Page 27 of Divine Sense

“Is Daniel here?” My mother’s high-pitched voice came out squirrely and I could tell she was trying to reconcile the relationship between our families.

“Yes, he just went that way.” Mr. Bates pointed with his index finger that had been wrapped around one of our crystal glasses and took a long pull from it as he bore his eyes into me. The only thing stopping me from giving him a piece of my mind was knowing what my mother would do to me if I spoke out ofturn. There were more than a few times her threats to cut me off hit a little too close for comfort and I knew causing a scene at tonight’s function would be grounds for her to finally follow through on them. I looked across the room and noticed Daniel standing by the fireplace, holding a glass of whiskey, speaking to someone I didn’t recognize.

“Magnolia, go and say hello.” My mother pushed me in the direction Mr. Bates had pointed and my stomach sank knowing there was no way out of this interaction. With the three of them watching me with fixed, anticipatory gazes, I knew I would have to face Daniel for the first time since walking in on him mid-coitus. I pulled my shoulders back, cleared my throat, and gave my watch party another polite smile before heading toward my ex-boyfriend. When he noticed me approaching, his lips turned up into a smug smile that made my insides churn. As if he already knew that I was being sent to him by our parents like a good little girl. My fist clenched at my sides to stop myself from slapping the stupid smile off his face.

“Hello, Maggie.” His snide voice made my insides hot and I had to work to keep my face neutral.

“Hello, Daniel.” My voice came out flat and void of emotion which is exactly how I felt about the man standing in front of me.

“You look lovely tonight.” He flashed me a smile that showed off the veneers his daddy paid for and the urge to hit him almost became too much. He had no right to comment on how I looked after what he did to me.

“You look like you’ve put on weight,” I said pointedly. He licked his lips and chuckled, trying to act casual since there were people around.

“Now, Maggie.” I clenched my jaw at the name. “There’s no need for that. I know why you’re here, and the answer is yes, I’ll take you back.” He took a step closer to me and whispered in my ear, “But only if you’re a good girl and don’t get upset about alittle indiscretion here or there. If only you were as hot inside the sack as you are out of it, but a man has needs you know. Looks alone can only get you so far.”

My cheeks burned and I felt my chest starting to rise and fall heavily. When he pulled away, he gave me a condescending look, knowing I couldn’t react how I wanted to in such a public place. Then, he placed his fingers on my chin like you would do to a child, holding my eyes on him forcefully, and spoke again. “Now, now Maggie, I can see that temper of yours behind your eyes. Be a good girl now and do as you’re told. I’m still waiting for that apology.”

I opened my mouth to spit words back at him when a strong hand found the small of my back and a smooth voice came up from behind me.

“Miss Sinclair, there’s something I need your assistance on, can you please come with me?” My head whipped behind me to find his warm eyes looking down at me and I felt my heart rate start to slow. The touch of his hand on my back fans the fire that was raging in my core. The soft look in his eyes gave me solace and I felt myself nod in reply.

“Excuse us,” he said to Daniel who looked dumbstruck before moving me away from him and out of the living room by the small of my back. Once we were out of eyesight from Daniel and our parents, I wrapped my arm around his again and pulled him closer to me while making a beeline for the door to the kitchen.

“Follow me.”

He did as I said and walked with me through the kitchen, out the back door, and into the gardens that were just off the main house. My methodically hemmed dress floated on the tops of my feet and my shoes clacked against old wooden floors as we hurried out of the house. It was a brisk evening and there was a breeze in the air that blew over my shoulders, causing goosebumps to spring up on my arms. Without saying anything,he removed his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Feeling his warmth on my skin sent another shiver down my spine and I tried to hide the blush in my cheeks when the scent of him filled my nose as it wafted off his coat. I grabbed his hand again and pulled him out into the gardens towards a gazebo that was in the center of the finely manicured flower beds and shrubbery. We passed one of his men who gave him a questioning look, which he dismissed immediately.

“Circle the front of the house, please. I’ve got it back here.” His voice came out strong as he gave the command and I licked my lips.He can boss me around any time he wants.When we finally made it to the gazebo, I turned to look at him with his hand still in mine.

“Thank you for saving me.” I had to tilt my head up to look at him and my eyes flickered between his and his lips. He pulled his hand from mine and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He scanned the garden before looking back down at me.

“You looked trapped and for a second like you were about to throw a punch.” He gave me a half smile. “Who was that guy anyway?”

“Daniel,” I grimaced as I said his name because it tasted like poison on my lips. “He’s my ex, even though our parents seem to think we’re going to get back together and get married like they have planned for us.” He had been pacing the gazebo and stopped to study me with his eyebrows raised.

“That’s the guy who cheated on you?” His voice teemed with disbelief as he pointed a finger back towards the house.

“The very same,” I confirmed.

“Geez, talk about batting way out of his league,” he mumbled, shaking his head with his eyes on the ground. “Your parents want you to marry that guy?” I didn’t miss the disappointment in his voice.

“More my mother than my father, but he wants me married off to anyone from a prominent family. To him, it’s all about family lineage and good bloodlines.” I shook my head just thinking about how ridiculous it was. My parents were more concerned about preserving the family name than they were about me being happy.

Just like they’d always been.

“That’s pretty fucked up,” he gruffed from across the gazebo.

“Welcome to my life,” I sighed before taking a few steps closer to him. When I closed the space between us, I reached for his tie and straightened it for him again. I could feel his body tense up when I rested my hands on his chest like it had before and when I lifted my eyes to look at him, I found that he was already looking down at me. His nostrils flared as he breathed and he swallowed hard.

“I noticed you wore green tonight. Do that for anyone special?” I took a chance with my question and bit the corner of my lip as I kept my eyes on his. He moved a fraction of a step closer to me and dropped his head closer to mine. The sound of my heart beating in my chest filled my ears

“I noticed you wore your hair up tonight. Do that for anyone special?” His voice was low and gravelly and if I were to push up on my toes, our lips would meet for the first time. His eyes danced around my face and I wished so badly I could hear his thoughts.

“For someone who’s starting to feel special, yeah.” My lashes fluttered as I spoke and I tried to fight the smile I could feel growing on my face. At this angle, I could see all the laugh-lines on his face and picked up the scent of his Tom Ford cologne. Our bodies were half an inch apart as if we were being held apart by any last remaining shred of self-control we still had. He lowered his head closer to mine and tilted it just so.

“We can’t do this, flower.” His voice was desperate, hungry even, and the corner of his mouth twitched with anticipation.

“Why not?” I straightened my back, trying to give myself any additional height to try and close the almost foot and a half gap between us.

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