Come Home Again (The Donovans) by Nana Malone Page B

but dripped with ice. “Why don’t you tell the pretend CEO here that grown folks are talking and he should mind his fucking business.” He glared at Nate as he added. “I suggest you stay away from me and Delilah.”
    Oh shit. This could, not, happen . “Would the two of you stop it?” She slid between both men and patted their chests, making sure to keep her smile in place. She turned to Nate. “You need to go back to your date. I have this under control.” To Michael she said, “You need to take no for an answer. Conversation over.”
    Nate looked reluctant to leave her side, but she shoved him in the right direction. Michael, on the other hand, took a quick and decisive step toward her, his jaw set and his eyes narrowed. “Who is he?”
    “A client. Like you. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She stalked away without a backward glance. She might have imagined the burning stare on her back, but every instinct in her body told her she was being watched.
    ###
    N ate gripped his glass as he watched Ross stare after Delilah. That shithead needed to get a fucking clue before he gave him one. His date, just returning from the powder room, must have noticed his tension, because she placed a hand on his arm.
    “Nate, are you all right?”
    His gaze flickered to her. Delilah had been right. Elizabeth was the perfect date. Money, connections. And the air of blueblood about her. She'd introduced him to half the room. Delilah certainly knew what she was doing. He had to give her that much. He didn’t exactly run in these circles, so having someone who did, who could shuttle him around made it all bearable. “Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?”
    She coughed with an exasperated laugh. “Well, because you haven’t heard a word I've said for the last five minutes, and right about now, you look like you’re ready to do some physical damage to someone. I promise you that won't go over well with the organizers. Fisticuffs are strictly verboten.”
    He knew she meant it as a joke, but his jaw still clenched. It's not like she had any idea about his past. All Delilah had told her was he was the new acting CEO and he needed a date who knew how to work a crowd. But still, he worried she might see through to the kid he’d once been. Relax, dumbass. She doesn’t see through you. And he'd better keep it that way. He forced a smile. None of these people would find out about the real him. That thug kid had to stay hidden. At least in front of the masses. He owed Chase that much. “You have nothing to worry about.”
    Elizabeth faltered and leaned back an inch. Damn . He really had to work on softening the edges. He worked his carefully constructed mask back into place.
    This time, she visibly relaxed with a deep sigh. “Now, let's go meet the mayor. He's a terrible golfer, but he's a good man to have in your corner. You should suggest a game.”
    Golf ? He'd rather shoot himself in his left nut. But he nodded benignly and followed her.
    For the next thirty minutes, he chatted and made small talk, mentally cataloguing everyone he met. All of them had some distinction, and were, so far, fooled by the façade. Good . That was what he wanted. He only had to do this for a couple of months. He could do anything for that long, right?
    In his peripheral vision, he occasionally caught sight of Delilah laughing and smiling. This sort of thing came so easy to her. Sure, she was working, but there was an authenticity about every interaction that helped her connect to people. She’d always been like that. That was probably the reason she had clients in the first place. People wanted to trust her. Wanted to talk to her because she looked like she was listening.
    When Delilah headed toward the far corner of the ballroom, Ross followed at a discrete distance, and the hairs on Nate’s arms stood upright. Shit . Excusing himself from some useless bullshit conversation about local politics, he followed Ross to the rear exit.
    Once he was in the