laugh although they were still eyeing Tywin with pensive gazes. Those smiles dropped before they cast inquiring eyes on me. I knew they were teasing, but what the hell was Cass talking about?
“Are you over thirty?” Arjen asked although I was sure he already knew my age.
“No, I’m twenty-eight. Why?” I glanced at Tywin for an explanation.
“They constantly tease me because I have always dated older women,” he explained, shoving Arjen’s hand off his shoulder.
Older women?
My face pulled into a tight squint. How much older were these women he’d been dating?
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but my curiosity was piqued. The subject of our ages had never come up because I had assumed we were the same age or somewhere close in range.
“Your birthday is coming up next month,” Arjen announced, patting Tywin on the back. “Got anything special planned for your twenty-third?”
Champagne flew out of my mouth and into the air, making one of the guards jump away from my blast zone and nearly drop the beer he’d been dangling between his fingertips. A maid hurried over with a clean white linen cloth, but my dark teal dress would easily absorb any sprinkles of the champagne that may have dotted it.
“You okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
Desiree and Mecca asked, one after the other, eyeing me like I had grown a set of horns. It only took them a second to realize what my outburst was all about. Khane and Arjen lifted their brows, seemingly confused.
Ignoring them, I turned to Tywin. “You’re only twenty-two?” I choked the question out in a low murmur, my posture guarded and drawn in.
“Yes,” he confirmed with nonchalance.
“Is there something wrong with my age?” The gleam in his eyes clearly said, “Don’t go there with me about age.”
“I assumed you were my age or at least close to it,” I replied before taking a big gulp of the champagne left in my glass.
Damn! I had always assumed I was good at predicting any man’s age and even some of their behavior patterns. But everything about Tywin had caught me by surprise.
The group stared, and I saw the moment when their faces shifted from speculation to confirmation that Tywin and I were undeniably more than just acquainted.
“You could have told me,” I spit the words out, finally half answering his question. “Didn’t you think I deserved to know how old you were?”
“Did it matter?” he asked.
Did it?
I wanted him in ways I hadn’t wanted any other man. I had been with him in ways I wouldn’t consider with anyone else. He made me cum like no one else before and I was sure no one else would ever measure up. A deep frustrating sigh left my lips, and I never answered his question although he was standing their waiting for me to do so.
The surrounding silence was as nerve-racking as Phil Collins telling us that something was “In the Air Tonight.” We were the center of attention now, and I hated the spotlight. I was already conflicted about our relationship and now I had an age gap to add to the mix. Was I overacting?
Arlo popped into my head. He was seven years old, which meant Tywin had been taken when he was only fifteen. He was a kid? I understood that he couldn’t kill the mother of his child, but that evil bitch needed her fucking ass kicked.
I leaned into Mecca, ignoring all the eyes on me. “Where’s the bathroom?”
She pointed but warned, “We are about to sit for dinner in ten minutes.”
“Okay,” I shot back, already walking away. A glance back revealed Tywin staring after me with a glint in his eyes so devilish, I turned and picked up my pace.
How many more surprises were out there just waiting to ambush me?
33
Tywin
I had never revealed to Patrena my age because I honestly hadn’t believed it mattered. We had chemistry from the beginning. It was the type of connection I had never experienced before, but I’d been smart enough to want to hold on to it. The powerful pull had drawn me in and refused to let me go. It was the type of connection that had me needing Patrena in my life no matter what.
Before Patrena, I had always assumed a relationship was a situation as tragic as sentencing yourself to a torturous prison stint. Now, all I could think about when I woke up every day was how I could incorporate her into my day, my life for life.
The idea of her being