Page 77 of Trustfall

You know what? Fuck this. I bat Allie’s hand away when she reaches out to button the back of the dress and rip it off.

“Easy there, tiger,” Allie says as she puts her hands up in surrender. “You told me to button…”

“I’m not wearing this dress,” I say firmly.

A smile forms on the edges of her lips, and mischief dances in her eyes. “I’ve got you.”

Ten minutes later, Allie finishes the last of the buttons on the back of my black corset midi dress, complete with a ruched tulle skirt. To finish off the look, I ditched the satin pumps for my black Converse. I turn back around to give myself a once-over in the mirror. My chestnut hair falls in thick waves to my shoulders. My makeup is clean and understated—some mascara, light liner, and blush. That is aside from the bright red lip stain Allie painstakingly applied.

Happy with the outcome of my last-minute costume change, I grab my clutch just as there’s a knock at the door. An unintentional gasp escapes me as soon as I open it. Luke is wearing a fitted black tux with a black shirt underneath. His hair is styled perfectly, off to the side, with just one piece curling over his face. He’s sporting two thick black studs in his ears, and I can see the swirly ink of his intricate chest tattoos peeking out from beneath his shirt. I look down and notice he isn’t wearing dress shoes. He’s wearing fucking black combat boots. My core pulses and it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to just forget about the gala. It will go on without us…but then he finally breaks the silence.

“Shit, Em. You look…”

“Yeah,” I smile. “You too.”

He clears his throat and steps forward, holding his arm out.

“May I escort you to our car?” he drawls, a slight hint of a Southern accent making an appearance.

“Yes,” I breathe, linking my arm in his. “Oh, but…I forgot to tell you. We have to take a limo. I know it’s annoying, but my dad sends it every year and?—”

“Yeah, I know. I figured it out when I saw the limo pull up.”

“Oh, right.”

“Hurry, guys. Before they run out of the Beef Wellington bites,” Allie pushes past me and Luke, heading out toward the limo.

Luke shakes his head and guides me out behind her. But as he does, I get a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach, like something isn’t right. I get the same feeling at work sometimes.

Right before an insane shift.

We pullup to my dad’s mansion, and it’s completely decked out. The grounds are perfectly landscaped with hydrangeas and peonies spilling out around the marble fountains in the garden. Lanterns dangle from every tree, casting a soft, enchanting glow. Twinkling lights weave through archways and drape the ivy-covered gazebo to the far left of the property. Larger lanterns line the circular driveway, guiding guests to the illuminated entrance, where the front steps are covered in white rose petals. I guess that goes with the whole wedding theme.

Our limo pulls up to the front, and I take a deep breath as Luke gets out, sliding in front of our driver to open the door for us. The driver looks put out that someone stole his job, but he adjusts his expression to reflect one of unbiased servitude. Luke helps me out of the car and then holds his hand out for Allie. To my utter shock, she takes it. She even links her arm with his when he holds it out to her after taking mine.

The evening air is perfect, with almost no humidity and a cool summer breeze that flows through the trees, causing the lanterns to sway. But I suddenly feel like it’s a hundred degrees.What was I possibly thinking?Nate is going to flip out when he sees me and Luke together. We walk up the front steps and are greeted by several of my father’s staff, who welcome us and offer glasses of champagne. Allie snatches one up, downs it, and then holds her hand out for another. The waiter gives it to her, and then the three of us make our way further into the party.

I see Nate right away. He’s standing straight ahead of us, talking to Ashton’s parents. My heart slams against my chest. He looks at us, holding his finger up to them and mumbling something, then starts walking our way.

Shit.

“What is this?” he says, motioning between Allie, Luke, and me. “Hello to you too,” Allie snarks, but Nate doesn’t look amused.

I glance at Luke, who is starting to open his mouth.

“Allie took Luke as her plus one,” I blurt as I pull my arm out from Luke’s. “He was just escorting us both in, since I don’t have a date.” Nate looks at all of us individually, suspicion etched across his features. I sneak another peek at Luke. There’s obvious disappointment on his face, and my heart crumples. This is the second time I have announced that we’re not together in public.

“Interesting,” Nate finally says, turning his full attention to me. “Well, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler are asking about you. I didn’t know you knew them.”

“I’m friends with their son, Ashton.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” Something catches his eye, and he looks down at the floor. “Are you wearing sneakers?”

“God, Nate, can you not let anything go?” I snap, and I can’t help the venom that drips from my words. I’m angry. Angry at Nate for making me crush Luke like that. Angry at myself for being a coward.

“Right, well, you should come and say hello to them.”

“Lead the way,” I say as I gesture in front of me. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.” I look back at Allie and Luke. She doesn’t skip a beat, pulling Luke in a little bit closer to her to sell my lie. He pulls his arm away from her, and I catch the storm brewing in his ocean eyes. He hates me. He’s going to run out of the house. But then he moves his hand and presses his palm against the small of her back, guiding her away from me. The sting of that simple gesture is excruciating. What hurts worse is the knowledge that he’s not doing it to make me jealous or prove a point. Luke Collins is not a petty man. No, he’s doing it because he thinks it’s what I want. Because despite being angry with me—despite being hurt by how casually I dropped him like he was on fire mere seconds ago—he will do whatever he thinks I want. He’s too good of a man to let me be embarrassed in front of everyone.

---