This is what love did to you. It made you stupid and foolhardy. Darius was going to risk his freedom, possibly his life, and for what? A pretty face. Some fleeting passion? Darius was twenty. Too young to have settled on one woman for the rest of his life.
Roark closed his eyes and imagined throttling the impulsive youth. Then, he refocused on the problem at hand and scrolled through the list of contacts on his phone.
“When did he leave?”
“Yesterday morning, I think.”
Twenty-four hours. Darius could be in deep trouble already. “I’ll make some calls.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for your father. I promised him that I would look out for you two.” And the responsibility was like being trapped in a newly discovered Egyptian tomb. “I just had no idea it was going to become a full-time job.”
Eight
The pre-sale exhibit at Waverly’s had attracted a very select crowd. Elizabeth tried not to gawk at the who’s who of New York society as she circled the room on Roark’s arm. Although she’d protested against his purchasing the emerald gown she wore, Elizabeth appreciated that she’d lost this particular battle.
As she surveyed the collection of artwork, furniture and formal china that would be auctioned off the following week, the emerald-and-diamond earrings on loan from Roark’s mother’s collection tapped her neck. He’d refused to disclose their price or the value of the matching bracelet that she touched every few minutes to reassure herself it remained on her wrist, but she had the sneaking suspicion that what she wore cost upwards of a hundred thousand dollars.
Elizabeth glanced Roark’s way. The man might be physically present, but his mind was a thousand miles away. He’d been distracted for the past two days, only abandoning whatever bothered him to make her body sing over and over. A tremor clutched her knees as she pictured the things he’d done to her in the hours leading up to the party.
Roark’s phone rang, disturbing her sultry memories. He frowned at the screen and sent her an apologetic glance.
“Take it,” she said, hoping the call would clear up whatever had been distracting him. “I’m going to get myself a glass of champagne and a plate of shrimp.”
That he hadn’t shared his troubles with her was yet another reminder that they were only playing at being engaged. It helped to slow the slide into falling in love with him. Or at least she was better able to brace for the eventual pain when she landed hard in reality. She pushed aside her concern and gave him an encouraging smile.
He answered the phone with a tight nod. “This is Roark.”
The rest of the conversation was lost in the hum of voices around her as Roark strode toward the exit. This whole fake engagement was starting to mess with her head. Each time she behaved as if Roark owed her explanations, she drew closer to the moment when her expectations would lead to disappointment.
And she’d only have herself to blame.
“Elizabeth, how wonderful you look.”
Elizabeth turned in the direction of the voice and smiled at Charlotte Waverly, the wife of Vance Waverly, Roark’s half brother.
The woman was radiant in a white, strapless gown with an empire waist banded in silver sequins and a feather skirt that made the most of her curvy figure. Her long blond hair trailed over one shoulder. Diamonds dangled from her ears.
?
?I love your dress,” Elizabeth retorted. “You look like an angel.”
“Thank you, and your jewelry is divine. A gift from Roark?”
“On loan from his mother’s collection.”
Charlotte grinned. “A loan today, but yours the day you two get married.”
Elizabeth’s stomach twisted. More and more, any mention of her upcoming marriage was like a knife thrust to her gut. The longer this pretend engagement went on, the deeper beneath Roark’s spell she slipped. Her worst fears were coming to light. Losing Roark from her life would leave a hole in her heart as big as the state of Texas.
“Vance and I were hoping you’d join us for Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Me?” Elizabeth’s thoughts rushed to catch up with what Charlie was saying.
Charlie laughed. “Of course. You’ll be family soon, and Roark mentioned that you have too many events that weekend to be able to get out of town to spend Thanksgiving with your parents.”
Being swamped with work was what helped Elizabeth from crumbling beneath the weight of grief. Thanksgiving Day would mark a year since her sister and her family had died. Guilt stabbed at her. If Elizabeth hadn’t been too busy with work to leave the city, Stephanie and her family wouldn’t have been driving in to spend the holiday and they wouldn’t have been killed on the road.