Second (Betrothed 6)

Annabella continued to laugh, sitting beside me with her legs crossed.

I made a really stupid decision and wiped my finger into the remaining frosting on my plate and wiped it down her cheek.

She turned to me, her eyes annoyed but also filled with laughter. “How dare you?” She grabbed a handful of cake and pushed it right into my cheek.

“I just did a little spot,” I said with a laugh. I grabbed a napkin and wiped it away.

She grabbed another handful and wiped it across my lips.

I licked it away. “Well, I don’t have a problem with that.”

She chuckled as she looked at me, leaving the streak of white frosting on her cheek. She seemed to forget about it instantly.

My thumb moved to her cheek, and I gently wiped it away, my skin directly against hers. I could feel her softness, like I was stroking a fallen rose petal. I got all the frosting on my thumb, taking my time so I could draw the touch out as long as possible. Then I brought it close to me, about to lick it off, but I realized that would be incredibly inappropriate. I wiped it on my napkin instead.

Her smile faltered for a moment, as if she knew what I was really going to do before I changed my mind. Then she turned away and didn’t look at me again.

“When is he gonna be here?” I walked beside Sofia down the stairs as we headed to the entryway.

“Just two more months. He’ll be here, wiping frosting all over his father’s face.” She gripped the rail and held her stomach as she moved.

“I hope they gang up on him.”

“Oh, they will,” she said with a chuckle. “Me included.”

We reached the entryway, where Annabella was still talking to Maria.

I’d hoped she’d be gone by now.

“How’s Charlotte?” Sofia asked, even though she’d never met her.

I didn’t want to talk about her, especially not in front of Annabella. Charlotte wasn’t my girlfriend, even though I’d been seeing her for a while now. “Fine.” That was all I gave her.

“Maybe the four of us should go to dinner sometime.”

Now we were in earshot. “Uh…maybe.” That wasn’t going to happen.

Annabella hugged Maria goodbye before she turned to Sofia. “Thanks for inviting me. Your son is adorable.”

“Thank you,” Sofia said. “But I don’t think Hades agrees right now.”

Hades took Andrew away to give him a bath before putting him down for a nap. He’d destroyed his clothes with the frosting and got it everywhere, in his hair and all over his arms. I said goodbye to Maria. “See you later.”

She kissed me goodbye. “When are you going to start a family, Damien?”

I hated that question, and it seemed like only older people asked me stuff like that. Maybe I should introduce her to my father. “After the mess Hades had to clean up, maybe never.” I made a joke out of it instead of telling the truth—that I wasn’t interested in a family.

She laughed and let the conversation drop.

Annabella said goodbye and walked out with me.

We stepped into the parking area surrounded by the gate, and after Sofia waved goodbye, we were alone together. Winter was almost over, so some warmth was returning to the air. Her Bugatti was in one spot, my car on the opposite side of the area.

I should just wave goodbye and walk to my ride, but I didn’t. I walked with her to her car like a gentleman…but I wasn’t a gentleman. I was only doing it because of the way I felt about her, to be close to her for a few more seconds before we parted. We didn’t see each other often, so I didn’t know when our paths would cross again…even though I would be better off if they didn’t at all.

She got her keys out of her purse and clicked the button so the doors would unlock. Then she turned to me, her gaze serious now that we were alone together. Our conversations were never casual and easy. They were always so complicated, so deep, that it was impossible just to say goodbye and walk off.

Why the fuck was it so hard?

She stared at me in silence, as if she wished she could come up with something good to say. We were both lighthearted just a second ago, making jokes with Sofia and Maria. But now it was like that had never happened. We were instantly transported back in time, back to when we spent the evening together in her hotel room.

“How’d it go with Liam?” I didn’t want to talk about him, to acknowledge he existed, but the whole reason I went to her room that night was to check on her. It would be odd to pretend it never happened, to act like I didn’t care when I did.