It takes a Herculean effort to not tear into her right now, but I don’t. “Listen to me and listen good. You leave her out of this. We are not seeing each other. She has nothing to do with me leaving you. You leave your poison away from her. Or else.”
She turns and gives me a defying glare. “Or else what?”
“Or else I’ll try harder to prove you’ve been fucking around on me for months. Don’t test me, Annika. You won’t win.”
Realizing that I’m right and she likely doesn’t have a leg to stand on, she stomps away, leaving me alone in the back of the event room.
“What was that all about?” Mark asks, sliding next to me.
“I hope nothing,” I say as the lights come on as the fashion show ends.
The women scatter, or maybe stumble, to the auction tables and Mark and I head to the back to wait for Paige and Charlie.
“She’s not causing problems for you, is she?”
I shake my head. “No. The only reason she even bothered to try today is because we were in the same room. She doesn’t like to put a lot of effort into things. Unless it’s spending my money.”
Before Mark can reply, Charlie and Paige come from behind the curtain. And… fuck me. My jaw drops more now than it did when she was wearing the dress that made me want to bow at her feet.
She’s now in a simple flannel, leggings, and boots. Her hair is still in the soft waves and she’s still wearing the makeup she had on, including the lipstick that I’d love to see stained on different parts of me. It’s like the two sides of Paige have come together to make the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on.
She’s off-limits. She’s off-limits…
“So, what are you two up to?” Mark asks, oblivious to the fact that I haven’t blinked since my gaze landed on Paige. “Charlie and I are going to go get a bite without children. Want to come?”
No. I don’t want to come along, Mark. I want to take Paige somewhere where I can kiss the rest of her lipstick off.
Charlie steps up next to him, and I can tell immediately she realizes I’m not exactly on board with the idea my brother proposed.
“Or we could take these last few kid-free hours and find a place to get naked?”
Mark doesn’t even say goodbye. He just grabs Charlie’s hand and pulls her toward the exit. Charlie turns her head back to me and gives me a wink as I mouth the words “thank you” to my sister-in-law.
I really do love that woman.
“Do you want to go get a bite to eat?” I ask, putting my hand on her back to lead us out of the venue.
“As much as I would like lunch, I have a lot to do today. I didn’t think this would be an all-day affair.”
Her answer is a little short, which is very much not like Paige.
“Is everything OK?”
She nods. “Fine. It’s fine. I’m just tired is all.”
I might be shit in the marriage department, but even I know the word “fine” never means fine.
We are now standing at her car, and for the first time with this woman, I don’t know what to do or say. I can’t lay down a cheesy line. As I look down at her blue eyes, all I want to do is watch them lightly shut as I go in for a kiss that I know would change everything.
“You looked absolutely beautiful today.”
It’s the truth, and at that moment I realized I didn’t get a chance to tell her that she took my breath away.
“Thanks. You didn’t look so bad yourself,” she says, even though she won’t look at me.
I take her chin in my fingers and tilt her eyes up to me. “What’s the matter?”
She tries to look away, but I won’t let her. “I saw you with… your ex today. And it… I didn’t like how…”
Holy shit. Is she feeling this too?
For one second, I forget everything. I forget that she’s my nephew’s teacher and that I’m more than ten years older than her. I forget that I’m technically still married and that she’s off-limits. I forget that my life is a fucking train wreck and that she’s the most genuine soul to walk this Earth.
In that one second, I start to lean down because her cherry-red lips are calling to me like a siren’s song. In that one second, I see her raise up just the slightest, ready to meet my lips with hers.
That second isn’t long enough. Too quickly I remember every reason why I can’t kiss her. So instead of taking her mouth like I want to, I place my lips on her forehead, kissing her sweet skin in hopes that she can feel everything that I’m feeling.
As I back away, I see her slowly open her eyes. My hands have slid down her arms and I take both of her hands in mine. It might not be a traditional first kiss, but this might be the most emotionally intimate moment I’ve ever shared with someone.
“The way you make me feel is like nothing I’ve ever experienced with any woman. Not Annika. Not Michelle. No one.”
I bring her hands up to my lips, placing a kiss on top of each one before I help her into her car.
“Because I can’t tell you enough, you looked absolutely stunning today. And I’m so proud of you. And thank you. For everything.”
And with that, I shut her door and watch her drive away.
Yup. I’m going to need a shower. Only now I think I’ll make it a cold one.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Paige
“I don’t know where the hell you are at right now, but by the look on your face, I want to join you.”
Cassie’s voice startles me and I can feel my cheeks turn red as I try to recover from my apparent daydream. But all the reshuffling of papers and organizing of my desk can’t hide the fact that I’ve been staring into space for who knows how long. Thank goodness Anthony isn’t here today. I would have been a worthless math tutor.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, still trying to deflect. “How was your day?”
Cassie takes a seat in one of my bean bag chairs. “It was Monday. They forgot how to math. But that’s not why I’m here and you know it. I want to know why my best friend skipped out on weekend debrief lunch today. And also, why does she look like how I would guess Cinderella looked after the ball?”
I blush again. I did skip on lunch, and yes, it was on purpose. Our teaching crew has eaten lunch together every Monday since we all started, talking about our weekends and our weeks ahead. I’ve never been the topic of conversation. No one wants to talk about my volunteering expeditions when they could be dissecting Sarah’s bad dates or trying to talk Chad out of redoing his whole house in farmhouse chic.
Ever since I drove away from Garrett yesterday after the champagne lunch, I haven’t been able to stop smiling. Or feel the touch of his lips on my forehead. I knew my friends would call me out on it. And I had no idea what to tell them.
I wanted him to kiss me. God, did I want him to kiss me. My body had been on fire all day after seeing him in that tuxedo. Charlie was right, I was ready to fight an old socialite who I saw take a grab at his behind. And let’s not start on how I felt when I saw him with Annika.
Because I wanted to grab his behind. And do so… so much more.