Page 92 of With Us

In the back of the SUV, my foot bounced as I looked out the window. We were approaching Amaric, and I was getting more nervous with each passing block.

“Excited?” Ben asked from the driver’s seat.

“Nervous,” I corrected. “Super nervous.”

“It’ll be fun,” he said. “And if it sucks, tell Theo. He’ll get you out of there and we can make some cake from scratch.”

Eating is the furthest thing from my mind… But homemade cake sounds good.

“Even if it doesn’t suck, can we still make homemade cake soon?”

He nodded, his auburn hair flopping into his face. “Deal.”

I had no clue how many people Theo had working for him, but I knew it was a lot. I’d been introduced to some, but the only ones I spent any real time with were Luc, Rosa, and Ben. It was nice to have friends, especially since we never got into anything too personal. No one pushed me to share since Theo was their boss.

Weird as it was, it worked for me.

Ben pulled the SUV to the curb in front of Amaric, putting it in park before he threw open his door and got out.

A minute later, Theo was climbing in next to me. He hauled me to him, his mouth covering mine for a hard, but quick, kiss. “Cazzo, you look gorgeous.”

Rosa had done an amazing job on my hair and makeup again. My loose curls were pulled back, accentuating the thick halter around my neck. Sticking with pinks and creams again, she’d gone darker on the liner and mascara. My matte lipstick was a softer pink, too. I had more makeup on than I was used to, but it didn’t feel too heavy.

I was just hoping it didn’t rain.

The drive was quick, even with the Friday nightlife traffic. Before we got out, I caught Ben’s eyes in the rearview mirror and mouthed, “Thank you.”

He nodded slightly, giving me a small smile.

Out of the car, I was able to get a better look at Theo in all his tuxedoed glory. It was a traditional cut, yet tailored perfectly to fit his body. My gaze moved up his wide chest and broad shoulders, eventually reaching his eyes.

“We’re leaving early,” he said, watching me.

I nodded, wishing I could flag a taxi right then.

As we walked inside the hotel, Theo’s eyes were on my leg, which kept peeking out of the slit when the dress separated. “Really early.” He put his hand on the small of my back. Feeling just skin, he leaned to get a better look. “Really, really fucking early,” he muttered more to himself than me.

Still, I agreed.

???

I was overwhelmed.

I’d been introduced to more people than I think I’d met in my whole life. There was no way I could remember all the names. It seemed everyone knew Theo, and by extension, wanted to know me, too. No matter where we were in the room, or what we were doing, there were eyes on us.

Theo stuck close to me the whole night, usually touching me. An arm wrapped around me. His hand engulfing mine. His rough fingertips skimming up and down my spine.

And that was what overwhelmed me.

Need.

Based on how often I’d felt Theo’s hardness against some part of me, he was feeling the same way.

Everything else about the night was going fine. Small talk was my specialty, and everyone was happy to go on and on about themselves. Occasionally, someone would push for more details about my relationship with Theo, but I was good at dodging it and circling the conversation back to them.

This technique took a little more effort when it came to dealing with a board member and his tenacious gossip of a wife, but I’d eventually had success with her. The husband was droning on to Theo, and, try as I might, I couldn’t keep my focus on what he was saying. I felt bad because he really did seem very nice.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t relieved when I heard Theo cut the conversation off, though.

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