Page 55 of Stick to the Deal
His fingers still. Immediately feeling the loss of his touch, I kick his hand until he resumes his foot rub with another warm chuckle.
“That’s amazing, Nic. I’m so proud of you.”
My cheeks warm at his praise. “It’s nota big deal.”
“The hell it isn’t. Why do you do that? You always play down your accomplishments. It’s like you’re allergic to compliments.”
“Well, the girls always say I’m allergic to emotions, so it tracks.” My lips spread in a smile, though I feel no amusement. Instead of laughing, Reginald’s jaw clenches. “What?”
“You deflected. I’m trying to have a real conversation with you, and you have your social face on.”
“My what?” My face goes cold and my stomach drops.
Reginald crosses his arms and again, I immediately miss the warmth of his hand on my foot. “You put on a show with people. Tell them what you think they want to hear. Don’t do that with me.”
“Are you calling me a liar?” My shoulders lift. His comments, so similar to Bree’s, putting me on edge.
“No.” He rakes his fingers through his hair, leaving it standing up. “You don’t lie, but you smile at them and send them off in the wrong direction. You hide behind that mask and everyone eats out of your hand because you’re so goddamned beautiful.”
I’m not sure if I should be angry or flattered. On the one hand, he’s calling me fake, but on the other he thinks I’m beautiful. How does he want me to react? Dark brows lower over stormy gray eyes. Jaw clenched, but lips not pinched. Closed body language with his arms, but still facing me…
“Stop it.” I blink dumbly. “You’re trying to read me so you can shift your answer. Look, I get it. I grew up in the same shallow world you did. I appreciate your ability to work a crowd… when we are out being Lord and Lady Ravenscourt. But when we’re here…”
He propels himself forward until he is sitting before me. Frowning, he looks down at my hands as he holds them in his own. “When it’s the two of us. I want you to be yourself. Just say whatever is in that beautiful head of yours.”
My heart skips a beat. I search his face and only find sincerity.
He leans his forehead against mine with a groan. “Just be yourself with me, Princess. I promise to be your soft place to land—I won’t judge and I won’t pull away.”
“You think I’m beautiful?” I whisper.
With a bark of laughter, he pulls back, a smirk clear on his lips. “You know you’re gorgeous, but I’ll make sure to say it more often.” With a squeeze of myhands, he stands up. “No more work. I’ll go make a snack and we’ll binge some of that dating show you’ve been dying to watch.”
I perk up in my seat. “The one where they are in those pod-thingies?”
He nods as he heads to the pantry.
As we sit close on the couch, an empty bowl of popcorn between us, I relax.
Be myself.
That’s the scary thing. I do feel myself when I’m with him. It’s easy to let go of the filter I constantly run my thoughts through. From the moment we met, I have said exactly what I want with no consideration of the consequences.
Accepting praise is not so easy, partially because of that shallow world he mentioned.
“I’m not used to compliments.”
Reginald pauses the show and turns to face me better.
I keep my eyes on my hands in my lap, worrying a cuticle. “At least without a punchline. You know, the ones that include ‘but’, ‘if only’, or something similar. So I learned to give people what they want so they don’t look too closely and find the ‘but’.”
He pinches my chin, and raises my eyes to his. I almost expect to see pity, but it’s something closer to rage and sadness. “Listen to me. They’re just jealous of you, Princess. You’ve rejected everything their world has handed you and made a fabulously successful new life for yourself. You’ve proven you don’t need them, and it terrifies them.”
My eyes burn, tears threatening to spill over at his impassioned words.
Warm fingers tuck a strand of hair behind my ear as he searches my eyes. “Don’t make yourself smaller to fit their box. Kick the walls down and make them grow. Yeah?”
I nod once.
