lean over and kiss her temple. She didn’t judge or question or criticize. She just listened and understood. And maybe sometimes that’s all that you need. To be heard and understood.
“You’re a good girl, Katie Kat,” I whisper in her ear, but she doesn’t respond. Her eyes are narrowed, and her body’s gone still. I look on instinct to where she does, and feel my own body tighten, prepared to defend her. To protect her. To do whatever it takes, for that quickly I know that something’s gone afoul.
Tiffany stands only a few feet apart from us, waving her phone at Rawley and stabbing her finger at Katie. Oh no. Jesus. What’s she doing?
I’m on my feet before I know it, when Tiffany stalks over to us with narrowed eyes and a smirk.
“Well would you look at that,” she says, tipping her head to the side, her voice loud and magnified. “Seems someone got in trouble for hiring an escort. Seems your publicist did her level best to hide such a story, yet there it is, for anyone to see.”
More and more of the guests are paying attention now. Rawley looks from me to Tiffany. His eyes go wide, then he takes a step toward her.
“Put it away, Tiff,” he says, but she predictably ignores him.
“Are you that desperate?” Tiffany says with a loud cackle. “You couldn’t even get a real date, you had to use your billions of dollars to buy one?”
“Tiffany,” Rawley says. He swipes at her phone, but she stalks away.
Katie’s on her feet, her hands balled into fists. “How dare you say that about him! How dare you?”
“Now don’t make a scene, little escort,” Tiffany says in a sickening tone. “Or I will find that pen name you so carefully hide.” She shakes her head. “I will find it and I will ruin you. I have an army of social media followers and I am not afraid to use them.”
I take Katie by the hand and pull her over to me. I wrap my arm around her, holding her close by my side. “We had an agreement, alright—”
Tiffany cuts me off with a point of her long hot pink fingernail. “So you admit it then!”
“But no more. We fell in love. Now she’s mine. You won’t threaten her, and you won’t touch a hair on her head. If you do, you’ll answer to me. Understood?”
I look to Rawley. “Get her out of here,” I say, barely containing my temper. “Or I will.”
Luckily for Tiffany, my brother drags his witch off to calm down. Turning to Katie, I take her in my arms and lead her to a private corner of the yard to apologize. She’s trembling. With wide, glassy eyes she stares at me in disbelief, tears glistening on her cheeks, her pouty lip hanging slightly open as if she’s in shock. And she must be, after the torture I’ve put her through. She’s probably going to ask me to drive her to the airport right now, to leave here and never want to see me again.
What have I done to this poor girl by bringing her here?
Chapter 15
Katie
We fell in love.
The words swirl around my mind, making my head feel light, erasing every mean word the no-good, carb hating, busybody spewed at me.
We fell in love.
He loves me.
Or... did he just say that?
He shakes my shoulder. “Katie. Katie, did you hear me? I can call for a car right now if you want me to take you to the airport.” He runs his hand through his hair giving his head an agitated shake. “Or, if you want to go alone, I understand.”
My mouth finally begins to form words and they come out as a hushed whisper of disbelief. “You love me. You... love me?”
When his eyes meet mine, pain shoots through his gaze, making me think I’ve made a terrible mistake. That I misheard him. Or, that he was just tossing that line out as yet another line to solidify our fake relationship.
Or... did he just say those words to get Tiffany off my back?
We fell in love.
My tears of joy turn to tears of humiliation as he stands before me, frozen, speechless, his attention locked on the ground beneath his feet.
He doesn't answer me. He doesn’t look at me.
I feel my heart break into two pieces, one falling in each of my shoes. Expensive shoes, ones he bought just for me.
He loves me not.
In my mind the petal falls, only this time there’s no