Summer Love_ A Steamy Small Town Romance Anthology - Piper Rayne Page 0,101

you to accompany him tonight.” She watched me closely for a reaction.

“I will.” I glanced up. “I’ll be ready on time tonight, not to worry.”

I added the last part for Phillip, who, if I didn’t know better, had security cameras all over this house. After all, it was how he’d made his millions. He’d be watching. No matter what had happened last night, I’d be there.

I wanted him to know that.

There was only one dress hanging in the closet that would be suitable for a function at the pretentious country club. Aspen Valley might be a small town in a valley at the edge of the mountains, but that didn’t stop the members of the club from behaving as if they were very important.

Aspen Valley was known for being full of millionaires, and more and more billionaires. With the hot summers and mild winters, it was a little pocket of paradise for the wealthy to golf, entertain, and show off their money on the lake with their ridiculous boats.

I was raised modestly as an “other” in Aspen Valley. Until the summer I met Phillip, and then subsequently Daniel, I’d been sure I would follow a similar path as my friends: college and a job, or married with children, working an unassuming job that supported the rich residents. Never in a million years had I thought I would ever be one of them.

And now I wasn’t.

I spun in the mirror and took in the length of the blue, shiny dress. It was slit high on my thigh, just short of scandalous. The fabric hugged my body in the most flattering way, pushing my breasts up and together, in a way that I knew would have more than one tongue wagging.

I loved it.

My rejection from the night before still stung, but when I walked down the hall into the foyer where Phillip was waiting, looking like some sort of GQ model in his tux, my heart stopped and did a little flutter in my chest before starting up again.

Even from a distance, I could see his nostrils flare and his eyes darken. He liked what he saw.

Yes. There was definitely something going on with him. How could he push me away one moment, but look like he could eat me up the next? He was behaving as if nothing had happened between us the night before. As if I hadn’t thrown myself at him. As if we hadn’t shared the most passionate kiss I’d ever had. As if he hadn’t wanted me as badly as I wanted him. As if he hadn’t pushed me away.

Instead, he flashed his sexy smile at me. “You look ravishing.” He held a hand out for me, which I took. I tried to ignore the spark that rushed through me at his touch. He pulled me close and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Ravishing?” I teased. “Interesting choice.”

“There really is no other word to describe you, Abigail.” Phillip looked at me seriously. “Are we…are we okay?”

His vulnerability softened any leftover tension I felt from the night before. I nodded. “For now.”

“I’ll take it.” His handsome grin once more slid over his face. “Are you ready for this? For these people? There will be questions.”

“I’m counting on it.”

But what I wasn’t counting on was how hard it was to actually be with Phillip. To have his hand on my back guiding me through the room, his arm around my waist holding me close, almost possessively as we made small talk with the other club members. My entire body was on alert. Every nerve ending acutely aware of his proximity and how good it felt to be with him. Even if it wasn’t real.

Together, we fielded inquiries from nosy members.

“Interesting to see you together. Are you…”

“Enjoying our evening?” Phillip would say, playing dumb. “Absolutely. And doesn’t Abigail look ravishing?”

I smiled politely and let Phillip do most of the talking. It was easier to stay quiet, making my thoughts known with a few pointed looks before Phillip swept me away to say hello to someone else.

Finally, I needed a break. There was only so much small talk I could make.

I excused myself to the ladies’ room, which was mercifully empty. I quickly locked myself into a stall and whipped out my cell phone from the tiny clutch I carried.

Everything felt so surreal. Being at the club. Phillip. The feelings crashing through me. It was a lot. I needed to touch base with reality.

This is crazy.

I quickly texted the