“Of course it is.” I looked past his shoulder and saw Ariel emerge from the entrance, a glass of wine in her hand. She watched me with her pointed expression, and even from this distance, I could see the disapproval in her eyes. After a haughty look, she walked back inside. “Just needed to cool off, that’s all. You’re used to these social events, but I’m not.”
“Give it some time. You’ll be a pro.”
But we didn’t have time.
“Come on, let’s head back inside.” He grabbed my hand and gently pulled him with him.
I didn’t want to speak to Anna, to smile and pretend she didn’t just change everything. But I had no other choice unless I pretended I was seriously sick. As tempting as that sounded, I couldn’t do that. “Okay.”
Luck was on my side, and I didn’t have to interact with Vasile or Anna. Five hundred guests attended his party, and we didn’t cross paths with him again in the throng of people. I couldn’t imagine having a party like this because I didn’t even know five hundred people.
Had I even met that many people in my lifetime?
At the end of the night, Dunbar drove us home. I propped my head against the window and closed my eyes, drowning out the painful truth as best as I could. I could think about it all day, but it didn’t change anything.
I needed to stay positive.
Crewe’s hand entered my hair as he ran his fingers down the strands. “Tired?”
“What gave me away?” I whispered.
He chuckled and continued to run his fingers through my hair. “Come here.” He guided me down until I rested across his lap, the safety belt tight against me in an uncomfortable position. I pushed it farther down to my waist and rested my head on his muscular thigh. His fingers moved through my hair again. “You look beautiful tonight. I meant to say that earlier, but it slipped my mind.”
I kept my eyes closed, but my lips pulled into a smile. “Thank you…”
“Did you have fun tonight?”
Not at all. “Yeah. The food was great.”
“I’m glad Ariel came—and brought Cassandra.”
“I really like Cassandra…” I wasn’t sure what she saw in Ariel, though. The woman was pure evil.
“I do too.” Crewe halted the conversation, probably wanting to let me sleep.
I kept my eyes closed and tried to think of nothing, to appreciate the quiet companionship we shared. It didn’t seem like Crewe was interested in Anna, but he wasn’t immune. He must know she was a great catch. He would be stupid not to.
It took forever to get home. By the time we arrived, I wasn’t tired. I hadn’t been tired to begin with because all I could think about was the heartbreak—and he hadn’t even left yet. I was anticipating the end before it even arrived. I prepared myself for the devastation even though there wasn’t a single thing I could do to soften the blow.
There was no cure for a broken heart.
We walked upstairs to the royal chambers where the bed was already turned down for the evening. Fresh washcloths were placed in the bathroom, and the drapes were shut over the windows so the morning light wouldn’t peek through and wake us up.
I didn’t bother removing my makeup because I didn’t care enough. I’d probably have a breakout because of it, but whatever. I unzipped the back of my dress and let it fall to my feet, my tits immediately exposed to the air.
Crewe’s hands moved to my shoulders, and he pressed a kiss against the back of my neck. His lips were soft but rugged at the same time, definitively masculine despite their elegance. He dragged his tongue across my skin, his warm breath drafting over the tiny hair I didn’t know I had. His hands automatically gave me a gentle squeeze as he inhaled a breath, smelling my perfume that had mostly faded by now.
I knew exactly what that touch meant—what that kiss meant. We did the same thing every night before we went to bed, sensual lovemaking that made up for the aggressive way he took me during the afternoon. When the sun disappeared and it was just the two of us in the bedroom, he softened in a way the rest of the world never got to see.
All I could think about were his hands. Soon, they would caress someone else. They would grip Anna and never let her go. They would hold his children when they were born. They would fill out paperwork with his elegant handwriting. They would touch and feel a world I would never know about.
But I had to block that out. Because his hands were still mine—for now.
His arm hooked over my chest, and he gripped my left tit, his thumb causing my nipples to pebble. His mouth moved to my neck, and he kissed me more aggressively, holding me tighter against him as his affection deepened.