Page 109 of The Grand Duel
“Like having you and Edna on my ass twenty-four-seven?”
I take a sip of my champagne. “I don’t think that’s how our contracts were worded but…”
My stomach knots as a smile finally breaks his lips in two. A full, tooth and all, breathtaking smile. “Touché.”
“Touché,” I repeat, staring stupidly at his handsome face.
He watches me for a minute, his stare evermore as it travels to the deepest parts of me and settles with a certainty I’ve never seen in another’s eyes. So certain, in fact, that when he finallyrelents and stands, finishing the last of his drink, I still feel it—his stare, right there at the centre of my chest.
I’d give anything to know what he’s thinking.
With flushed cheeks, he cocks his head towards the suite. “We’ll be late.”
I stand and walk in ahead of him, collecting up my bag from the table. “I made sure all planned events were within walking distance. Granted, I didn’t expect you to want to attend this evening’s charity event, but it shouldn’t be much of a walk,” I tell him.
He pulls on the door, holding it open for me, a quiet calm about him. “What would I do without you?”
“If I had to take a guess, you’d still be in your office working on a case you’d been staring at for the past two days whilst drinking number—I’m not afraid of insomnia—cup of coffee of the day.” I turn and wait for him. “Definitely wouldn’t be wearing that smile.”
He frowns, face softening. “What smile?”
“You know the one. I watch you fight it most days.”
“I don’t fight smiles.”
“You’re doing it now. I saw that smile when I turned around just now. You got caught, admit it.”
He shakes his head, locking the door and then scanning the card after. It makes a whirling nose and then clicks twice.
“Sounds healthy,” I mutter, frowning at the door.
He checks it’s locked, and then we walk together towards the lift.
I side-eye him and find his iron mask back in place. I roll my eyes. “On a scale of one—we leave after ten minutes and get shit-faced in the hotel bar, to ten—we meet the loves of our lives and don’t leave until they throw us out, how do you see this night going?”
He peers down at me, still pretending I annoy him. “A five. You take my arm, be respectful, and go to bed when I tell you to.”
I slip my arm through his, my insides melting at his warmth. “Charles, that’s a solid minus two, not a five.”
“Apologies,” he says playfully. “What’s going to get me back in the pluses?”
I shrug. “At least one trauma dump and a shot of tequila should do it.”
He sniggers, giving me the win as he shakes his head. “We’ll see.”
We head out of the hotel and make the short, very well-timed walk down to the event. We’re greeted at the doors by a handsome young man. “Good evening. Could I take your names, please.”
I smile when his eyes drop and then come back up to me.
He’s cute actually.
“Charles and Lissie Aldridge,” Charles says, his voice cutting in like a knife.
I watch as the man crosses through the names, then looks up at the man at my side and frowns.
He used his name?
Did he think I’d be recognised?