pearls.
I almost snorted when her hand went to a beautiful string of them at her throat.
“Cage.” Sinclair had shifted his focus to the singer lounging in his chair like a God. “I wasn’t aware you knew Giselle.”
He shrugged and brushed the end of his braid against the plush weight of his bottom lip. It was such a sensual gesture that both Elena and I shifted restlessly. “We met in Paris. We are friends for a while now.”
“You never mentioned,” Sinclair said, his teeth slightly bared.
Cage shrugged again. “I didn’t make the connection between Giselle and your lovely Elena until just now.”
The atmosphere between us, already fraught, vibrated with tension. Elena looked between us all with a small smile that was far from genuine. My sister didn’t like to be left out of the loop.
“You two are dating, then?” Something like distaste flashed across her face as she looked at Cage and a high flush crept up her neck.
“No,” Sinclair barked, at the same time that Cage grinned at me and winked.
“Would it be the end of the world if they were, Daniel?” Elena looked at him with disapproving concern and I was surprised that we were getting away with the barely concealed deception. It was so obvious to me that a secret was being – poorly – hidden right before her eyes, but for all her natural curiosity and brainpower, Elena was oblivious.
“Yes.” Dev nodded solemnly. “You see, there is already a line.”
“A line?”
He nodded again. “A waiting list for the honor of taking this lovely woman out to dinner.”
I laughed at the flirtatious Frenchman; grateful to him for reasons he couldn’t possibly understand. Playing along, I placed my hand on his arm and leaned in intimately. “Technically, you beat everyone to the punch. You’ve already fed me dinner.”
We both looked at the empty plates littering the white clothed dinner table and everyone, except for Sinclair, laughed.
“Cheater,” Cage accused with playfully narrowed eyes but I noticed them flick over to Sinclair and held my breath when he stirred restlessly next to me. “Although, if any woman is worth it, it’s Giselle. Don’t you agree, Elena?”
I kicked him hard under the table. That was taking his twisted game way too far and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Sinclair glared at his best friend with such concentrated hatred that I thought his blood vessels might pop.
“Daniel.” Elena tried to soothe him with a soft stroke down the arm.
If I had been in a position to offer comfort, I would have slid my hand into the back pocket of his slim fitting trousers and squeezed his pert ass. It would have both turned him on and forced him to recognize my presence. My fingers twitched on the table to do just that, and I wasn’t surprised when his eyes snapped to them. I extended my pinkie finger towards him, furious and ashamed that I could offer no more. A muscle in his jaw ticked once before his mask slid back into place.
“You are here for dinner, yes?” Dev asked, standing up to flee back to the kitchen and away from the awkwardness. “Let me show you to your table, oui ?”
Elena’s eyes flicked across our faces, her pink lips pursed. She was clever enough to sense the undercurrents swirling beneath the murky waters and I wondered if her curiosity would get the better of her instinct to back away from the mess.
“Giselle, I have a favor to ask of you. Do you have a free moment tomorrow morning for coffee?”
I held my breath as my mind raced across excuses, leaping from one to another as if they were hot coals. Nothing seemed suitable and besides, I had the stupid, crazy desire to see the apartment that my ex-lover and older sister shared.
“Sure.”
I risked a glance at Sinclair and found him looking at me with guarded eyes. His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something but Elena’s tugged him forward and broke our connection.
“Tomorrow then.” She smiled slightly at me, the
I almost snorted when her hand went to a beautiful string of them at her throat.
“Cage.” Sinclair had shifted his focus to the singer lounging in his chair like a God. “I wasn’t aware you knew Giselle.”
He shrugged and brushed the end of his braid against the plush weight of his bottom lip. It was such a sensual gesture that both Elena and I shifted restlessly. “We met in Paris. We are friends for a while now.”
“You never mentioned,” Sinclair said, his teeth slightly bared.
Cage shrugged again. “I didn’t make the connection between Giselle and your lovely Elena until just now.”
The atmosphere between us, already fraught, vibrated with tension. Elena looked between us all with a small smile that was far from genuine. My sister didn’t like to be left out of the loop.
“You two are dating, then?” Something like distaste flashed across her face as she looked at Cage and a high flush crept up her neck.
“No,” Sinclair barked, at the same time that Cage grinned at me and winked.
“Would it be the end of the world if they were, Daniel?” Elena looked at him with disapproving concern and I was surprised that we were getting away with the barely concealed deception. It was so obvious to me that a secret was being – poorly – hidden right before her eyes, but for all her natural curiosity and brainpower, Elena was oblivious.
“Yes.” Dev nodded solemnly. “You see, there is already a line.”
“A line?”
He nodded again. “A waiting list for the honor of taking this lovely woman out to dinner.”
I laughed at the flirtatious Frenchman; grateful to him for reasons he couldn’t possibly understand. Playing along, I placed my hand on his arm and leaned in intimately. “Technically, you beat everyone to the punch. You’ve already fed me dinner.”
We both looked at the empty plates littering the white clothed dinner table and everyone, except for Sinclair, laughed.
“Cheater,” Cage accused with playfully narrowed eyes but I noticed them flick over to Sinclair and held my breath when he stirred restlessly next to me. “Although, if any woman is worth it, it’s Giselle. Don’t you agree, Elena?”
I kicked him hard under the table. That was taking his twisted game way too far and I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Sinclair glared at his best friend with such concentrated hatred that I thought his blood vessels might pop.
“Daniel.” Elena tried to soothe him with a soft stroke down the arm.
If I had been in a position to offer comfort, I would have slid my hand into the back pocket of his slim fitting trousers and squeezed his pert ass. It would have both turned him on and forced him to recognize my presence. My fingers twitched on the table to do just that, and I wasn’t surprised when his eyes snapped to them. I extended my pinkie finger towards him, furious and ashamed that I could offer no more. A muscle in his jaw ticked once before his mask slid back into place.
“You are here for dinner, yes?” Dev asked, standing up to flee back to the kitchen and away from the awkwardness. “Let me show you to your table, oui ?”
Elena’s eyes flicked across our faces, her pink lips pursed. She was clever enough to sense the undercurrents swirling beneath the murky waters and I wondered if her curiosity would get the better of her instinct to back away from the mess.
“Giselle, I have a favor to ask of you. Do you have a free moment tomorrow morning for coffee?”
I held my breath as my mind raced across excuses, leaping from one to another as if they were hot coals. Nothing seemed suitable and besides, I had the stupid, crazy desire to see the apartment that my ex-lover and older sister shared.
“Sure.”
I risked a glance at Sinclair and found him looking at me with guarded eyes. His lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something but Elena’s tugged him forward and broke our connection.
“Tomorrow then.” She smiled slightly at me, the
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