“You never stop.”
“Nope.” He eyed my burger. “Are you going to eat that?”
The truth was I never ordered a burger on a date. It was too hard to eat and look elegant at the same time. But in the moment it had sounded like a good idea. Now that my makeup was almost all off, my hair was limp and dripping, and my shirt was a wrinkled mess, I didn’t think it was a good idea to add wolf-eating to the image I was creating.
My stomach grumbled.
Henry rolled his eyes. “I heard that. Eat.” He lifted up his burger and bit into with no qualms.
Ah, screw it.
I bit off a chunk and closed my eyes in bliss.
“Good?”
I opened one eye and nodded.
Laughter danced in his eyes as it seemed to a lot when he was around me.
“I need to go to the gym,” I said glumly after I swallowed. “I hate the gym.”
“Then don’t go.”
“No, I need to. So I can eat like this.”
“Thank God you eat.” His eyes dropped to my breasts for a second and he shifted in his seat. Was it just me or were his cheeks a little flushed?
“Like what you see, huh?” I teased.
Henry’s eyes smoldered so abruptly, my breath caught. “Sunshine, you have no idea how much. I doubt there’s a man alive who wouldn’t like all that.” He gestured to me.
I laughed. “You’d be surprised.”
“Gay men.”
“And straight men.”
His outraged disbelief was extremely flattering. “Blind men.”
“No.” I shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. I get plenty of attention from men who have a thing for Christina Hendricks… but it has been suggested to me in the past to cut out the burgers and pick up a salad.”
“I hope you told the assholes to fuck off.”
Annoyed at the flicker of tenderness I felt at his defense of me, I looked away, pretending to check out the people around us. “I may have even told one of them that if he wasn’t into curves, he might prefer fucking himself. And that he should go do that. Immediately.”
His chuckle caused a little flutter in my belly and I closed my eyes, trying to shut him out. My attraction toward him was too much for my liking.
“I like you, Nadia.”
My gaze flew back to his in surprise. I struggled for a reply, scared to reciprocate, terrified that he was trying to suggest we nix the one-time-only deal. Eventually, I smiled and replied lightly, “I’m likable.”
If he was disappointed by my reply, he didn’t show it. Instead he stole a fry from my plate when he had plenty of his own.
“That was mean.”
He grinned boyishly. “You don’t like to share?”
“Not my fries when you’ve got your own. You’ve not got enough in life without having to steal my fries?”
For some reason he took my teasing question more seriously than I’d meant him to. “Do you think I’m just a rich asshole, Nadia?”
How to answer that?
The truth was I wasn’t sure about anything when it came to Henry Lexington. Yes, he’d been an asshole to me so that would make him a rich asshole. But he was this other guy too. A funny, flirtatious, witty, thoughtful guy.
He could be the hero and the villain. Which one of those was the permanent resident and the other the visitor, I didn’t know.
“I don’t know who you are,” I answered honestly. “And you don’t know who I really am. But as agreed, we’re not really sticking around to find out.” To break the sudden heavy tension, I smiled flirtatiously. “But come Saturday night, you’ll hopefully know something about me very few men know.”
“Oh?”
I leaned over the table and his eyes fell to my lips. “The sound I make when I come.”
His nostrils flared as our eyes locked and his voice was hoarse, “Have no doubt, Sunshine. I’ll make you come so many times, I’ll have the sound of it memorized.”
My nipples hardened, my breasts swelled, and my skin flushed. Fingers tightening around the stem of my glass, I said, “Let’s cut out the Delaney Ball and take what we want from this.”
Henry reluctantly sat back. “Nice try.”
“Come on, Henry, we both know what this is.”
He raised his wine glass to his lips. “Do we?”
* * *
The sprawling stone mansion was lit up in the dark by spotlights above the many windows, and going in and out of the huge double front door entrance were elegant couples in formal wear that veered from shimmering to starkly traditional.
After smoothing a hand down my dress, I noted how my fingers trembled and clenched my fist to stop the involuntary movement.
“You look beautiful,” Henry said, caressing my waist as he led me inside with his arm around me. Since picking me up, he had showered me with compliments and then proceeded to stare at me heatedly the entire drive out to Weston.
There were a number of reasons I was so nervous walking into the Delaney Ball.
One, Henry had told me Caine and Alexa were going to be there and it was weird for me knowing I’d have to meet them and pretend I didn’t know anything about them, let alone two of their darkest secrets.
Two, the people I’d be mingling with were Boston’s elite. Although I’d met a few here and there, I’d never been to one of their events. I hated the idea of feeling like an outsider. Especially as I really was, considering Henry and I were extremely temporary.
Which brought me to the third reason I was nervous.
As soon as we’d gotten into the back of the Town Car, Henry had turned surprisingly serious.
“What’s wrong? Regretting the dates? Wishing you’d gone straight for the home run?” I teased.
“You have no idea how wrong you are.”
I squirmed under the intensity of his attention as he looked me straight in the eye. There was no sexual perusal of my body or cocky suggestiveness. “What do you want?” I huffed, feeling defensive for some reason.
“You,” he replied immediately. “For more than one night.”
My palms turned sweaty. “What?”
“I think it would be foolish not to explore what’s between us. No deadline, no fooling around, just you and me getting to know each other like normal couples get to know each other.”
“You don’t date,” I argued, feeling my cheeks flush.
What was happening here?
Henry’s expression turned tender. “For you, I want to.”
“What? No. What?” I shifted uncomfortably, breaking his implacable hold on my gaze. “That’s… no. You and me? No.” I looked back at him in outrage. “No.”
He smirked. “Why not?”
“Because…” I sputtered, trying to find the words. He had caught me so off guard. “It’s us. No. No!”
“I reserve the right to change your mind. I have all night to do so.”
I knew I was gaping at him like an unsophisticated middle grader, but I was in a state of shock. Henry Lexington didn’t date. He played around. And suddenly, for me, he wanted to give dating a try? I wasn’t buying it. Maybe he was under the illusion that there was something between us, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get bored in no time at all, and I’d be the one having to pick up the pieces of my pride as well as my heart.
Uh… no thank you.
“I’ll let you think about it.” The bastard winked at me.
Butterflies had completely taken over my stomach as I tried to glide in my five-inch heels over the stone flooring in the Delaney’s home. It was hard to describe the austere beauty of the ballroom we were led into. It wasn’t as though I came across many homes that had an actual ballroom in it. The event was formally titled the Vanessa Van Hay Delaney Benefit for Alzheimer’s. It was hosted by Michelle and Edgar Delaney, the children of Vanessa Delaney, a woman who’d been a pillar of Boston society for over fifty years before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She passed away a few years after her diagnosis and e
ver since, every year, the Delaneys hosted their benefit to fund finding a cure. Only Boston’s very elite were invited to come share their philanthropy, and that included my date and his good friend Caine Carraway.
I was merely the curvy treat of the week for Lexington but I’d done my best to make sure I wouldn’t look out of place. Too much. Using my hard-earned savings, I’d bought a floor-length dress that hugged my upper body until it hit the top of my thighs and flowed out in layers of silk chiffon. It was the color of lapis lazuli, had wide straps over the shoulder, and a sweetheart neckline that screamed “This dress is all about the boobs!” With boobs like mine, it was very rare to find any piece of clothing that my boobs didn’t immediately take command of. So it was easier to just go with it and let ’em shine.
Henry had only faltered once and that was when I opened the door to my apartment. I’d had to clear my throat loudly to get his attention off my assets. But from then on, he’d been a total gentleman, making direct eye contact only.
“Henry.” A tall, lithe young woman laid a hand on my date’s arm. As she pressed her boobs against his side, she smiled flirtatiously, a smile Henry easily returned. “You look wonderful as always.” She trailed her fingers over his arm. I don’t think my presence even registered on her radar. “We missed you at Fee’s birthday bash last month.”
“I was traveling. Work. Sorry I missed it.”
Anger bubbled under my skin at the fact that Henry didn’t force any distance between him and the woman. Anger I had to cool when his hand on my back tightened and he drew me closer. “Lana, this is my date, Nadia Ray.”
Lana’s eyes reluctantly swept from Henry’s face to mine and she stepped back a little. “You look familiar.”
Henry grinned proudly at me. “Nadia is WCVB’s favorite broadcast meteorologist.”
It was clear from the downturn of her mouth that Lana was less than impressed. “How diverting. I could never be a weather girl. Those early mornings have such a negative effect on the complexion.”
I stiffened at the underhand insult but Henry laughed and patted Lana’s arm, “Oh, be honest, Lana, you couldn’t do the job because it would mean exerting yourself beyond the physicality of using Daddy’s credit card.”
I choked on my laughter as Henry guided me away from the socialite, her jaw almost to the ground. “I can’t believe you said that.”
Henry shrugged. “I hate cattiness.”
“You slept with her, didn’t you?” I covered my displeasure with a teasing smile.
“Once,” he answered honestly. “It didn’t mean anything.”
To you it never does.
And there was the rub. I didn’t believe Henry when he said he wanted more from me, more nights, more dates… because he was saying that before we’d even had sex. I knew… as soon as he’d had me, he’d walk out that door and I’d never see him again. There was absolutely no way I’d make myself any more vulnerable to the man than I already had.
“It means something to her. That’s why she was rude to me.”
Henry stopped from nodding at acquaintances as we passed through the mingling crowds to face me. “I don’t want to talk about her. Or my past. I can’t change it. But I can take charge of my future.”
I shivered under the heated determination in his eyes, of the intent behind his words. “Champagne?” I squeaked out.
Laughing, he glanced around the room, perhaps searching for the alcohol, when his grin widened. “Caine’s arrived with Alexa.”
As Henry led me toward them, I tried to gain control of my nerves. I hated the fact that I had to lie to these people. Nearing the couple, I didn’t know which one to look at first; they were so striking together. Caine was even more good-looking in real life than I could have imagined, but there was a cool hardness to his masculine gorgeousness. Alexa had a fresh-faced beauty with her high apple cheekbones, thick dark hair, and vivid blue-green eyes. She was tall with a slender figure encased in a stunning pale green and silver Jenny Packham dress. The dress’s silhouette would have looked ridiculous on all of my exaggerated curves. Envy niggled at me. I’d never be able to pull off that kind of elegance.
“Alexa, looking more beautiful than ever,” Henry said.
“Henry,” she murmured, leaning into him with familiarity and affection as she kissed his cheek.
I stared at where he rested his hand on her waist a little too long and when I glanced over at Caine, I saw he was displeased by the embrace.
Jealousy pricked me for about a second until Henry caught Caine’s scowl and rolled his eyes at him, taking a step back from Alexa. Something about Henry’s amusement put me at ease. And then I saw the way Alexa turned to Carraway and stared up at his face, and I knew there was no reason to be jealous of her and Henry. I wondered if she knew her heart was in her eyes when she stared at her boss.
Interesting.
Henry nudged me forward. “Caine, Lexie, this is Nadia Ray. She’s a local weather girl.”
I tried not to read into the fact that he’d referred to my job title correctly with Lana earlier but called me a weather girl to his friends. I hoped it was just a slip and not an intentional attempt to rile me.
Recognition lit Alexa’s eyes and unlike Lana, she did look impressed. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, and sounded like she meant it.
I grinned back tremulously, still unsure of how to act when I knew too much about her—more than I’m sure she’d be comfortable with me knowing.
Caine gave me a clipped nod that only made my nerves worse.
The man was intimidating without even trying.
“This place is insane, right?” Alexa said, bugging her eyes out as if to say, “What the hell do we do here?”
Relief at finding someone who felt like an outsider too made me laugh. “It’s not what I’m used to.”
“I hear you.” She nodded, scanning the room. “But the mini crab rolls at these things are usually to die for.”
“Nowhere near as good as the crab rolls we used to get at this little deli on campus at Wharton.” Henry closed his eyes in exaggerated pleasure. “Oh, those were the days.”
I chuckled because I equated good memories with good food too. Alexa smirked. “Crab rolls. That’s what you remember most about business school?”
“I didn’t say that.” His eyes popped open as he grinned. “The women were also very memorable.”
I refused to react because there was something about the way he deliberately didn’t look at me when he said it that suggested it was for my benefit. Was he trying to make me jealous? Did he want a reaction? What kind of game was he playing with me now?
Despite the jealousy I did feel, jealousy that told me I should not be here or even contemplating letting this man anywhere near my bed, I pretended indifference to spite him.
“Oh, so it was the crabs you remember most?” Alexa cracked and I burst out laughing.
I had a feeling I was going to like this woman.
“I wasn’t that bad.” Henry snorted. “Okay… I was almost that bad.”
“How did you put up with him? Or were you even worse than he was?” she asked Caine.
Caine didn’t join in on her teasing. He was so cold and standoffish, I was suddenly glad I hadn’t gone to him with what I’d found.
Alexa didn’t seem bothered by his attitude at all. She huffed in exasperation. “Caine never talks about Wharton. It’s like he’s wiped it from existence.”
Henry sobered as he and Caine shared a dark look; I shifted with unease. Oops. That’s why Caine was looking so uncomfortable. The topic of business school. Right. Prostituting himself through school wasn’t exactly something he wanted everyone to know about.
“We’ll get you a crab roll in a minute,” Caine suddenly said. “First we have to go over and say hello to the Delaneys.” And without another word, he guided Alexa away from us.
She shot us an apologetic look over her shoulder.
“Well… that was… uncomfortable.�
��
My date’s demeanor changed so swiftly, he reminded me of the man I’d met weeks ago in my apartment. “She doesn’t know and she’ll never know. Understood?”
“I’ve already told you I have no intention of telling anyone.”
“Good.” He grabbed my hand and wrapped it around his arm. “Make sure it stays that way.”
Bitterness reared its ugly head. “From the man who says he wants to date me.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means there’s no point in dating someone you don’t trust.”
“I trust you,” he said. Taking in my disbelief, he wrapped his hand over mine, his expression softening. “Nadia, I trust you. That was… that was a stupid thing to say to you. I… I’m uncomfortable with the fact that Caine doesn’t know that you know. I apologize.”
And there he went, switching to the gentleman. You would think I’d relax but his ability to be these two different people unsettled me. Reluctantly, I muttered, “Accepted.”
His eyes swept over my face, his features tightening. “Do you know how much I want you?”
“You’ve mentioned it once or twice.” I turned away, not quite ready to return to that flirty place with him.
“I said I was sorry.”
“I know.” I eyed him now, trying to work this man out. I knew people were complicated—we all had good and bad in us. I couldn’t work out how much of Henry was a good guy, and it bothered me more than it should considering I was only supposed to have sex with him once and be done with him.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“No problem.” I bit my lip as we studied each other. His unrelenting gaze made me sigh. “Okay… You’re so unbelievably charming.”
“That’s a problem?”
“I bet nearly all the people in this room would be shocked to their core to learn that you have a side capable of pinning a man to wall, threatening violence, and getting him fired less than twenty-four hours later.”
Understanding lightened his eyes. “And you’d be right.” He shot me a wry smirk. He glanced around the room and turned back to me. “Caine and I get things done. But we choose a different path to the same destination. He comes off cold, he’s intense, sometimes ruthless, and people fear him to the point where they don’t want to piss him off—they want to be his ally. I, on the other hand, am all lightheartedness and effortless charm. People see a blueblood who got where he is because of his father. Most of them don’t take me seriously.” He grinned and it was hard and wolfish. “They underestimate me to their own detriment.”
Villain: A Hero Novella Page 6