In His Arms

Chapter 19

The realisation causes me to push him away as if I just touched an open flame, raising my hands to my warm lips, my breaths coming out in short quick pants. I glared at Alexander as I tried to register what just happened, and then in the spur of the movement, I allowed my right hand to make hard contact with his left cheek; hard enough to turn his face. As the realisation of what I just did dawn on me, I did the next best thing. I made the short run for the door that we exited through.

My cheeks are aflame as I run through the kitchen to get to the dining room, my hand covering my lips as if just by looking at the others will know what we just did and for some reason, I feel disobedient like a child would feel when they broke a vase or stole a scoop of ice cream from the pint in the freezer. A 'did the wrong thing kind' of feeling.

"Where were you?" Damian asks leaning over to me as I plop down next to him, the plate in front of me holds something that looks to be a generous slice of white chocolate cheesecake. "Do you want to explain to me what's going on, Janette?"

"Alexander is my fiance," I murmur hurriedly, my eyes darting around to make sure everyone else on the table is near enough to overhear us. "He didn't know I had plans tonight, much less that I was invited by you."

Damian's eyes grow wide in shock at this new piece of information as he leans back slightly to let out a long low breath which makes me stab my cheesecake a little harder than I originally meant to with my fork, my lower lip trapped between my teeth.

"You mean to tell me," He boils straining to keep his voice soft enough for only me to hear. "Alexander Holt, the same man who got a divorce not more than three months ago, is the man who put a ring on you?"

Taking a bite of my cheesecake, I nod sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with him. Leaning back into his seat once more, Damian runs a hand through his already messy hair exasperatedly as he absorbs the news.

"Janette, is it for the money?" He finally asks, pulling my dessert plate away from me, pulling my chin up to look me dead in the eye, catching the attention of his mother who watches us out of the corner of her eyes. "Are you in any trouble at all? Finance wise?"

Shaking off his hold on my chin, I give him my hardest glare yet, and snapping as softly but as sternly as I can so that Mrs Higgens overhears me, "Damian Louis Higgens! How dare you!"

Holding his hands up in surrender, Damian has the right to look sheepish after accusing me of marrying for money. In the four months that we've known each other, he should know from the conversation we've had that I want to earn my own money before I ever get into a relationship.

And I do earn my own money still.

"Okay so maybe you're not in financial trouble," He mumbles, lowering his hands. "How the hell did the two of you even meet? Much less even fall in love? You are so...you know...you! Alexander is like...you know...him! The two of you are so different. Falling in love with him should be like the moon trying to kiss the sun without getting burned."

"Opposites attract," I reply quietly, pulling my desert back to me, glancing at Mrs Higgens for a split second to see that she has openly begun to stare at her son and me. "We met at work. He's my boss's friend. That's all I'm going to say, for now until Alexander and I choose to go public, your mother is scrutinising us like a scientist to a specimen."

Damian scoffs audibly when I say this but a dark teasing tone enters his once irritated voice as he nudges my side, whispering, "Speak of the devil. Someone looks irritated."

Looking up from my barely eaten cheesecake, I see Alexander swiftly manoeuvring his way around the tables and various people walking around. His heated grey eyes are trained solely on me as he ignores everyone trying to speak to him, some of the women follow his intense gaze to glare at me as if it's my fault they're being ignored.