Текст книги "Beauty and the Boss"

Автор книги: Diane Alberts

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 13 страниц)

Chapter Twelve

Benjamin was going to kill her. He kept teasing her with soft caresses of his tongue, then he’d pull back so she couldn’t come and start all over again. If he kept it up, he might find out what it felt like to be punched by a farmer’s daughter. She had a strong uppercut, thanks to her father’s tutelage, so he’d be surprised.

Then again, maybe he wouldn’t be.

He seemed to understand her better than any other man she’d ever been with, and it was kind of scary. Cool, too, but mostly frightening. She kept pushing him away, but he hadn’t let her drive him off, like she had other men. And he was right. What they had together did feel like it was meant to be, which made this whole mess even worse, because they didn’t stand a chance of making it.

But she was going to do it anyway.

And he’d be with her the whole time.

He ran his thumb over her clitoris, watching her as she tensed—and then he did it again. “Yes.”

“I love it when you make that sound,” he said, lifting his head from between her thighs. Lucky for him, he showed no signs of retreating. If he had, she would’ve jammed her heel into his upper back till he finished what he started. “So sexy.”

He flicked his tongue over her again, and she cried out, so close to the edge it hurt. All she needed was one last push and she’d be flying, soaring, floating. He dug his fingers into her skin and deepened his intimate kiss, and she got what she needed. She came explosively, and the whole world froze around them.

Everything ceased to exist except this. Them. What he made her feel.

And it was incredible.

“Maggie,” he said, his voice broken and raw.

He let her hit the mattress and grabbed the condom off the side of the bed. While he rolled it on with steady fingers, she looked her fill. She’d always thought he couldn’t possibly look any hotter than he did in his business suits, but she was wrong. He was ridiculously hot out of them, too.

So not fair.

His broad shoulders and hard pecs narrowed down to an admirable six-pack, and he had a heck of an erection, too. So much so that she wondered if the condom would even work for him because oh my God, he was huge.

He really had it all.

He lowered his body over hers again and kissed her, his tongue seeking and finding hers as he slid his hands behind her back and undid her bra without a struggle. When he closed his palms over her breasts, dragging his thumb over her aching nipples, she moaned into his mouth. When he did it again, even rougher, the same broken sound escaped her.

Breaking off the kiss, he rested his forehead on hers, his breathing uneven and harsh. His hard length pressed against her, close but not close enough. Nothing would ever be close enough. “I’m trying to take it slow. To make love to you slowly, but damn it, I need you, darling.”

“Then stop trying.” She dug her heels into the muscles of his butt. “Go slow next time.”

“Next time,” he uttered almost reverently, as if he couldn’t believe he’d get one. As if this was a one and done deal. Maybe that was all he wanted, and she’d just made a fool of herself by assuming he’d want more. He touched her cheek softly, eyeing her with a possessive strength that took her breath away. “Yeah.”

“Unless you don’t want—”

“Oh, I want.” He buried his face in her neck. “I fucking want.”

And then he thrust inside of her in one long, hard motion.

She dug her nails into his back, closing her eyes. Biting down on her shoulder, he moved his hips in a way that made her think she’d died and gone to heaven, because the things he did to her weren’t possible.

Nothing real could feel that good.

He pulled almost all the way out of her and then drove back in, hitting some magical, mythical spot she’d only ever read about, but never felt. She wanted to shy away from it, because it was so out of her control, and that scared her, but she couldn’t fight it.

Couldn’t fight him.

She arched her back, dragging her nails down his arms. “Benjamin.”

“Shh. I’m here, Maggie. I have you.” He lifted her hips. “Hold on tight, darling. I promise I won’t let go.”

He caught her mouth with his and drove even deeper.

She clung to him, no longer fighting the feelings he brought out in her. Tension pooled in her stomach, drowning out everything. All that remained was what he was doing to her, sweeping her into an inferno of passion and pleasure until she was weak.

“Jesus.” He grunted and moved harder, faster, and smoother inside of her, his hands flexing on her butt. “You feel…too…fucking…good. Addicting.”

She wanted to reply, she really did.

But all she could manage was a strangled groan that came out more like a sob. The tension building inside her tightened, and every nerve in her body tingled, until she was sure something had to give or she’d die. He kissed her again, thrusting inside her, and slid his hand between them to press against her clitoris.

She screamed into his mouth, stars bursting in front of her as she came stronger than she’d ever come before. The second she flew into the sky, he tensed, too, and his whole body stiffened. He let out a string of curses and collapsed on top of her, his heart thumping against hers. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close even though she shouldn’t. He didn’t move away.

If anything, he snuggled closer.

After a few minutes, he let out a long sigh. “Jesus, Maggie.” He lifted up on his elbows and stared down at her, his blue eyes somehow darker and stormier than she’d ever seen them. “That was fucking incredible.”

She smiled at him shyly, loving how he lost himself in her arms enough to let the f-bomb fly without apologizing. “It was.”

He smoothed her hair and smiled back at her tenderly. Like, really smiled at her. Dimples and all. Even his eyes shone with happiness. His smiles always stole her breath away, but this time he did more than that. He stole her soul, too, like some sort of ninja. “Still think I’m the worst mistake you ever made?” he asked.

Her head was spinning, and she was a mess of emotions, confusion, and a little bit of fear. “Nope.”

“Progress.” He kissed her lightly, pulling back way too soon. He was still smiling, and his eyes were still unguarded. “Good.”

She ran her fingers over his hard biceps and glanced away. “But it doesn’t have to change anything if you don’t want it to. This could happen again, or it could be a one time only thing, and we go back to being friends.” The more she spoke, the stiffer he got on top of her. Yet she kept on talking because once she started, she couldn’t stop. It was like a verbal bomb exploded inside her. “I don’t expect anything out of you at all, just because you saw me naked. I’m one hundred percent okay with going back to the way things were, if that’s what you want.”

“Are you now? How great to know.” He rolled off her and rested a hand on his flat stomach. His jaw flexed as he stared up at the ceiling at nothing in particular. He seemed so closed right now, with no emotion whatsoever showing on his face, so she had no idea what was going through his head. Like freaking usual. “I get it. You’ve been hurt by some jackass before. But I’m not that guy.”

“I know you’re not him.” She swallowed and fought the urge to cover herself with something. Talking about something so vulnerable while being so, well, naked, was not her idea of fun. She played with a piece of her hair and pursed her lips, trying to pretend like it wasn’t awkward at all to be talking to her boss-slash-fake fiancé-slash-real lover, while naked no less, about her poor life choices. So she let out a nervous laugh. “You could say I don’t exactly have the best track record with men, like, ever. At all.”

He rubbed his chin and turned to her. She stared up at her ceiling fan, which wasn’t even moving. “Have you ever loved anyone?” he asked.

“Wow,” she said, laughing uneasily again. She tugged on a piece of hair and wrapped it around her finger, fighting the panic rising in her chest. Where the heck was he going with this? She couldn’t think of a single reason why he’d ask her that. “Deep talk. Are you sure we’re ready for this? I mean, we literally just finished having sex for the first time.”

“I think it’s a great time, because you said that you didn’t think I was a mistake.” He rolled off the bed, walked over to the trash can, disposed of the condom, and then picked up his pants. After stepping into them, he buttoned and zipped them up, and smoothed his hair. He looked unbelievably, undeniably, hot as hell. “After which you immediately tried to run away.”

“I didn’t run.” She held her hands out. “I didn’t even get out of bed.”

“Doesn’t mean you weren’t running.” He frowned at her, catching her gaze and refusing to let go. “You’re pushing me away again, just like you do every time I get too close to you. It’s getting really fucking old, Maggie.”

Had she done that?

Yeah, okay. She kind of had, but it wasn’t an intentional slight.

It was just…habit.

In her experience, once men got what they wanted—aka sex—they were done with you. She’d given him that, so it was only a matter of time till he left, or did something drastically horrible to ruin everything.

It’s what men did.

Especially the ones she dated.

“I’m sorry,” she said. It wasn’t enough, but it was true. “I didn’t mean to do that. To hurt you.”

He didn’t reply, just rolled his hands into tight fists. She knew she’d messed up everything with her knee jerk reaction to the way he made her feel, so she swallowed hard and stared at the fan again. It was safer than looking at him. It didn’t offer much distraction, but she did notice she needed to dust it. And—

He let out an irritated sound. “Look at me.”

She fisted the comforter underneath of her and slowly turned to him, as he’d requested. He wasn’t naked anymore, while she was, and it felt weird.

Sitting up, she hugged her knees, trying to shield herself in more ways than one. “What do you want from me, Benjamin?”

“You. Just you.” He must’ve read something in her expression, because he picked up her robe and tossed it at her. She caught it easily. “You say one thing, and then do another, and I have no damn clue what you want from me. You’ve been hurt before, and you’re scared to risk letting another man in. But you’ve got to try, or we don’t stand a chance in hell of making it outside this room. Can you do that? Can you let me in?”

Her throat throbbed, and she could feel tears looming. Not because she was upset or in pain, but because he got her. Like, really got her, and that was both frightening and enlightening all at once. She shrugged into her robe and hugged it closed. “You’re right. I am scared. But that’s because I see how—”

“How this ends,” he finished.

She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“Bullshit.” He dragged his hand through his hair and sat beside her. Reaching out, he caught both her hands in his. “You can’t know how something is going to end before it even begins. It’s not humanly possible.”

“I think it began a while ago, so it’s not too hard to understand what comes next.”

“So what happens now?” He squeezed her fingers. “Go on. Tell me.”

She lifted a shoulder. “You got what you wanted, so you leave.”

He let her go. “Excuse me?”

“Sex.” She bit her tongue. “You got it, and now you’ll move on.”

“Is that really what you think of me?” he asked quietly. He sounded…hurt. She turned to him. His blue eyes were dark and haunted. “Do you think I fucked you, and now I’m finished with you? Just like that?”

“Not to hurt me, or anything. It’s not anything personal. It’s just…” She bit her lip. “It’s how guys are. I get it.”

“Jesus, Maggie.” His jaw tightened and he shook his head, picking up his shirt angrily. The muscles in his arm were hard and the veins stuck out. “I had no idea you had such a poor opinion of me.”

“It’s not you,” she said quickly. Tightening her fingers on her knees, she tried to think how best to get him to understand what she meant. “It’s me.”

He laughed. “Wow. I’ve never had that used on me before.”

“N-No. I’m not breaking it off with you. That’s not what I’m saying.”

“What the fuck do you want, Maggie?” He held his arms out. “You want me to stay, or to go? Care, or not care? Tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”

She wrung her hands. It was all or nothing. She had to open up, and let him in, and hope he didn’t make her regret it. “I want you to stay, to care, but that scares me. It scares me a lot.”

“Why?” He white-knuckled his shirt. “Because I’m such an uncaring beast?”

“You’re right. Because every time I’ve let someone into my heart, all it’s done is given him a weapon to use against me. And nine times out of ten? He used that weapon.”

“Who used the weapon on you, Maggie?”

“Who didn’t?” She lifted a shoulder. It wasn’t easy to talk about this, but he deserved the truth. “I told you about one of my exes, but what you don’t realize is they’ve all hurt me. They’ve all done horrible things. The one before the last one not only broke my heart, he tore it to shreds. Slept with my best friend back home, right in front of me, but I was too stupid to notice. And when I finally did see it? He didn’t even stop. Just invited me to join. She laughed at me. So did he. The guy before him literally stole from me. My wallet. My TV. All of it.”

Benjamin sat down, watching her. “I’m not that kind of guy.”

“Maybe not. But there have been other guys like him. Every man I’ve trusted with my heart has broken it. Broken me or robbed me.” She tapped her fingers on her thighs restlessly, because she’d just bared her soul, and it scared her more than he did. “So, I don’t let myself care anymore. I push people away before they get close enough to hurt me. But with you, it’s harder than usual. I want to care. I want to let you in. That’s the God’s honest truth.”

“Maggie…” he said, his face closed off.

She laughed lightly. “And the worst part is, I can never tell what you’re thinking. You say you need me with one breath, but with the next you act as if you wouldn’t even blink if I left you. I can’t freaking read you.”

For a few seconds, he didn’t move, didn’t acknowledge her words at all. She thought he would leave without answering. But he dropped his shirt and climbed back into the bed. Cupping her face, he smiled at her gently. He didn’t look anything like the beast that had once roamed the halls of the office, looking for prey.

“I can usually read your reactions,” he said, “but I can’t predict them ahead of time. And that’s new for me. So we’re both in uncharted territory, here. And I don’t like to let people in, either. I don’t really know how. No one ever let me in, so I didn’t want to, either.”

She pressed her lips together. “And yet you want me to do it for you?”

“Because I’m doing it for you.” He let out a long breath. “With you, I drop all my acts and pretenses. I’m the real me. The one I’ve become so good at hiding. Gales don’t show emotion. It’s just not done. And once my dad died, I stopped. I’ve been trying to be this person I’m not, but around you—I can be me, Maggie. You have no idea how fucking good that feels.” He ran his thumb over her jaw. “But I’m not trying to hurt you, and I don’t want a weapon to use against you. If you trust me, and let me in, I swear not to use that against you. That’s the last thing I’d do. I want to make you happy, not sad.”

Her heart lurched, and she swallowed hard, finally locking gazes with him. “Benjamin…”

“Let me try something.” He closed his eyes, and when he looked at her again…she forgot to breathe. What she saw there was honesty, and happiness. For the first time, he opened himself up to her. “There. I’m letting you in too, see? So we both have a weapon in our hands, ready to strike or lay down on the floor. What do you say about that?”

Her heart raced. It was time to let go of the past hurts and to trust Benjamin. Time to take a chance again. Wrapping her fingers around his wrists, she nodded once. “Drop it on the floor.”

“Done.” His hold on her tightened. “What about you? Will you stop pushing me away every time I get too close?”

“Yes.” She bit her lip. “I promise.”

Grinning, he wrapped her in his arms and rolled her beneath him. Her heart thudded against her ribs, hard and quick, and he slid his hand under her butt. “I won’t make you sorry. I swear it.”

He kissed her, and she clung to that statement, and to the way he made her feel. For the first time in years she let herself hope that something as impossible as a happy ending between the two of them could happen. And she didn’t let go.

She took a chance.

Chapter Thirteen

Two days later, the town car pulled up in front of the Richard Rogers Theatre, and Benjamin stole a glance at Maggie. After their talk the other night, they made love again, and he held her till she fell asleep. And amazingly enough, he’d spent the night, too.

And he hadn’t let her go.

The next night, they went to a gala, and she did great. His mother hadn’t been at that one, so for the most part they were able to relax and enjoy one another—she even made a few friends. Elizabeth had been there again, but she hadn’t had a chance to get him alone. She’d simply stared from a distance, her icy blue glare zeroed in on Maggie.

She had barely noticed, though. She’d been too busy dazzling everyone around her…including him. The more time Benjamin spent with her, the more sure he became of the decision he’d made when he’d begged—yes, he wasn’t too proud to admit he’d begged—her to let him in. This feeling he had in his gut, the one that wouldn’t go away no matter how hard he tried to shove it down?

He had an inkling what it would turn into given time, if he let it.

It was too soon to be sure, but this feeling was strong, and could really become something huge. Life changing. He should probably be worried about that, or at least a little bit apprehensive about taking something fake and turning it into something real, but he wasn’t.

It felt right.

Maggie picked up her purse and held it to her chest. She wore a soft pink dress, and a pair of black heels. Her hair was swept to the side, with loose strands escaping to frame her face. Effortlessly beautiful, as always. “What are we seeing, again? I can’t remember.”

“I forget the name, but it’s a show about choices. It’s off Broadway now, but it’s a special performance for charity.” He opened the door and climbed out into the brisk night. “It’s about a woman and the way two parallel lives play out based on a decision she makes in the beginning of the show.”

She slid her hand into his and let him help her out onto the sidewalk. “Wow, okay.”

“What?”

“Well, it just kind of reminds me of the other night at my place. That was a pretty big choice Friday night, right?” She shot him a nervous smile, as if uncertain of her words. “We both decided to take this thing we have, roll with it, and hope for the best.”

He swallowed hard and squeezed her fingers. “Yeah, we did, didn’t we?”

Something flashed across her expression, and for once he couldn’t read it. “I—”

“Well, look who it is. The happy lovebirds,” his mother said from behind him. “How…sweet.”

She obviously found it anything but, though that didn’t take rocket science to figure out. She’d spent all weekend leaving him messages that told him exactly how much she disliked his choice of fiancée.

Oh-the-fuck-well.

Maggie made him happy, and for once that was all he was going to worry about. His mother wanted him to settle down and become serious with someone, so fine. He had. If she didn’t like who he picked, too damn bad.

“Mother.” He turned and embraced her, kissing her temple, like she’d instructed him to do as soon as he was old enough to show “love” properly in public. She patted his back, like always. “How lovely to see you. No one told me you were coming.”

“It was a last minute decision.” She eyed Maggie, and he could practically hear her calculating all her weaknesses, and figuring out where it would be best to strike. It was what she did. Who she was. Who he’d been, too—until Maggie showed him a different way. “Your brother had an extra ticket.”

He threw his arm around Maggie’s shoulder protectively. “Lovely.”

“Yes, that’s how Andrew is.” She finally looked away from Maggie and gave him a hard stare. “Always sharing what he has with those he cares about.”

“Benjamin.” Andrew came up behind her as if on cue. “Good to see you.”

“Hey.” He hugged his brother before stepping back to Maggie’s side. He entwined fingers with her. “We missed you at the gala last night,” Benjamin said.

“Something came up last minute.” He side-eyed their mother, who remained impassively still, then he turned to Maggie. “You must be Ms. Donovan.”

“Maggie.” She offered a hand. “And you must be the brother I’ve heard so much about. You work in the other Gale Incorporated office downtown, right?”

Andrew bowed over her hand. “Indeed.”

“It’s lovely meeting you,” she said, smiling.

“Likewise.” Andrew grinned back. “Let me introduce you to my wife. She’s over there, in black.”

“Of course she is,” Maggie said softly. “I’d love to meet her.”

“I’ll wait here,” Benjamin said, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

Maggie and Andrew wandered off together, and he watched them go. If she showed any signs of needing rescue, he’d be at her side in two seconds flat.

But he had a feeling she’d be fine. His brother wasn’t the enemy.

His mother sighed and shifted on her feet impatiently, reminding him of who was. “I assume you got my messages, Benjamin? All twenty-six of them?”

“I did.” He tugged on his tie. “Sorry, we’ve been busy socializing all weekend, and introducing Maggie to everyone, so I didn’t have a chance to return your calls.”

“How delightful,” she said drily. “I’m sure they all adore her.”

“They do,” he said defensively.

“Did you listen to my messages at all?” She switched her purse to her other hand, her motions jerky. “Obviously, you didn’t. After all, she remains at your side, despite my numerous warnings.”

And that was what annoyed her the most. That she couldn’t control him. It wouldn’t work this time, and that killed her.

Maggie spoke with Andrew quietly, so Benjamin finally glanced away and gave his mother his full attention. “Oh, I heard every word. You wanted me to settle down. I did. I found a woman who makes me happy, and now you want me to leave her and find someone that doesn’t. Does that sum it up?”

“Happy?” She let out a dainty snort. “What a silly, fleeting concept.”

“I used to think so, too. But then I met her.” Maggie glanced over and gave him a small smile. He smiled back. “And I saw how wrong I was.”

“You’re actually serious,” she said, horror tingeing her voice. “About this…this…woman?”

“Dead serious.” He tugged on his jacket sleeves so they hit at the same exact spot on his wrists. “Funny how life works, huh? Right when you decided you’d had enough of me being single, I met her, and fell in love. It all just kind of works out.”

She made a small sound. “She is not acceptable. You need to marry someone of good breeding. Someone like Elizabeth. Someone who can bring something to the table besides her skills in the bedroom.”

“Don’t talk about her like that,” he snapped, fighting the urge to tell his mother to piss off—and stay the hell out of his life. He watched Maggie charm his brother and sister-in-law, and forced a calm breath. “I’m not with her because of anything she gives me. I’m with her because she makes me happy. And because I adore her.”

“Even if that’s true, what can she possibly offer you in return?”

“Herself. Just herself.” He uncurled his fists. “Turns out that’s all I need. Now, if you’ll excuse me?”

His mother stepped in front of him, cutting Maggie off from his line of sight. “Don’t be a fool. Settling down with a woman like her is as good as not settling down at all. I didn’t fight as hard as I did, for as long as I did, to keep your inheritance intact, only to watch you squander it away on a gold digger. Pick someone with an appropriate background, or I’ll do everything in my power to unseat you as CEO. And I swear to God, I will win.”

What had happened to her to make her so bitter? So jaded? He’d asked her once, but she had looked down her nose at him, huffed, and said, life. “Andrew doesn’t even want my job. He told me so.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and forced a calm expression. “Your threats are empty, Mother. You have no play to make here, so I’m calling your bluff. The truth is, I just don’t believe you anymore.”

“Why do you think Andrew was with me last night, then, if he’s not ‘interested’?” She laughed. “You foolish boy. I had the highest paid members of the board, their wives, and your brother over for dinner last night—while you were playing house with that woman.”

His gut clenched tight, making him feel sick to his stomach. “What?”

“The motion has already begun. I’d hoped to knock some sense into you, but if you insist on this foolhardy plan to marry someone without a penny to her name…you’ll be finished. Ruined.” She crossed her arms. “And you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

He stepped back, unable to believe she’d actually initiated the no confidence vote against him. Her own son. “Why do you hate me so much?”

“I told you I was willing to do what needs to be done to protect the things I care about the most,” she said, ignoring his question. “I refuse to watch you ruin the company to which I dedicated my whole life, because you found a woman who makes you happy.”

The things she cared about. He, obviously, was not one of them.

“Why is being happy so damn bad? Actually, never mind.” He laughed, an angry, bitter noise. His mother wasn’t just upset with him, or disappointed in him for his failure. No, she hated him. Actually hated him. “What kind of mother are you?”

She lifted her chin. “The kind who will stop at nothing to win. What kind of son are you? Oh, dear. We already know the answer to that, don’t we? You’re a wastrel and a scoundrel who is too busy to come to his dying father’s bedside.”

That stung like a bitch, and the all too familiar cloak of guilt suffocated him, choking the breath out of his lungs. “Wow. Guess the gloves are off now.”

“They’ve been off,” she admitted, smoothing her short brown hair. “You’ve just never noticed before.”

He took a step closer, anger rising inside of him like an unstoppable tidal wave. “I’ve done nothing but try to make this company my life. To try to make up for not being there. I’ve never wavered from doing my best for the company, and I am one hundred percent committed to the success of my father’s life work, even if I didn’t…” He shook his head slowly. “I was practically a kid when he died. You can’t hold that against me for the rest of my life.”

Maggie wrapped up her talk with Andrew, shook hands with Sarah, and made her way over to him, smiling and waving. He lifted a hand in reply.

“I can, and I will.” His mother noticed and stepped closer, lowering her voice, but not answering his question. “You have until Monday night to lose the girl. If you don’t, I’ll move forward on my motion. Enjoy the show.”

She walked over to Andrew, completely ignored Maggie as she passed, then smiled and hugged her favorite son. Anger, pain, and shock rocked him hard. His mother was always threatening shit, but this was the first time she’d actually gone so far as to get things moving, or actually given him a deadline to do her bidding…or pay the price.

He had to lose Maggie, or risk losing his job.

If she had enough votes—it could happen. He could lose his rightful position as head of Gale Incorporated. And all because…what? He hadn’t picked a socialite to marry. Because he made a mistake years ago, while he’d still been in college?

No. There had to be more to the story. Some reason that people besides his mother were prepared to kick him out. What was he missing?

“Everything okay over here?” Maggie asked, stopping in front of him. She cocked her head. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Not a ghost, exactly.” He said, still staring at his mother. She stared right back at him, looking way too pleased with herself. “It’s nothing.”

Now wasn’t the time to talk to her about this. He needed to think. To figure out his next move. If it came down to his job or her…he’d be forced to make a choice. But first he wanted to understand why.

“It obviously isn’t nothing. You’re upset.” Maggie followed his line of sight. “What did she say to you?”

“Just the usual.” He squared his shoulders and got his shit together. He was showing his mother that she’d gotten to him, and he couldn’t afford to do that right now. Holding his hand out for hers, he asked, “Ready to go in?”

“Ah, there it is again,” she said softly, without moving.

“There what is?”

“The beast.” She bit the corner of her lip. “You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, and I won’t pressure you to tell me what she said, but it’s okay to be upset. You can let me see it. Let me in.”

His heart twisted, and he stepped closer to her. Smoothing her hair out of her face, he shook his head. “You said you couldn’t read me.”

“I guess I’m a little better at it.” She rested her hands on his chest and stared up at him, her gray eyes matching the stormy sky above them. “Tell me the truth. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He covered her hands with his and squeezed. “I’ll be fine.”

“Still want to go in?”

He glanced over her head. His mother watched them closely, her shrewd stare not wavering in the slightest. She was even better than he was at hiding his emotions. If he left now, she’d see that she’d rattled him. He refused to give her that satisfaction.

“Yes. Let’s go see the show. I’ve heard it’s excellent.”

She nodded once, not pressuring for more. As they headed for the doors, she asked, “Want me to go say ‘whore’ to her, so you can watch her faint from the vulgar language from her son’s even more vulgar fiancée?”

He blinked down at her. The mental image of Andrew flailing at his mother’s side, fanning her cheeks like a good little son, and everyone else running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, played out in his mind. “I—” He chuckled and then broke into laughter fully, cutting off midsentence. And there was no stopping it once it started.