Page 144 of Perfect Liar

How fucking ridiculous—what was wrong with me?

He grinned like he’d been up to something.

“What have you done, Will?”

“What? I’m still working out how to make you happy with me again.”

I played along, smiling at him from under my lashes.

“Maybe you should work a little harder.”

He winked.

“I have something for you, baby.”

Then, before I understood just what the hell he was even doing, he took out a diamond cuff bracelet from his inner breast pocket and snapped it onto my wrist.

Staring at it, I lost my breath, lost my thoughts. Endless beautiful diamonds. They sparkled, mirroring the light in his eyes. There must have been something like thirty insane carats. I swallowed hard, then met his eyes with mine.

“Will, why would you do this?”

Someone in the hall called his name.

“I bought it for you because I wanted to,” –he moved his gaze to the doorway and snapped at someone– “Wait a fucking minute.”

He came back to our conversation, laying out his position.

“We’re not going to keep doing this. I have quite a lot of money. It’s only money, and as I’ve said, I quite like to spend it. So yes, I’ll buy you many things, and you’ll accept that.”

This fight, I couldn’t win. Still, I narrowed my eyes.

“Well, at least give me the many things you insist on buying at a time when we’re alone…so I can kiss you.”

He grabbed my waist and pulled me to his body.

“You can kiss me now.”

“But—”

Will shut my mouth with his. With his amazing, wicked tongue. And when he broke our kiss, he touched my flushed cheek with the back of his fingers and winked again.

“Let’s get on with it and get this dinner over,” he said.

And then we entered the hall holding hands, him squeezing mine, commanding my behavior.

“Stay by my side, Elle. If anyone gets too close, you step back immediately.”

CHAPTER 40

Uncle Robert clanked on his glass with a table knife.

“Friends, as we do every year, we’re happy to end the festival here with dinner for the community’s leadership. My sister Mary and I thank you for coming. And I’d like to congratulate my nephew, who just this afternoon accepted his great-grandfather’s title.”

Robert and Mary raised their glasses, and guests followed.

“To my nephew, the earl, and to his lovely white rose, Ellie.”

I winced at the veiled reference to my ancestors.