid that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
No.
I can get a handle on this; I have to. There is no other option. One thing that I’ve always prided myself on was my determination. Even through the hell I went through when I was younger, I never let them win. They didn’t get to see how much they broke me and when my mother wanted me to drop out of college to find a “suitable” husband, I stood my ground and fought her until she relented. Chance Turner is not going to get the best of me. Try all he might, I will not let myself fall for him. No matter how perfect he seems.
Nodding to myself, I push off the wall and take another deep breath as I smooth my hands down my dress. After a few seconds, I feel more in control and I step out into the hallway and start making my way to the bathroom with my head held high. When I finish with my business, I study myself in the mirror – tucking a few stray hairs away as I remind myself not to give into his charms. Sex. That is the only thing I’m here for. Empowered, I step out into the hallway and I’m immediately greeted by the sound of a man yelling.
“She’s here with another man!”
A woman replies but her voice is too quiet to hear and I tilt my head to the side, staring down the hallway where the voices are coming from. I should really go back to the ballroom, but my curiosity gets the best of me and my feet start toward the noise instead of away. When I’m a few feet away from one of the service hallways, I freeze, my mother’s voice halting me in my tracks.
“Calm down. It’s nothing, I promise you that. She’s just trying to piss me off.”
“It damn well better be nothing,” the man from earlier snaps and I place my hand over my racing heart as I creep forward to get a peek. Oh, God, this is a bad idea, but I can’t stop myself. The hair on my arms stand on end and I’m not even sure that I want to know who my mother is speaking to, but I press on, as if I’m not even in control of my own body anymore. “Carly is going to be mine and I didn’t do all this so another man could have her.”
My eyes widen, my heart hammers in my ears, and I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my heavy breathing as I peek around the corner. I get a quick glance of the man in question before I pull back and sink into the little alcove with a large potted plant in the corner to eavesdrop without being caught.
Damian.
I just knew that my mother was behind his appearance in my life but the way he was speaking about me makes me uneasy. Her meddling has gone too damn far this time.
“I assure you this will not last, even if I have to end it myself. The man she brought tonight is not even worth your concern.”
“You had better fix this, Grace. I’m not playing around,” Damian growls and the sound of his footsteps fill the hallway. I slip behind the plant and hold my breath to remain hidden as he stalks past me, a look of murder on his face. A few seconds later, my mother follows behind him, her head held high and I’m not sure I’ve ever hated her more than I do in this moment. I know mothers are supposed to care about who their children date and if her motives were pure, it would be okay, but this will all boil down to the only thing she cares about – the one thing that rules her world. Money.
I wait a few more seconds before stepping out of hiding and striding down the hallway to the ballroom. My hand shakes violently as I replay their conversation in my head and all I want is for Chance to wrap his arms around me. I’m not sure if it’s my anger or the nervous feeling twisting its way through my gut that is affecting me more but I’m ready to bail on this party. If I have another run in with my mother, I will lose it and I have no desire to ever see Damian again.
Stepping into the ballroom, I scan the bar and find Chance watching the doorway for me. As soon as he sees me, the smile melts away and his brow furrows as he sets his drink down. He starts making his way over to me with urgency and I could cry with relief. In this moment, I’m grateful that he can read me so well. When he reaches me, he wraps a hand around the back of my neck and my eyes meet his.
“What happened?”
I shake my head, looking away from him. “Can we go?”
“Of course.” There is no hesitation in his response and I pull him down to me, pressing my lips to his in a desperate kiss that shows him my gratitude. When I pull back, he stares down at me, questions filling his gaze but mercifully, he doesn’t ask any of them. Instead, he wraps his arm around my waist and holds me close to his body as he leads me out to the valet stand. It’s exactly what I needed but I don’t dwell on how he knew that again. I don’t have the headspace for it after what I overheard. So, just for tonight, I’m going to take advantage of Chance and his attention.
The valet brings my car around and Chance helps me into the passenger seat before jogging to his side and sliding behind the wheel. As we drive away, my gaze lands on Damian standing in the doorway to the hotel, waving to me with a smile on his face. Tears I don’t understand sting my eyes as I whip my head forward, focusing on the road ahead of us.
“You’re worrying me, Princess,” he whispers a few moments later, taking my hand and pulling it across the car to press his lips to my skin. “What happened back there?”
“Nothing.” My voice sounds shaky and I close my eyes, taking a deep breath as I replay the situation in my mind again. Did I overreact? Maybe but I just couldn’t stand to be there anymore. Not to mention the slight creep factor with Damian showing up in a lot of the same places I do. Although, I guess it makes sense with my mother involved. In fact, it’s probably nothing, just her trying to play matchmaker, but something in his voice scared the hell out of me. My mind is spinning and the more I think about it, the more I’m convinced I flipped my shit when there was no need to. I hate my mother trying to set me up with a guy like Damian but there’s no reason for the reaction I had.
Chance doesn’t say anything the rest of the drive home and I’m thankful for it. After pulling into the parking space, he tells me to stay put before striding over to my door and opening it for me, his hand extended in invitation. I offer him mine and he holds me close all the way inside the building and in the elevator. When the doors slide closed, he pulls me closer and presses his lips to the side of my head. It’s a sweet gesture that makes it even harder for me to resist him.