The Man I Thought I Loved (Two-Faced #2) - E. L. Todd Page 0,63

It was more than enough, gave me more satisfaction than the hard sex we used to have. She was far more beautiful like this, free of makeup, her heart on her sleeve instead of locked behind a cage.

Her arm slid around my torso, her hand against my back. Her eyes moved down to my lips, but she didn’t kiss me. She stayed still, fought the same urges I felt.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.” My hand glided up until I brushed the hair out of her face, my fingers keeping it pinned back as they slid farther into the curtain of softness. I closed my eyes a moment later, feeling the peace I’d been searching for my entire life. It was the first relationship I’d had with anyone where I didn’t have to question why they were there. It wasn’t because of my wealth, my status, my connections. We didn’t meet at a charity gala, spotting each other across the room. She wasn’t part of that fast life at all. Hers was slow, easy, real. The heaviness in my heart was both painful and bittersweet. The way I felt about this woman made me realize what I felt about Rose had never been real, even when our relationship was good. There wasn’t this deep connection, this level of friendship, a relationship where the person wasn’t just your lover, but your best friend.

She whispered back. “Goodnight, Dax…”

My driver pulled up to the restaurant.

I looked at her in the seat beside me. “No reason to be nervous.”

She turned to me, her eyebrow arched and high. “Nervous? Honey, I don’t get nervous.” She opened the door, flipped her hair, and stepped out of the car.

I grinned slightly before I joined her on the sidewalk. She was in a red dress, which looked lovely with her dark hair and fair complexion. The sleeves fell down her arms, and she wore black pumps. “I’m sorry we have to go to a fancy place. I’ve been told you hate pretentious food.”

She grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I know your sister and William like this sort of thing, so it’s three to one. And now that I know there’re two billionaires at the table, it doesn’t bother me so much.”

My arm circled her waist, and I pulled her close. “You look beautiful.”

Her eyes softened at the compliment. “Thank you.”

In truth, she looked incredible, sexy as hell, and I missed our alleyway fucks for a second.

“But you’re the beautiful one.”

That made me want to roll my eyes because no one noticed me when I stood beside her. My lips moved to hers, and I kissed her, careful not to ruin her red lipstick, but once our mouths were combined, the fire started.

I had to force myself to pull away and guide her into the restaurant. After I checked in at the desk, I was led to the table where Renee and William were already waiting. His arm was over the back of her chair, and he was pivoted toward her, giving his full attention to the woman who’d stolen his heart. He was in a sports jacket, and he was listening to her talk. Renee had her hair pulled back, and she was in a simple black dress.

Renee stopped talking when she saw us approach the table. “They’re here.”

William rose to his feet and shook my hand. “Long time, no see.”

“Join us on Wednesday.”

“I think I can make that happen.” He turned to Carson next. “Wow…almost didn’t recognize you. I’m used to seeing you in shorts with a basketball in your hands.”

“And sweaty and gross,” she added with a chuckle. “Yes, I look like a girl in real life.”

“You look lovely.” He embraced her with a one-armed hug. “And you look lovely on the court too.”

She smiled at his compliment. “Thank you.”

I moved to Renee next, giving her a brief hug. “You look nice.”

“Thanks.” She seemed to be the nervous one of the night, because she cleared her throat as she approached Carson. She extended her hand to shake hers. “It’s nice to see you again. I hope we can get off on the right foot this time.”

Carson didn’t hesitate before she shook her hand. “There’s no hard feelings, really. You were just protecting your own, and I respect that. And I’ve got rhino skin, so it’s pretty much impossible to offend me. You’ve got to be that way in my line of work.”

Renee nodded. “Well, I’m glad we can give this another go. And I’m very happy that you and my