him.
Clarke’s round face flushed scarlet as he pulled at his bow tie. “I’m sorry, Pumpkin. I never thought to mention it.” He was well and truly under his wife’s thumb. It made me chuckle.
Clarke and Claudine began to converse with each other, and when I took my eyes away from them, I caught Parks staring at me. Our gazes locked again as he gracefully took hold of my hand and kissed my knuckles as his wild green eyes looked down my body.
“Evelyn, may I say how breathtaking you look tonight.” He tugged on my hand and discreetly pulled my body into his before dipping into my ear and wrapping his free hand around my ponytail. “I especially like this.” My back stiffened as Parks ran his hand down it and onto the exposed skin, courtesy of my backless dress. His touch tickled.
“I don’t think your date would approve, do you?” I hissed from the side of my mouth, still plastering on a fake grin to try and act natural in front of Claudine and Clarke. Parks did the same. He smiled as he leaned into me to speak in a low, sultry voice.
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”
I laughed at his narcissistic attitude. “Is that why you did it? To make me jealous, Parks? Well, you’re out of luck. Jealously is an emotion I do not feel.” At least, I thought I didn’t until that day.
“Is there any emotion you do feel, Evelyn?”
My head shot towards his indignantly, then I slowly closed my eyes. “Don’t.” Was he trying to get personal? Because personal was something else I didn’t do.
While everyone continued to confer, he bent down and whispered into my ear again. His warm breath brushed over my skin, causing shock waves to break out inside and outside of my body. “If you think playing hard to get or ignoring the chemistry between us is going to put me off, then you’re wrong. It turns me the fuck on.”
God, I ignored the way my body shivered from the combination of his flawless features and his blunt sex talk. “I don’t see how telling you no is playing hard to get.”
He ran his hand down my back again until his fingers cupped my arse, then discretely circled my backside with his palm. “Tell me the reason you’re withholding, Evelyn? Just imagine what we could have.”
He wanted to know my reason? Was he kidding me? “If we had something, Parks, it would be flammable.”
He licked my earlobe with the tip of his tongue. “Then let’s ignite the flame.”
He wanted to ignite my flame? I gasped a little and pulled back to see his face. He was watching me attentively, his green eyes hiding something deep inside them. I could almost see the softness. I knew what a shielded persona looked like. I was a living example of one. Whether he hid one too was the definitive question.
He was about to raise his hand to caress my face, not giving the people in our company a second thought, but Alex unintentionally barged between us.
“Evey, your orange juice.”
I pulled myself away from the salacity of Parks’s eyes and dropped my gaze to the floor to try and act natural.
“Oh, um…Parks, right?” Alex’s awkward question made me risk a glance up. Parks’s eyes narrowed as they moved from mine to Alex’s acrimoniously as he figured out why Alex was with me.
“You are Evelyn’s plus one?” It wasn’t a question. It was a remark of a silent outrage. I could see his jaw tense, his demeanour building up in fury.
“I suppose I am.” Alex shrugged all laddish and handed me my orange juice.
Clarke was the first to comment on beverage choice. “Are you not going to join us in getting merry, Evey?”
“You can’t get merry on orange juice,” Claudine added with an excited snort. I think she was already merry.
“Evey doesn’t drink,” Alex told them kindly whilst trying to shrug Parks off. He was still staring at me like I was his, which made the situation completely awkward.
Parks was not about to allow Alex to claim my attention, though. “Evelyn, a quiet word.” His stiff
Clarke’s round face flushed scarlet as he pulled at his bow tie. “I’m sorry, Pumpkin. I never thought to mention it.” He was well and truly under his wife’s thumb. It made me chuckle.
Clarke and Claudine began to converse with each other, and when I took my eyes away from them, I caught Parks staring at me. Our gazes locked again as he gracefully took hold of my hand and kissed my knuckles as his wild green eyes looked down my body.
“Evelyn, may I say how breathtaking you look tonight.” He tugged on my hand and discreetly pulled my body into his before dipping into my ear and wrapping his free hand around my ponytail. “I especially like this.” My back stiffened as Parks ran his hand down it and onto the exposed skin, courtesy of my backless dress. His touch tickled.
“I don’t think your date would approve, do you?” I hissed from the side of my mouth, still plastering on a fake grin to try and act natural in front of Claudine and Clarke. Parks did the same. He smiled as he leaned into me to speak in a low, sultry voice.
“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?”
I laughed at his narcissistic attitude. “Is that why you did it? To make me jealous, Parks? Well, you’re out of luck. Jealously is an emotion I do not feel.” At least, I thought I didn’t until that day.
“Is there any emotion you do feel, Evelyn?”
My head shot towards his indignantly, then I slowly closed my eyes. “Don’t.” Was he trying to get personal? Because personal was something else I didn’t do.
While everyone continued to confer, he bent down and whispered into my ear again. His warm breath brushed over my skin, causing shock waves to break out inside and outside of my body. “If you think playing hard to get or ignoring the chemistry between us is going to put me off, then you’re wrong. It turns me the fuck on.”
God, I ignored the way my body shivered from the combination of his flawless features and his blunt sex talk. “I don’t see how telling you no is playing hard to get.”
He ran his hand down my back again until his fingers cupped my arse, then discretely circled my backside with his palm. “Tell me the reason you’re withholding, Evelyn? Just imagine what we could have.”
He wanted to know my reason? Was he kidding me? “If we had something, Parks, it would be flammable.”
He licked my earlobe with the tip of his tongue. “Then let’s ignite the flame.”
He wanted to ignite my flame? I gasped a little and pulled back to see his face. He was watching me attentively, his green eyes hiding something deep inside them. I could almost see the softness. I knew what a shielded persona looked like. I was a living example of one. Whether he hid one too was the definitive question.
He was about to raise his hand to caress my face, not giving the people in our company a second thought, but Alex unintentionally barged between us.
“Evey, your orange juice.”
I pulled myself away from the salacity of Parks’s eyes and dropped my gaze to the floor to try and act natural.
“Oh, um…Parks, right?” Alex’s awkward question made me risk a glance up. Parks’s eyes narrowed as they moved from mine to Alex’s acrimoniously as he figured out why Alex was with me.
“You are Evelyn’s plus one?” It wasn’t a question. It was a remark of a silent outrage. I could see his jaw tense, his demeanour building up in fury.
“I suppose I am.” Alex shrugged all laddish and handed me my orange juice.
Clarke was the first to comment on beverage choice. “Are you not going to join us in getting merry, Evey?”
“You can’t get merry on orange juice,” Claudine added with an excited snort. I think she was already merry.
“Evey doesn’t drink,” Alex told them kindly whilst trying to shrug Parks off. He was still staring at me like I was his, which made the situation completely awkward.
Parks was not about to allow Alex to claim my attention, though. “Evelyn, a quiet word.” His stiff
Similar Books
