Lex glances up and catches me looking at him, his lips pressed firmly together. So, he wants to play games. I lean over to Julian, snuggling myself in his side. His lips brush against my ear as he whispers sweet words followed by dirty ones.
Unable to control my cheeks from flushing, my eyes carelessly wander to Lex. His now dark eyes are piercing through a vicious stare, his face tightening as he tries to intimidate me from across the table.
We battle for how long I don’t know, until he leans over to Becky, whispering something in her ear before standing and walking away from the table.
I can’t leave, not now, not without raising suspicion with Julian. As my fingers tap the table repeatedly, Julian places his hand on mine to calm me down.
“You seem anxious?”
“Me?” I say, over the music. “I’m fine. Just a lot of sangria and the need to burn it off.”
Julian plays with my engagement ring, his expression fixed. I’m waiting with bated breath for him to ask me about Lex. Inside my head, I’m trying to come up with answers to satisfy him, but nothing is worthy.
“We haven’t seen each other much…” he trails off, unable to make eye contact. “Not since the charity ball.”
“We’ve both been busy. I promise it’ll get better. Even you said we needed to find our groove.”
“Yes,” he lifts his gaze to meet mine, lips pressed firmly with a penetrating stare. “When we get married.”
I swallow repeatedly, hyperaware of my reaction to the word ‘marriage.’ Just as I’m about to say something, Adriana walks over to me, almost as if she can sense my discomfort.
“Char, come to the bathroom with me?”
Julian forces a smile, gesturing for me to go. Elijah is sitting on the other side of him and he uses the opportunity to discuss an article Julian wrote about the Haiti government.
Adriana grabs my hand, guiding me through the tables as we walk to the opposite side of the restaurant where the bathrooms are located. She stops before we get there, pulling her phone out of her Louis Vuitton purse. Excusing herself, she walks toward the exit to answer the call.
The restaurant is noisy, and as I stand here by myself, I decide to find Lex and ask him what his problem is. As I walk into the hallway where the bathrooms are lined, he exits the men’s room, surprised to see me.
I push his chest, angry for so many reasons. “What the hell is your problem, Lex?”
“Charlotte, don’t do this here, or you’ll regret it.”
“Regret what?”
He pulls me into another bathroom marked for private staff only. Within seconds, he locks the door and pins me against it. “I warned you,” he breathes, inches away from my lips.
With fire burning in his eyes, I know no matter how angry or hurt I am over our past and present, the control Lex has over me is far greater.
We’re fire and gasoline, a deadly combination ready to explode without a moment’s notice.
And the terrifying part is, I have no control around him.
I’m holding the match, watching him pour the gasoline, ready to watch us burst into flames. Again.
CHARLIE
Lex slams his lips to mine.
With my back forced against the wall, he nearly knocks the wind out of my lungs, desperate with his need to take me inside this small private bathroom.
I hardly have a moment to react, the weight of his body pressing against mine. I’m aware of his cock pressing against my stomach, my desperation exerted in a deep moan as he presses his tongue to the seam of my lips before delving inside my mouth.
My arms reach and tangle around his neck, pulling him closer to me. We both lose ourselves in this heated exchange, and despite how very wrong this is, I’m unable to stop, my body possessed by the need to have him inside of me.
Time is of t
he essence, and without any further delay, I drag my hand down to his belt, unbuckling to drop his pants to his ankles. Pulling myself back, creating a small distance, I gasp for air, glancing down to see his beautiful cock throbbing between us.