DARCIEDESPERATELYNEEDEDto get out of the lift. He’d echoed that mortifying invitation she’d made to him. But he’d meant it as merely a teasing reference and it was only infuriating because she was too frustrated to see the funny side.
‘It was a very successful evening.’ He followed up as the doors finally slid open.
‘Do you think?’ Darcie ground her teeth as she walked into the glittering lounge of the hotel’s penthouse suite. They were finally alone and she could get away from him. Sitting opposite a tuxedoed Elias Greyson had stolen one appetite while stoking another and it had been almost impossible to concentrate on even the lightest of social conversation.
Tomorrow they would return to London. Not soon enough. They’d get on with the application for Lily. Everything was going to plan yet she felt unbearably edgy. Jumpy. Yeah,frustrated.
‘I didn’t know about their involvement with foster children,’ she said, trying to divert her thoughts. That hadn’t just startled her, it had raised her suspicions.
‘Nor did I.’ He followed her progress into the lounge, his intensity building when she shot him a sceptical look. ‘You don’t believe me?’
‘It’s just a little convenient that you take your former foster child bride to meet the man you want to impress and it turns outhe’sbeen a foster parent.’
‘I didn’t know you were ever in the foster system till yesterday, Darcie, and I’d already offered to marry you by then.’
She knew her angry reaction was illogical, but she was still cross with him.
‘Besides which—’ he rubbed his jaw thoughtfully ‘—I had no real need to impress him.’
She turned jerkily. ‘I know. But it makes me nervous to see how easily you can lie.’
‘I can lie?’ he echoed idly, and smoothly slipped his jacket off. ‘When did I lie?’
‘Tonight. With Vince.’
‘Oh.’ He tossed his jacket onto the nearby armchair and slowly advanced on her. ‘What do you think I lied about?’ He untied his tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
‘When you said...’ She was distracted by his slow undressing and increasingly awkward that she’d said anything at all. She should have made like him last night and gone straight to her bedroom.
‘I didn’t lie to Vince, Darcie. I never lie,’ he said softly. ‘For the record, every word I spoke tonight was true.’
No, it wasn’t. She instinctively took a step backwards.
His mouth quirked. ‘Can you explain which bit bothered you?’
Well, she wasn’t about to repeat it now.
‘Don’t hold back, Darcie.’ His voice dropped to a whisper. ‘I want to know what you’re really thinking. I know you’ve not always felt in a position to do that before. But now is different, isn’t it?’
It was appalling the way she melted when he said that. She swallowed.
‘I never thought you’d be a coward,’ he jeered lightly as he kept walking towards her with the feline grace of some dancer. Or predator. ‘But I thought we pulled off the image of happy newlyweds without needing to lie at all.’
That assessment annoyed her even more. She didn’t want to be beholden to him. ‘The whole thing is stupid,’ she muttered as she kept backing away from him. ‘I shouldn’t have had to do all this.’
She wanted to be there for Lily. She knew she could take care of Lily without needing—
She hit the wall. Literally. She huffed and put her hands on her hips and glared at him. ‘The last thing I wanted to do was actually get married to anyone.Ever.’
‘No?’ His eyes widened but he still kept walking. ‘Ditto. Yet inexplicably, here we are.’
He stopped, right in front of her. For a charged moment she glared up at him only then, to her shock, Elias smiled at her. And she suddenly giggled. A pop of laughter just bubbled up and burst out.
‘You never wanted to marry?’ He asked when she sobered—almost instantly. ‘Not ever?’
‘Of course not,’ she mumbled. ‘I know I can take care of Lily all by myself. I don’t need some guy rescuing us. But they just won’t accept that I’m good enough on my own.’
‘Good enough?’ He regarded her solemnly. ‘Darcie—’