Page 7 of The Spare
“They aren’t very surprising if you know me.” I scrunched my nose playfully.
His eyes stared into mine again. “I’ve known you for years.”
“You’ve known Henry for years,” I corrected. “You hardly know me.”
Beneath the soft fabric of the tux, I could feel his muscles tighten; he looked offended. It snapped me back to reality.
It was true. In the last two years, the only people he’d kept in contact with were Xander and Henry. That contact was minimal. All I got was a birthday text both years and an offensively generic gift.
He didn’twantto see me. I knew there wasn’t malice there, but after knowing him so long, I hoped he’d have at least missed me.
“I mean…” I sputtered, feeling instantly aware I must have upset him. “I mean…uhh. Nothing.”
Way to stick the landing, Sloan.
He grinned, seemingly enjoying watching me stumble incoherently over my words. “I hope you’re better at making an argument in court,” he mused.
“I don’t litigate.”
The tempo of the music began to pick up. He pulled me closer, his pace hastening to match the new timing.
I inhaled sharply. “My work is…” I swallowed hard and eagerly anticipated the brief brushes against his marbled body. A fire settled and roared low in my belly. “It’s more cloak and dagger.”
I blinked to try to shake off whatever that was. I’d never dancedthis closewith him. Actually, I don’t think we had ever danced together. Usually, Xander or whoever I was seeing took me to these types of events.
Surprise andsomething elsewashed over me.
“Mergers and acquisitions, right?” His eyes scanned the room. His palm pressed harder against me for a short second as he pulled me through a sweeping turn.
I nodded.
“Huh, interesting,” he said. The music slowed, and a drawn-out decrescendo followed. The song was over. I pulled away from him and got my bearings.
He motioned his head in the direction of the bar.
“Why is it interesting?”
I found myself appreciating just how chiseled he looked in his tux. The way the fabric pulled in when he moved and outlined the muscular body beneath was enticing. The black fabric contrasted deviously with his alabaster skin.
“You left your family fortune behind to do the same thing as Henry?” He grabbed his drink and handed me mine. He took a sip, placed the whiskey glass on the bar, and turned it in his hand.
“Fortune is still mine.” I scrunched my nose. I became a lawyer to strike out on my own. I was more than an heiress. “The family bullshit isn’t.”
“I always knew you were the smart one.”
CHAPTER4
Marcus
Isat in front of my laptop on the island in my penthouse’s kitchen. If I was not going to be able to sleep, I should get some work done. But, again, I couldn’t focus. The sun was barely up; nobody would be bothering me for hours.
Getting distracted from work was a new phenomenon; time away meant fewer distractions. But my mind kept drifting back to last night. I couldn’t think of a time when I’d spent an entire night with a woman fully clothed, let alone just talking. But then again, Sloan wasn’t just anyone.
I had almost forgotten how incredible she was. Smart and independent. Not to mention sexy as all hell. Her lithe body fit perfectly into that backless red dress. Her hair was scooped into an elegant updo, with a few locks left loose, begging to be tucked back. The diamonds she wore glistened against her olive skin.
Annoyance and maybe guilt radiated through me when I thought about how many boundaries I was crossing. I was thinking about things I shouldn’t entertain, wanting something I couldn't have.
It didn’t matter. I didn’tactuallywant her, she was simply… stuck in my head. I’d find a way to get her out of there eventually.
