Page 83 of His Surrender
Aubrey is sitting at a high-top table, holding a glass of white wine, while Sydney appears to be in the middle of some animated story, talking with both hands while Aubrey laughs so hard that she doubles over.
One hand presses against her chest as though she needs to catch her breath.
The sound doesn’t reach me over the music.
I can’t hear her laughter … but I don’t need to. I’ve heard it enough over the past five weeks to know exactly what it sounds like.
The kind of laugh that always makes the corners of her eyes crinkle before she instinctively tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You planning on drinking that?” Sawyer’s voice pulls me back for all of three seconds.
I look down at my untouched glass. “Hmm?”
He then follows my gaze across the room before slowly smiling to himself. “I was wondering how long it’d take.”
“What?”
“For you to stop pretending you weren’t watching her.”
I don’t know how long he was aware of me watching her, but it doesn’t even matter.
“I’m not,” I lie.
“I just lost you for a solid five minutes while you pined over her.”
I sigh. “Drop it.”
He leans back against the booth, completely ignoring me. “I’ve known you since we were eighteen.”
“I know.”
“I’ve watched you negotiate billion-dollar acquisitions without blinking.”
“I know.”
“I’ve watched you fire executives who deserved it without losing a minute of sleep.”
“I know, Sawyer,” I warn half seriously.
“So, explain to me why one twenty-two-year-old nanny has you looking like someone just shot your dog.”
I laugh, though it doesn’t sound amused. “I’d love to.”
He studies me for another second before quietly replying, “You’re in trouble.”
I don’t answer because for the first time, I think he might be right.
Across the room, two men approach. I watch one of them hesitate for the briefest moment before saying something that makes Aubrey look up.
She smiles politely.
The taller of the two leans casually against the edge of the booth, clearly comfortable striking up conversations with women he’s never met.
He isn’t doing anything wrong. He isn’t touching her or crowding her.
He simply looks interested. That should be enough for me to look away. Instead, every muscle in my body locks.
The first man says something, and Aubrey laughs.
