Tell Me You're Mine (The British Billionaires #1) - J. S. Scott Page 0,88

my neck. “I’m still terrified.”

“Feel the fear and then learn to ignore it,” Bella advised. “That’s what I did. Take Damian’s gift in the spirit that he gave it to you.”

I let out a long sigh. “I’ll wear them, but I’ll talk to Damian about keeping them after this gala is over.”

He was getting his grandmother’s jewelry back, but I didn’t want to drag Bella into the argument.

Bella shrugged. “Then my job is done. You look ravishing. My son can take it from here. He can be very persuasive.”

I caught her eyes in the mirror. “Bossy, you mean?”

She winked. “Sometimes, the Lancaster male tendency to be a little bit domineering isn’t all bad.”

My heart tripped as I thought about the way that Damian had taken complete control of my body the night before, after the theater.

I certainly didn’t mind surrendering to him in bed when he was in the mood to be bossy.

But is that really what Bella had meant?

As I looked at the gleam in her dark eyes, I was pretty sure that was exactly what she’d been getting at, but she just hadn’t said it outright.

“Are we all ready to get this party started?” Leo boomed as he strode through the open door. He offered one arm to his mother, and the other to me.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I mumbled as I took his arm.

“Watch out for the women who look like helpless kittens,” Leo said, bending his head toward me. “They actually do have claws.”

“Meow,” I answered with a little purr, letting him know I had a very sharp set of teeth, too.

“That’s my girl,” he said with a grin.

CHAPTER 31

Damian

“COME DANCE WITH me, gorgeous,” I demanded as I laid my hands gently on Nicole’s shoulders.

Maybe I had been a little late because I’d run into traffic on my way to Surrey from London, but I was here to claim my woman now.

When I’d entered the residence moments ago, I’d made a beeline for the ballroom, only to find a major crush of people filling the large room almost to capacity.

Nicole’s back was to me, and there was an abundance of pretty blonde women present, but I’d identified her immediately. I’d know my woman in a crowd at any time, under any circumstances. It seemed that I just gravitated toward her naturally.

Maybe it was her height that ultimately gave her away, but I hadn’t been paying much attention to that. It was the more subtle nuances that seemed to beckon me.

The way her shoulders shifted a little as she used her hands to talk.

The tilt of her head when she was listening.

The fact that she always stood still with one heel perched slightly off the floor.

The graceful arch of her neck and back.

I couldn’t miss the fact that the young Baron Whitewood looked completely enthralled with Nicole, and perhaps needed some help getting his tongue back into his mouth.

The two men flanking him looked equally enamored.

So I’d pushed through the crowd to stake my claim.

Those three bastards could just look elsewhere.

Nicole Ashworth was already mine.

I had to literally catch my breath as she turned, smiling broadly as she saw me. “Damian. I was getting worried,” she said, sounding as breathless as I was right now.

“I’m sorry,” I said with real remorse. “I got tied up in traffic.”

“You’re here now,” she said softly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” She threaded her arm through mine.

“Gentlemen, please excuse us while I have a dance with Nicole.” Honestly, I didn’t give a damn if I got their approval or not; I was hauling her away from all three of them.

Baron Whitewood slapped a hand to his chest dramatically. “I’m not sure I can endure the disappointment of losing the company of such a spectacular woman. Bring her back to us when your dance is over, Damian.”

Yeah, over my dead body will you ever get within shouting distance of Nicole again, Baron.

I was a man, and it was perfectly evident that he’d been trying to charm Nicole out of her knickers. Bastard.

“It was very nice to meet all of you,” Nicole said to them with a gracious smile.

“Not that nice,” I growled into her ear as I escorted her to the dance floor.

The only damn thing I was grateful about at the moment was that Mum had left her with three people who would never mention Dylan’s name.

Other than that, I saw no redeeming qualities in any of them, and I sure as fuck hadn’t liked the way they’d been looking