Page 58 of Game Changer

“Hold up!” He stopped her, grabbing her arm gently. “I have something for you.”

Please don’t kill me for this,he breathed in deeply and turned her to face away from him. He swept her hair over her shoulder and put the necklace around her neck.

Silence, is silence good? Is it a wow I’m speechless this is so frickin’ awesome silence? Or an ‘I’m contemplating how to bury you and hide your body for spending so much money’, kind of silence?

Please like it.

Please like it.

“It’s beautiful,” she managed, turning to face him. Their eyes met, “thank you!”

He felt himself relax and let go of a breath he didn’t realize he was still holding.

“You’re welcome,” he blushed.

“Hey, you two?” Chelsea called them from the bottom of the steps. “Say cheeeeeese!”

Slipping his arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him, and they turned to face the camera.

“You’re like the freakin’ paparazzi!” Lisa told her snap-happy friend.

“You kids go have fun,” she told them. “And be good!” she added mischievously. “And if you can’t be good, be careful!”

“You really do look beautiful, Lis,” he told her quietly as he took her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers.

His stomach was in knots and he felt as though he was fighting a losing battle with his anxiety over the gala. He went back and forth between not caring who saw what between him and Lisa tonight and wanting to keep the truth of his relationship with her a secret. He didn’t want to engage Britt’s wrath and he wasn’t yet prepared to forfeit any street-cred that came from ‘daddy dearest’ in his field. When he graduated, he wanted to land the best job he could and Britt’s father’s influence was far-reaching. AJ couldn’t afford to get black-balled for pissing off his daughter. Or, worse still, having her deported for being an illegal, uppity Canadian.

He’d spoken to Lisa briefly in the back of the limo about expectations for the evening. They couldn’t behave like a regular couple and they couldn’t do regular couple things in public. Not everyone would understand their circumstances, and he didn’t want to disrespect Britt by flaunting his relationship with Lisa in public – even if she didn’t extend him the same courtesy. He could tell that she was nervous. She’d repeated about a dozen times on the car journey alone that she was afraid she’d say or do something stupid or careless that would land him in some kind of trouble. He hadn’t told her that he was secretly kind of hoping that she did exactly that.

He’d made a conscious decision not to drink, figuring that if he did, he’d probably be less successful at fighting his urge to fireman-carry Lisa over his shoulder into a dark corner to have his way with her. He was barely able to fight it sober.

Jeremy: How goes it?

AJ: Another night in the seventh circle of hell. I feel like I’m constantly being tormented by a beautiful woman these days.

Jeremy: Chels said Lisa looked fantastic.

AJ: She does. And so many secluded places we wouldn’t be seen.

Jeremy: Whatever would daddy-dearest think if you were busted by some of the posh-charity-folk diddling someone who wasn’t his daughter?

AJ: Ok. Let’s never have the words ‘daddy dearest’ and ‘diddling’ from you. Ever again.

Jeremy: But you like it when I get my alliteration on.

AJ: Never. Again.

Jeremy: Enjoy the seventh circle tease.

AJ: Kill me now.

Do you think she’s struggling with this hands-off thing as much as you are? It’s like the longest and most drawn-out foreplay ever. Hands off, but looking incredible. For hours. While pretending not to be a couple. Are we sure dying from sexual frustration isn’t a thing? ‘Cause it definitely feels like it could be a thing.

He hated answering the pointed, personal questions from the people around the table. Where was Britt? Who is Lisa? How did they know each other? He had to make a conscious decision with each question, not to spill his soul and confess his undying love for the Irish girl with sparkling blue eyes across the table. He tried to avoid the question if he could. It annoyed them both, as did the answer. He loved watching Lisa listen to the stories at those they were surrounded by. She listened with genuine interest and she seemed captivated by their tales from around the world. He could easily have spent all night watching her as she took in every word from the strangers ‘round the table.

“Dance with me, princess?” he asked once the floor had been cleared.

Nodding, she followed him onto the dance floor. The music was slow and for him, there was no one else in the room, just them. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Her hands linked at the nape of his neck, their heads touching slightly. “This is driving me insane,” he whispered in her ear.

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