Page 59 of Daring to Love You
Lynix stiffened, and Dorian turned slightly and came face-to-face with the lady she’d been admiring a few seconds ago. Now that she was closer, the woman’s dress was even more spectacular than she realized. It hadn’t been silver she saw, but diamonds on the garment. The outfit looked like it cost a fortune, and standing next to the classy-looking woman, Dorian suddenly felt like a kid playing dress up.
You walk into that ballroom like you own that bitch. Cree’s words blared through her mind, and Dorian straightened her shoulders. Despite the way Mr. Mathews had treated her earlier, she didn’t need to feel inferior. She belonged there just like anyone else.
“So, Lynix, which escort service did you get this one from?” the woman asked. “I would think with your type of money you could afford a better quality woman. Is she even old enough to drink?”
Dorian’s hackles went up. “Excuse me?” she said, shocked by the nerve of this woman. “I don’t know who you are, but you clearly have me mixed up with someone else.”
“Let’s go, Dee,” Lynix growled.
The anger pouring off him was palpable, and if looks could kill, this woman would be dead. Dorian had never seen him like this before.
They tried to move past the woman, but she jumped in front of them.
“What? Leaving so soon? Lynix, I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself to your little friend here.”
“Marisela, so help me. If you don’t move your ass out the way…”
“Oh, I get it. You haven’t told her yet, have you?”
Unease crawled through Dorian as her gaze bounced from one to the other. There was some type of private conversation going on between them that she wasn’t privy to.
What was even more unnerving was how stone-faced Lynix had turned, and how his jaw was clamped tight enough to break his teeth. There was also fire in his eyes, and it looked like he might attack at any moment.
“I guess you didn’t tell her about our engagement,” Marisela taunted. Then she looked at Dorian and wiggled her fingers out in front of her. Sure enough, there was a huge diamond on her ring finger. “Our marriage has been arranged by our fathers for years. So don’t get too comfortable. I’d hate for your little delusional heart to get hurt.”
Engaged?
Arranged marriage?
Delusional?
Dorian tried not to react, tried to remain cool and calm despite the questions racing through her mind. She knew Lynix. There had to be an explanation, but he wasn’t saying anything. He just stood rigid with his breathing sounding ragged.
She wasn’t sure what was going on, but it was having a weird effect on him. She needed to do something or say something. He’d come to her rescue too many times to count over the last few weeks. Now it was her turn to help him, to shake loose whatever mental hold this woman had on him.
“Ahh, I get it,” Dorian hurried to say and smiled up at Lynix, hoping he’d snap out of it. “This is the woman you were telling me about, isn’t it? The one who couldn’t take no for an answer.”
Shock showed in his eyes but disappeared so fast Dorian wondered if she’d imagined it. But then he blinked several times, and his expression softened. The tender way he looked at her made her heart squeeze.
He was back. Whatever daze he’d been in had dissipated.
When Dorian returned her attention to Marisela, the woman looked as if she wanted to spit bullets. Dorian was waiting for her to say something else, but once again there was some type of silent communication going on between her and Lynix.
But then, without taking his eyes off the woman, Lynix reached for Dorian’s hand and interlocked their fingers.
“Marisela, let me introduce you to my future wife, Dorian Priestly.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lynix was pretty sure he fell more in love with Dorian on the way back to his penthouse after leaving the gala. Not only didn’t she say anything about him claiming her as his future wife, but she also didn’t inundate him with questions that she deserved answers to. He promised her that, if she could wait until they got to his place, he would explain everything.
Still holding on to her hand since leaving the gala, he opened the door to the penthouse and escorted her in. If she thought it weird that he refused to release her, she hadn’t said. He hadn’t even let her go while they rode back in the limousine. Deep down, he feared that if he did she might disappear from his life. A life that he couldn’t imagine without her in it.
He was so proud of how she’d handled the run-in with Marisela, but he hated he hadn’t given her a heads-up about the woman. For a while, he assumed Marisela wouldn’t be attending the gala because his mother had told him that she was out of the country. But then out of nowhere, she showed up, catching him off guard.
Like usual, being near her made him feel as if he was suffocating. Like someone had their large hands wrappedaround his neck, squeezing the life out of him. Tonight was no different, except Dorian was there. She was his peace. His calm.
After she put Marisela in her place and then looked into his eyes, Lynix saw his future. He knew without a doubt that Dorian was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He just hadn’t planned on announcing it to her and Marisela in the way he’d done.
