STELLA
That night,absent of any other plans, I accompanied Christian to dinner at his friend Dante’s house.
I’d met Dante before the night of the blizzard, but I’d forgotten how intimidating he was. Even in a simple black shirt and pants, he commanded authority in a way that was different from Christian but equally as powerful.
Christian was a finely honed assassin’s blade sheathed in velvet; Dante was a hammer burning bright with deadly intent. Lethal and striking, with no ambiguity as to the damage he could inflict if crossed.
His fiancée Vivian, on the other hand, was open-faced and friendly, with beautiful dark eyes and a warm smile.
Strangely enough, she was quick to grace everyone with that smile except Dante. The engaged pair hadn’t looked at each other once since Christian and I arrived.
“I didn’t realize you were dating Christian when I met you.” Dante’s deep voice pulled me away from my curiosity and sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine. Italian accents. They did it for me every time. “Now it makes sense.”
He bestowed a hard stare at Christian, who yawned.
For two people who claimed to be friends, they didn’t act particularly friendly toward each other.
“What makes sense?” I asked.
“How distracted he’s been lately.” Dante swirled his wine in his glass. “Wouldn’t you agree, Christian?”
“My record profits this quarter say otherwise,” Christian drawled. He rested a hand on my thigh, the touch so casual yet possessive it sent heat arrowing to my core.
“It’s not your business that’s in trouble,” Dante said dryly.
Christian stared back at him with as much interest as someone listening to an insurance sales pitch. He rubbed his thumb over my bare skin. Softly, just once, but it was enough to cloud my thoughts.
I was so focused on the warm pressure of his hand I couldn’t focus on anything else, not even the delicious food.
What is wrong with me?
I’d never lost my head over a guy like this. It was disconcerting.
Vivian cut through the brewing tension with a well-timed interruption. “You and Stella make a beautiful couple.” She shot him an amused glance. “I never thought I’d see the day when Christian Harper would get a girlfriend.”
“Neither did I, but Stella took me by surprise.” The reply was so warm and intimate, I almost believed it.
My heart rate kicked up as the butterflies in my stomach went wild again.
I took a big gulp of wine to calm them down.
It’s just for show. It’s not real.
Christian donned casual affection as easily as he did one of his suits. There was no reason to believe his actions were anything more than playing into our ruse.
Other than our almost but not really kiss two weeks ago, he’d never indicated he wanted us to be real.
Sure, he’d gone above and beyond when it came to the stalker, but that was literally a matter of life and death. It didn’t mean he liked me.
Attracted to me? Possibly, but I didn’t think he wanted anything more than sex.
My head spun. Everything felt too confusing after he kissed me today, even if it had just been to distract me from my nerves.
I firmly believed that if someone showed you who they were, believe them. And Christian had indicated time and time again that he wasn’t interested in a real relationship.
The day people stopped thinking they could change someone who didn’t want to be changed was the day fewer hearts got broken.
I wanted a real relationship one day, but I did not think for a second I could ever change Christian Harper.
It’s just for show. It’s not real.
Luckily, the tension blanketing the table gradually dissolved as dinner went on, drowned by good drinks and good food.
By the time the entrée rolled around, even Vivian and Dante were talking to each other, though their conversations consisted mainly of asking the other to pass the food.
But no matter who was speaking, half of my attention remained tuned into Christian. He sat inches to my right, his presence a living, breathing distraction that crowded my lungs and clouded my thoughts.
Easy smiles, teasing drawls, and skin gilded gold by the dim lighting and wine-fueled haze.
It was my first time seeing him in such a relaxed group setting, and I finally understood how people could get sucked into his charm and underestimate him.
For all his care and concern toward me, I’d never once doubted the ruthlessness that lay beneath his civilized veneer. But here, watching him laugh and joke with effortless grace, I almost believed he was nothing more than a wealthy playboy with only money and good times on his mind.
Christian turned to answer a question from Vivian, but his thumb made another slow sweep over my skin.
It’s just for show. It’s not real.
A tiny bead of sweat formed on my forehead. I was wearing a sleeveless dress, but I was burning up.
“How did you and Christian meet?” I asked Dante, both to distract from Christian’s touch and because I was truly curious.
I hadn’t met any of Christian’s other friends (Brock and Kage didn’t count since they worked for him), and I was dying to know their backstory.
“I was his first client.” Dante leaned back in his chair. “He was a kid fresh out of college—”
“You’re three years older than me,” Christian cut in.
Our host ignored him. “I took a chance on him. Best and worst decision I ever made.”
“Worst?” Christian scoffed. “Do you remember what happened in Rome?” He turned to me while Dante rolled his eyes. “We were transporting jewels to a new store in the city…”
A smile tugged on my lips as he told the story about how he prevented the Russo Group from losing millions of dollars worth of diamonds.
Not because the story was funny, but because Christian was the most unguarded I’d ever seen him.