I scrutinized her every move, from her mannerisms to the way she flipped her hair as she spoke.Getting these men to hang on her every word. I noticed her subtle movements and how she stood and casually swaying her body to the beat of the music from the orchestra performing.
Never once did she break eye contact with who she was speaking to. The way she casually touched their arms or chests, making sure to laugh or smile on cue.
Paige could handle herself and that was probably the hardest pill to swallow for me. Gone was the shy naive girl I knew years ago and, in her place, stood a woman who exuded confidence and sexuality. She was blatantly using it to her advantage; she proved she was the epitome of perfection.
In and out of my bedroom.
My ability to study her shattered when a man I didn’t recognize was escorting her up the stairs to a more private dance floor. He was holding her a little too close for my comfort. His touch was sensual, taking in her every word as if he was trying to claim what was already mine.
It was as if she felt me from across the room, and we locked eyes. It didn’t take long for her to realize the jealously searing off my skin and into hers.
With an ulterior motive, she backed him into the balcony rail and smirked at me while leaning in close to his cheek. Close enough to lay her hand on his chest and playfully laugh in his ear like he’s the funniest man she’d ever spoken to.
It was only then I understood what she was purposely trying to provoke out of me. Paying me back for earlier with Jasmine, I was sure. I wasn’t lying to her. I did use escorts often. It was easier that way, but I wasn’t actually going to use one tonight. I was only trying to get her to see reason. That she still loved me whether she wanted to or not.
I observed them for what felt like forever, trying to hold in my temper with the performance she was adamant on displaying for me. When they started dancing intimately under the twinkling white lights as if she was Cinder-fucking-ella and he was Prince Charming my restraint snapped. Hitting me like a bolt of lightning.
Possessiveness washed over me at breakneck speed, spreading clear across the distance between us.
Two can play this game, sweetheart.
She should have known better than to bait me.
I always won.
It was how I was made.
To truly test Paige’s self-control and determination to keep up her façade of no longer loving me, I walked over to the luscious blonde by the bar who had been eye fucking me all night. Grabbing ahold of her hand, I led her up the stairs to the dance floor.
No one was up there but the four of us, making it much easier to pull the blonde close to my chest. Giving Paige front row seats to the show I was simply playing for her.
Never tearing my heated gaze off hers, I wrapped my arm around the blonde’s lower back and placed her left arm on my shoulder before I entwined our other hands at our sides. The blonde gasped as I unexpectedly placed my right leg in between hers, so she was pretty much straddling my thigh and then I hugged her tight into my torso.
I allowed no distance between us as I locked eyes with the blonde like she was the only woman in the room that mattered. But in reality, that woman was in another man’s arms.
Beginning a war with me.
“Oh, wow. I guess what they say about the infamous Adrian Drake is true,” she purred against my ear.
I grinned, lightly pressing my lips to her ear, whispering, “Sweetheart, you have no idea.”
She giggled in that girly way as if it was the best compliment of her life. When the truth was, I didn’t give a flying fuck about her. I was only using her to prove a point to the woman whose penetrating stare was throwing daggers in our direction.
I didn’t pay Paige any mind, stirring her emotions the same way she just fucked with mine.
I could physically feel Paige’s restraint being stretched to the max. Her collected composure cracked momentarily as her eyes turned murderous with her nostrils flaring for a split second.
I had her exactly where I wanted her. It only confirmed to Paige that she still loved me. No matter what.
She. Loved. Me.
I continued to dance with the blonde while Paige’s fiery composure burned into my skin. Nothing could have prepared Paige for the reaction I was purposely evoking. She knew damn well she was only woman who always faithfully had my attention.
The song was coming to an end, and so was my shameless performance. I slightly dipped the blonde back again, using the blatant display as an opportunity to really one-up Paige. She needed to understand I was aware she was full of shit regarding how she felt toward me. Grazing my lips across her neck.