Page 84 of Together We Burn
“You don’t look too bad yourself,” she replied, tugging at the lapels of my tux jacket. I took her chin lightly in my hand, angling her head to kiss me, but she put her hand between us, stopping me.
“We can’t. If Emilia even has the smallest suspicion—”
“I don’t fucking care,” I growled, smashing my mouth to hers and hungrily kissing her. I slipped my hand around the back of her neck and held her to me, dominating her mouth, demanding her submission as I plunged my tongue deep inside, tasting the mint from her toothpaste. She whimpered against me, gripping my jacket in her fists as she melted into me.
“I’d claim you in front of that bitch in a second if it wasn’t for your sister,” I muttered, breaking the kiss. Her lips were swollen, and I ran my thumb along her bottom one.
“Where are you going?” Nate’s little voice asked, drawing me out of the trance his aunt always seemed to pull me into.Siren.
“We’re going to a party, buddy,” I said, facing the boy now leaning over the back of the couch with his head cocked like he’d been watching us kiss. Little perv. Definitely a mini-Alex. “What are you doing tonight?”
“Uncle Alex is taking me to the batting cages,” he said, bouncing on the spot in excitement.
“Are you going too?” Stefany asked her sister, surprised.
“Uh-huh,” she said, slotting a brightly coloured fabric bookmark between two pages and closing her book. “I need to get out of this apartment. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great, Jake; I love it. But Ineedout.”
“Mom’s going to watch,” Nate interjected. “Then when we get home, we’re going to walk Rocky.”
Chris’s face dropped at the reminder. The poor girl still wasn’t too sure about her sister’s loveable but large mutt. Alex yawned, stretching his hands over his head, then shuffled forward to the edge of the sofa and grabbed his baseball hat from the coffee table. Nate followed suit and tugged on his hat too.
“Speaking of which, we should head off,” Alex said, getting to his feet and collecting his phone and keys from the armrest. Moving to the hallway, he stepped close to Stefany and squeezed her shoulder.
“Keep your head, Stevie.” Then turning to me, he said, “Keep her safe from that bitch this time, Jake.”
Stefany shoved at his chest with a huff. “I don’t need anyone keeping me safe.”
Alex laughed and wrapped his arms around her neck, bringing her to his chest as she cried, “My hair, asshole!”
I was staring at one of the mini Jack-o'-lanterns Emilia had scattered around the ballroom. Cobwebs, bats, and other items created a Halloween vibe, while the tall candlesticks with wax dripping down cream-coloured candles, black chair covers with white ribbon tied round the middle, and a huge glossy black grand piano gave the hotel thePhantom of the Operatheme she wanted. Waiters even wore the white half-sided masks, covering their faces.
“Jacob darling, don’t you look handsome,” Emilia crooned as she approached with her arms wide. The woman was wearing what would only be described as a wedding dress; huge, strapless, with a full floor-length skirt and fuckingwhite.
Pirouetting on the spot in front of me, she showed off her gown for tonight’s function.
“What do you think?” she asked, smoothing down the skirt with her gloved hands.
“Wasn’t the dress code black?” I asked, and she scowled, not amused by my answer. Taking her hand in mine, I raised it to my lips and placed a feather-light kiss on the back of it. Grateful for the cotton separating her skin from my lips. “You look stunning as always, Emilia.”
The truth wouldn’t have tasted so acidic on my tongue for any other person. I’ve said it before; Stefany’s mom looked good for a woman her age, and I hated that she knew it too. It was just a shame her ugly and completely batshit crazy personality took away from that.
“I’m the guest of honour, Jacob. I need to stand out,” she purred, fiddling with the thin black tie hanging down my chest. “This is a night to remember, darling. And I wouldn’t have gotten here if it wasn’t for you.”
I stiffened, narrowing my brows.
“I’d hardly say fooling your daughter is worth that much credit, Emilia.”
She pressed close, as much as her puffy skirt would allow, the overpowering perfume choking the air as she whispered, “You’ve played your part perfectly. Much better than I expected.” She paused, her eyes meeting mine. “You’ll see.”
I bristled, wanting to push her away before her scent fused to the material of my suit. Stefany was like a bloodhound and would be able to tell as soon as she walked into the room that Emilia had been all over me. She knew the score, knew this had to be done, but that didn’t stop my girl from getting jealous and territorial. The thought of that alone made my dick hard.
“Come,” Emilia said, linking her arm with mine and escorting me around the ballroom like I’d never been here before.
I’m not a sentimental guy, but this place would be special to me if I were. After all, it was the place my little seductress changed the rules of the game before it had even begun. I’d been prepared for one of her aliases like Poppy or Mia or Lyla, the same thing she did in every assignment as detailed in the reports Will had given me. The night of the Philanthropist of the Year made me desperate for a woman in a way I’d never been before. And all because she slipped up and gave me her real name.
Looking up to the balcony, I could picture Stefany that night, hips swaying to whatever song the string quartet was playing, her skin-tight dress hugging her curves perfectly. A dress that had belonged to the woman currently droning on about the types of canapés or signature cocktails she had arranged for tonight.
Like countless times before, I wished I had told her the truth. Saved her from the pain and heartache that was to come. But at that time, I’d thought my instant lust and attraction to Stefany was just that, a connection that didn’t go below the surface–a couple of hard and fast fucks, and she’d have been out of my system.
