Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 88270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Blake notices and leans in close, his breath warm against my ear over the din of conversation. "Are you back on your diet?" he asks, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine.
I smile at him, hoping it looks genuine, but being this close is nearly giving me a stroke. My heart stutters as I feel the heat radiating from his body through the tuxedo, solid and commanding beside me. The scent of his cologne, that intoxicating mix of tobacco and citrus, wrapping around me like a caress. His eyes bore into mine, gray and intense, searching as if he can see straight to my core. I feel as if I am on fire.
I have no choice then, but to get up, and murmur an excuse. I need to collect myself.
“I uh… I need a moment,” I say and head towards the powder room. I weave through the tables. The ladies' room is a sanctuary of polished granite and soft lighting. Mirrors line one wall and there are fresh orchids in vases. The air is scented with vanilla air freshener. I splash cool water on my wrists at the sink, and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes are glittering and I look like I am coming down with a fever. I will my pulse to slow to normal before heading back, but the headache pulses stronger now.
The auction and donations have started by the time I return. The emcee, a well-known news anchor from CNN, announces pledges from the stage as the spotlights sweep the room and crazy amounts flash on the large screens. The spotlight falls on Blake. He gives a gracious nod. Five million dollars flashes on the screen. I look at him, my eyes widening. What? Five million! That money could let Emma and me escape the grind forever, and he just casually gave it away. His impassive expression gives the impression that money is pocket change to him, but it does stir a mix of awe and unease in me.
My headache is throbbing behind my eyes now, but before I can tell him I want to leave, the lights dim further, and a short film about the charity's work begins on the screen. It’s archival footage of restored artworks, narrated in soothing tones. He leans in then, his lips brushing my ear again, whispering, "This should be our song," he says as the soundtrack swells to Kovac, My love, the melody rich and strange filling the hall.
“No way you’ll see me crawl. Like a shark, I’ll be ripping you apart.”
I blush, heat flooding my cheeks anew. He knows. He knows. And yet he stands and offers his hand. His eyes are intense, and I accept. He can’t know. I’ll just have to convince him that I’ve changed. My fingers slip into his warm grasp. We stand together for a second, then we join the others on the dance floor, where couples sway under the great chandeliers.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
BLAKE
Idon't know what I was trying to prove by giving that champagne without asking—I couldn’t resist testing her, seeing if she'd push back… The old Carolyn would have. I have to admit it excited me when she accepted it. It was the confirmation that she had really changed. Everything about her had. These last few years have made her a stranger, and that moment she accepted was like discovering her all over again, but even better this time because she has finally become everything I thought she was all those years ago.
But then she stopped after that one sip, setting the flute aside so quietly, reaching for the wine instead, her fingers trembling just a touch on the bottle. It threw me, that small act. And even now, it leaves me unsettled and slightly confused.
What is really going on with her? The changes are stacking up like pancakes at an all you can eat buffet table. If I didn’t know better, I would question if she is even the same person. It’s like a scene from the body snatchers, only the new version is so much warmer, nicer and hotter, much hotter.
As we reach the dance floor, couples are already swaying to Etta James' sultry voice from the orchestra's speakers, the melody of At Last wrapping around us, I decide to brush my thoughts away and bask in the moment instead. No more overthinking; just this, right now, with the sexy body snatcher in my arms.
It is the first time I've been this close to her in years. I pull her in, my hand settling at the curve of her back, the silk of her gown warm and smooth under my palm. Her body fits into mine exactly as I remember it. How we used to be, but with far more intensity. The murmur of conversations at the edges of the dance floor dies, and the world falls away.