RUSH (Montgomery Men #1) - C.A. Harms Page 0,43
apartment gathering her clutch and shoes before walking back to meet me at the door. The last thing I wanted was for her to shy away from me and revert to that distant woman I first knew her as. But I couldn’t pretend that her hiding behind those brown contacts didn’t leave a long series of questions lingering in my mind.
After the first hour Kiera began to relax. She smiled and laughed as we mingled throughout the crowded room. I loved the look on her face as I introduced her as my girlfriend to each person we stopped to chat with. That simple expression of joy gave me an unbelievable high.
I possessively held on to her waist as the men scanned her appreciatively. She had gained the attention of every one of them, and that animalistic part of me wanted to show that she was, in fact, taken.
When dinner was ready to be served, I led her to the dining room and found our table. After we sat, I moved my chair in just a little closer, leaving little space between us.
She looked over at me with a knowing smile, and it was contagious because I offered her one in return just before leaning in to gently kiss her lips. It was hard to pull back, as my body instantly wanted more.
“You’ve given me no choice but to grow possessive,” I whispered, and she arched a brow in question. “A lot of men in this room are being scolded by their wives for staring too long at you. I have to show them you’re mine.”
Her cheeks reddened as she tucked her chin to her chest in an attempt to hide her reaction, but I stopped her by placing my finger beneath it. When her gaze met mine, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her once again. “Don’t hide from me, Kiera. You are beautiful, and the men in the room notice. Accept that beauty, sweetheart. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I just don’t know how to accept your compliments,” she confessed with a shrug.
“We’ll work on that, because I don’t plan on hiding what I feel for you,” I assured her. I thought I saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes, but it was gone before I could acknowledge it.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For just being you,” she replied before turning back toward the rest of the table, and the conversation between us died.
I wondered why some man hadn’t swept her off her feet long ago and spent every day thereafter cherishing every moment he’d been gifted with her.
We spent the meal chatting with the people at our table, most of who I knew well. All of them, women included, were completely awed by Kiera and her personality. I was in a state of bliss just watching her laugh and carry on as if she’d known them all for years.
She had no idea of the effect she had on those around her; how with one simple conversation she’d been able to capture their attention and show them her kindness. My chest tightened with a longing to wrap her in my arms and just breathe her in as I held her body against mine.
When dinner had ended and we moved back to the ballroom, I took her by the waist and led her toward the dance floor. When I twisted around to face her, she smiled up at me, and I fell just a little more. With just one look she made me feel like I was the best part of her day.
But even that look couldn’t tame my curiosity or the nagging doubt in the back of my mind. I wanted to know more about her. I could sense that she was hiding something in the way she avoided conversations regarding her past or offered vague details. She never discussed her family or any friends she had back home and changed the subject whenever I brought them up. Over the years, I’d gotten very good at reading people’s body language. That was one of the reasons I was so successful. Kiera’s body language often showed she was keeping something back. She’d tuck her head against her chest, toy with her hands, shift on her feet, and worry her lip. But it didn’t make me nervous. I knew whatever she was hiding couldn’t be as bad as her behavior suggested.
Could it?
KINSLEY
OUT OF ALL THE EVENTS I’d ever attended, this had to be the most peaceful, relaxed one. Everyone was so