Page 29 of The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancée
"It will take more than a kiss to show me that you're settling down." His voice is toneless.
No warmth between these two. Father and son are their worst rivals too.
Settling down?
"I'm here because Natalie asked me to come," Jace replies, his voice mild.
The woman Darren was speaking to comes up next to him.
"You made it." She hugs Jace, before pinching his cheek.
"You wanted me here." Jace smiles down at her. He bends down to kiss Natalie on her cheek, and then pinches her arm.
She giggles.
"Why don't you get Sienna a drink, gorgeous?" Darren asks the other woman. "Jace and I need to catch up. After all, it isn't every day a man sees his son after a five-year gap."
My gaze shoots to Jace.
Why hasn't he seen his father in so long?
Jace meets my eyes. His fingers caress my upper arm, before he lets me go with obvious reluctance.
Natalie chuckles. "Don't worry, cousin," She tells Jace, "I'll take care of Sienna."
I allow Natalie to pull me away. When I dart a last look over my shoulder, I find Jace and Darren walking out of the bungalow.
Natalie picks up two glasses of champagne off the tray of a waiter passing by, hands me one.
"To you," I toast her, raising the glass.
Natalie chuckles. "Aren't you a handful?"
I raise my eyebrows. She has no idea how unpredictable I can be.
Three glasses later, I'm collapsed on a couch. My head buzzing pleasantly.
The last time I got this smashed … was with Tom, when he'd raided his father's stash of gin. He'd come over and we had proceeded to get drunk and sick.
Which is how my mother had found us. She'd grounded me for a week. Warned me against meeting Tom again. She'd never trusted Tom, never liked him even then.
The smoke from the incense in the space surrounds me, almost drugging me with the fragrance.
I look around, suddenly conscious that I don't know anyone else here.
Jace seems to have abandoned me, and Natalie … well, she's standing only a few feet away from me, talking to her fiancé.
He whispers in her ear and she giggles. Then, she walks over to me. "Craig and I are gonna slip away. You'll be fine on your own?"
"Ah." I wiggle my finger in front of her. "Of course—" I hiccough,"—I am."
With a smile, she beckons one of the waiters to bring me water. Handing it over, she waits till I glug it down. Takes the empty water glass back and then says, "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" I blink.
"We're going shopping tomorrow, remember?" she says.
"Sure."
