Second (Betrothed 6)

When the final glass of champagne was finished and guests cleared out of the room, I was left to clean it up with the staff. Dishes from the sliced cake were carried to the dishwasher in the kitchen, and the empty glasses were collected in a bin to be cleaned later. Unopened bottles of champagne were returned to the bar, and the leftover flower arrangements would come home with me…whatever I could fit into the trunk.

Most of the staff went home, so I finished up in the ballroom alone. I pulled the tablecloths off the round tables and placed them in the crate so they could be taken to the laundry on my way down.

I’d wanted a job that was during business hours only, but when Sofia had asked me to do this, I didn’t dare say no. At first, I was bitter about seeing new couples pledge to love each other forever since that hadn’t worked out so well for me. Now, Liam offered to retire because it was important to me, proving to me that I was his biggest priority.

It was exactly what I wanted…I just wished it had happened sooner.

Maybe I would still be madly in love with my husband if it had.

I pulled the tablecloth off the table and shook the fabric so the crumbs fell to the floor. Then I folded it, which was stupid because they were going to be washed anyway. I walked back to the crate to toss it inside.

That was when I realized I wasn’t alone.

I lifted my gaze and came face-to-face with a beautiful man with green eyes, wearing a short-sleeved shirt that showed all the individual muscles of his forearms. He was ripped in every single place, from his wrists to his calves. A shadow was on his sharp jawline, and he was still as he watched me, like he’d been there for a while.

I inhaled a deep breath when the adrenaline passed. My hair was pinned back in a braid wrapped into a bun, and I wore a purple gown, earrings in my lobes. It was my job to look nice for the reception but also to blend in at the same time. So, I’d gone through my closet and found this in the back. I’d stopped wearing it because it didn’t fit anymore. But those extra pounds had left my hips and thighs, making the fabric fall around me perfectly.

I straightened and stared at him, seeing the way he gazed back at me with equal fascination.

His eyes combed over my features, taking in the diamonds in my ears, the blush on my cheeks. Without blinking, he studied me as if I were a work of art, a painting that belonged on the wall in the Louvre.

As always, I didn’t know what to say to this man. I was illogical, shy, and, frankly, stupid. I was a schoolgirl who turned silly whenever I was around the cutest boy in class. But Damien wasn’t just the cutest boy in class…but the sexiest man in the world.

He clearly wasn’t going to say a word, not explain his presence at all. His shirt was olive green, a perfect color for his tanned skin. Black jeans were loose on his hips, his tight stomach making the fabric flow down his body.

“What are you doing here?” I turned and walked back to the table I was working on. It was near the balcony doors along with the others. My heels tapped against the floor as I moved, the echo loud because there was nothing to absorb the sound…except our souls. When I reached the table, I started to pull off the material.

He grabbed the cloth and pulled it from my hands. He let it drop back to the table, a wrinkled mass.

I was hostile toward him, but I had no idea why. He was the one who’d called me…and saved my husband’s life. But when he looked so gorgeous under the lights from the chandelier, I just became so angry…so angry that I couldn’t have him. One hand moved to my hip, and I looked across the ballroom, remembering the last time we were in this place together.

“Look at me.” His voice was quiet but still packed with so much intensity.

My eyes obeyed on their own.

He came around the table and stepped closer to me, looking at me so hard.

I took a deep breath when he came near, my skin prickling with the energy transferring between us.

When he was close enough for us to touch, he stopped. His chin was tilted down to look at me, his green eyes so bright, they were like stars. He looked at me like he’d never really looked at me before, like he’d missed so many of my features in the past. “I love you.”

My lungs sucked in a breath of air when I heard the words leave his lips. His tone was deep, matching the desire in his eyes. I knew I’d heard it, there was no mistaking it, but instead of bringing me joy…it brought something else. I automatically took a step back. “What…what did you say?” Last time we were here, he’d kissed me on the balcony, ignoring the ring on my finger. Now, he took it a step further, crossed a line so thick, it had to be purposeful, not an accident triggered by the candlelight, the alcohol, and the beautiful night in this gorgeous city.