Page 105 of The Temporary Fiancée
Disappointment courses through me. “There wouldn’t be a scandal.”
“You can’t be sure of that. If any rumors start to spread, they could grow out of control before we have the chance to deal with the situation. What if someone saw you dancing with another man, and decided to gossip? What if they thought you were cheating on me?”
For a few moments, I’m silent, unsure how to respond.
The fact that this is just about business for him—that there are no feelings involved, something I can’t honestly relate to—hurts, and it’s hard to pretend that it doesn’t.
But I shove those feelings down. I have to. I signed a contract.
Instead of letting myself wallow in the hurt, I lift my chin, looking him in the eye. “Okay,” I say evenly. “I won’t dance with another man again. But if that’s the case, and we’re always under scrutiny, you might want to avoid flirting with other women.”
He blinks at me, frowning. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, you know what I’m talking about,” I scoff. “I saw you with that woman—the blonde in the red dress.”
“I wasn’t flirting with her. She was?—”
“I saw her hitting on you,” I interrupt, making no effort to keep the accusation out of my tone. “What is she, another ex?”
“No, no—nothing like that,” he protests, holding up his hands. “She’s just someone I saw around in my circle before. I’ve never hooked up with her, or anything. I was just greeting her.”
“Just greeting her? Then why did she touch your arm?”
“I don’t know, but it’s really not like that, I swear. I wasn’t flirting with her, even if she was flirting with me. I don’twanther, Olivia. I want…”
He pauses, and for a moment, the space between us seems to close. He leans in, almost imperceptibly, as if pulled toward me by a physical force. Then he freezes, conflicting emotions in his eyes that I can’t read, no matter how hard I try.
“I want this to succeed,” he mutters after a few seconds. He draws back, and suddenly, just like that, there’s a thousand miles between us once more. “I want to make our arrangement work.”
I do my best to stop my disappointment from showing on my face. Stiffly, I nod. “So do I.”
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.”
“Right. Of course,” I agree—even though I’m starting to think that we’re really, really not.
He glances over his shoulder, back toward the party. “We should get back—before anyone notices we’re gone.”
I don’t feel much better after that conversation, but I fall in step beside Reed as we return to the ballroom, ready to play the part.
Chapter 23
Reed
The incidentat the party sticks in my mind for the next several days. No matter how hard I try to focus on work, I can’t erase the lingering frustration, nor the tension that hangs in the air between me and Olivia—tension that wasn’t there before, and is an unwelcome guest now.
I keep replaying the entire evening in my head, over and over, as I go through paperwork at my desk.
I didn’t even really register that the woman I’d talked to was flirting with me. We were talking business; she was in real estate, and wanted to ask about a recent Eastwood acquisition. The subject matter of our conversation was strictly professional, and I was focused on that.
But I hate that Olivia took it the wrong way. It’s just another instance of proof that she only sees me as some messy, immature playboy. She must think I’ve slept with half of the women in this city.
And really, who can blame her? After all, that’s the whole reason our arrangement exists in the first place. I was making a mess of the Eastwood image.
My reputation never used to bother me. If a magazine wanted to plaster my exploits across a two-page spread, it didn’taffect my life beyond the talking-to I’d get from my father. But it bothers me now. I don’t like the idea that Olivia feels like she can’t trust me. Even though our relationship is all for show, I’d never cheat on her. I promised her I’d protect her from that.
Plus, I’m still getting over the jealousy of watching someone else dance with her.
I don’t know who that guy was—I’d never seen him before at any of the functions my family attended. The second I laid eyes on him, though, I wanted nothing more than to break his jaw for putting his hands on her.
