Her right hand reaches out to pat his bicep.
He leans down to plant a kiss in the middle of her forehead, and that’s it. That’s the line for me because I’m up and out of my chair in a flash.
I sprint across the bar toward where the guy is staring at my wife like he’s ready to eat her for a late-night snack.
“Do you promise you’ll call me?” Trina asks just as I get within earshot of them.
“Scout’s honor,” the asshole says as he raises a finger in the air.
I’m no boy scout, but I’m reasonably sure that pledge involves three fingers, not one.
It doesn’t matter to my wife. She finds it all funny as fuck. That’s evident in the way she’s laughing at this chump.
I stand and stare at the two of them as Trina’s laughter subsides. “How is she?”
“How is who?” Those words escape me before I realize I’m speaking aloud.
“Scout,” Trina answers with another small laugh. “I was asking how Scout is.”
“Who is Scout?” I toss out another question even though the answer to the last one made absolutely no sense to me.
“My sister,” the guy charming the hell out of my wife says. “I’m William Knight, and you are?”
I look at Trina before I answer his question. “Married to the woman you can’t take your eyes off of.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Trina
Oh no.
Oh, big NO with a capital N and a huge O.
I glance at the stunned expression on William’s face before I turn to my husband.
“Graham!” I bite out his name from between clenched teeth.
His gaze drops to where I’m hiding my left hand behind my back.
“Trina,” he says my name like everything is fine.
It’s not.
He just told the brother of one of my oldest and dearest friends that we’re married.
If Scout gets wind of this, my entire family will know that I wed my boss.
That can’t happen.
“You’re married?” William questions with a quirk of his brow. “Did he just say you’re married to him, Trina?”
“Who exactly are you?” Graham chooses this second to go all she’s-my-wife-back-off on William.
“A friend,” William answers honestly. “I’ve known Trina since she was in the first grade.”
Graham’s gaze volleys between William and me. “You’re just friends?”
William adjusts one of his diamond-studded cufflinks. “We’re more like family, which is why I’m surprised you’re claiming to be married to Trina. I didn’t catch your last name, Graham.”
He draws Graham’s name out slowly.
I jump into the fray because I need to do some major damage control before William starts spreading the news that I tied the knot.
“Graham is my boss,” I begin before I draw a deep breath. “It’s a complicated situation, William. We’re trying to make a man’s dying wish come true, so we’re married temporarily, but it’s in name only.”
Graham clears his throat.
“Technically, it’s not in name only,” I continue at a rapid pace. The words fly out of me in between nervous breaths. “I’m still Trina Shaw.”
William crosses his arms. “Did he force you to marry him? Did he coerce you in some way by leveraging your job?”
“What the hell?” Graham mutters.
“No,” I answer quickly. “It’s not like that.”
“What’s it like?” William presses.
I’m so deep into this that I see no way out other than the truth. I draw my left hand back into view. “I married Graham because the man who owns Abdons is ill, and we want to make the little bit of time he has left as happy as we can.”
William reaches for my hand to study the rings. “It’s admirable, but you couldn’t pretend to be engaged? You had to take it to the next level?”
His concern is deeply rooted in our friendship. He’s always been like another brother to me. Ever since I met Scout, her two brothers have kept a watchful eye on me.
William is the oldest. He’s also the most intuitive.
“It’s temporary,” I stress. “I haven’t told anyone because it’s only going to last a few months. Once it’s over, and I’m divorced, I plan on telling my family and Scout.”
I add his sister’s name to that list even though I haven’t seen Scout in almost a year. She’s been living in London.
He glances at Graham. “Since Trina wouldn’t jump into something like this without her eyes wide open, I’m going to assume you’re a stand-up guy, Graham.”
“He is,” I hear myself saying before Graham can respond.
“This isn’t my story to tell, Trina, so you don’t have to worry that I’m about to race out of here and call Scout to fill her in.”
I smile, feeling like I should thank him for reading my mind.
“Besides, this may not end the way you two think it will.” William chuckles. “Life rarely goes according to plan.”
“This will end exactly the way we planned.” I look at Graham for reassurance. “We’ll be divorced soon, and this marriage will be nothing but a memory.”
William and I both wait for Graham to chime in, but he stands stoically, staring at my face.
“Like I said,” William begins before he kisses my forehead again. “Keep an open mind. Life may have another path for you two.”
He pats Graham on the shoulder as he brushes past him before he walks away, leaving me convinced that he’s wrong.
The path ahead of my husband and me is clear. There’s a divorce in our future, and absolutely nothing will change that.
“We didn’t finish our discussion.” Graham drops that on me as we ride the elevator back up to his penthouse.
I glance to where he’s standing next to me. “Because you went all caveman on my friend.”
Rubbing his jaw, he lets out a light chuckle. “Like hell I did.”
We didn’t discuss anything after William left the bar because Graham had to take a call. I knew instantly that it was a work issue because of the tone of his voice.
He slid back into CEO mode without batting an eyelash as I sipped on my martini. As soon as I downed the last drop, he paid the server for our drinks, and we left the bar.
“You put me in an awkward position,” I point out as we near our floor. “Please don’t announce that we’re married anymore.”
His gaze searches my face. “I had no idea that you two were friends, Trina. I thought he was hitting on you.”
“What if he was?” I ask simply. “What if a hot guy hits on me?”
“You think William is hot? Are you sure you’re just friends with him?” His tone suggests he’s joking, but his expression says otherwise.
I stomp my foot just as the elevator doors slide open. “You’re insufferable.”
“That’s a new one.” He chuckles. “Insufferable.”
I bolt out of the elevator ahead of him, knowing that he likely has his gaze pinned to my ass.