Midnight Magic, page 181
The other woman met her gaze in the mirror and quirked an eyebrow. "Out on the cold balcony?" She gestured to Bolt's jacket, still draped over Regie's shoulders. "Maybe you should take that off."
Heat crawled up Regie's cheeks. The cold paper towel had no effect. "Yeah...I...um," she mumbled.
Nora chuckled. "It's okay. If I'd brought a hunky date, I'd be out on the balcony for some private time too."
"It wasn't like that." Regie stopped. It was exactly like that and much more. She studied the other woman. Was she and Bolt more than colleagues? A sharp pain jabbed her in the middle of her ribs at the thought. She had no right to resent Nora if she and Bolt were a couple, but she did.
Regie and Bolt were just pretend. Weren't they? She hadn't pretended when they'd been together outside.
Had he?
Was it all just part of the role he played? If so, that was all kinds of messed up on so many levels. She threw the paper towel in the waste bin with more force than necessary.
"There seems to be some crud on the jacket," Nora said, brushing her hand down Regie's back. "What is that?"
Regie slid the garment off her shoulders and swung it around so she could see the back. Dust covered the black fabric. "I don't know," she lied. The wall Bolt had pushed her up against must have been dirty.
Nora threw her a look but didn't say anything. Instead, she got a dry paper towel and used it as an impromptu lint brush. "There," she said when most of the dust had been cleared off the cloth. "It's not perfect, but it's good enough."
"Are you and Bolt a couple?" Regie blurted out.
"No," Nora shot her a look. "If we were, he wouldn't be going out on the balcony with you." She lifted her chin, her lips stretched in an evil grin. "I wouldn't allow it."
"Even if it's part of the role he has to play as my fake fiancé?"
The other woman shook her head. "Appearing to be a couple is one thing. Doing things a couple would do, is another." She repeated the chilly, scary smile. "My man would know what he could and could not do with a client and still have the right to be my man." She tilted her head. "Did he do something that made you feel uncomfortable?"
Regie blushed again. "No, nothing like that."
Nora nodded. "I didn't think he would. Bolt is a stand-up guy. I love him like a brother but still needed to check." She took a step toward the door. "Are you ready to go back out there?"
"You go ahead. I'll catch up with you." She needed a few more minutes to herself and to refresh a little.
"Actually, you can't be on your own. That's why I followed you in here. One of us needs to be with you at all times." She opened the door. "But as long as nobody else enters, I'll just be right outside. So, take a moment for yourself." With an apologetic smile, she left. A burst of loud music reached Regie's ears before the door closed again.
CHAPTER 22
Regie took a deep breath to center herself. For just a moment, she'd forgotten about the stalker and the death threats.
Bolt had made that happen. Had made her forget.
She bit her lip, not sure how she felt about him having that much power over her. And what if it had been just a game of pretending for him? He'd been attracted to her--she'd felt his erection--but did he feel anything else for her?
How did she feel about him?
This was too complicated to figure out tonight.
She needed to get her mind back on the original purpose of tonight, appearing with Bolt in public and announcing him as her fiancé. She'd pose for some pictures with him and introduce Bolt to the journalists and photographers.
She moistened another paper towel and ran it under her eyes to remove some mascara flecks and then reapplied her lipstick and straightened her dress. The raw silk material already had a slight crinkle, and so the wrinkles she and Bolt had added didn't stand out too much.
She studied herself in the mirror again. That was as good as she could make herself with the help of paper towels and lipstick.
Her skin still looked flushed.
Hopefully, people would think she was excited about being newly engaged and not suspect that her new dewy glow was from being sexually satisfied by her fake fiancé.
A giggle rose in her throat, but she forced it down.
Time to be serious. To be business-like.
To be the Regie she usually was. Somehow that woman felt like a stranger, though. She didn’t want to go back to being in control all the time. She liked this new Regie who gave into impulses and followed her heart.
But it couldn’t be.
Too many people depended on her. She couldn’t afford to indulge in whims and desires.
Regie took a few deep breaths, picked up her clutch, and opened the door.
Music assaulted her ears again.
Nora waited outside, just like she'd said, and together, the two women walked back to their table, Regie carrying Bolt's jacket.
He stood as she approached, and she handed him the garment, which he slipped back on.
"There was dirt on it," Nora said with a glint in her eye, "but we got it all brushed off."
Bolt shot her a wry look. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Nora said in a sing-song voice. "I'm going to take a walk around the room." She wondered off.
"Everything okay," Bolt asked, pulling a chair out for Regie.
She sat. "Yeah, I'm fine." They were the only two people at the table. "Where are the others?"
"Your grandfather is chatting with someone he knows at another table. Arek and Laney are still dancing." He took her hand. "You sure you're okay?” His gaze searched her face.
Regie nodded, touched by his concern. "I'm fine, honestly." Her cellphone vibrated, and she retrieved it from the clutch in her lap, flipping it over so she could see the screen.
I like that dress on you. The text was from a blocked number.
She stifled a gasp, but Bolt instantly straightened in his chair.
"What?" he asked, grabbing her hand so he could see the screen too but keeping the device in her lap.
Another message appeared. But you should be careful about who you allow to hand-fuck you in plain view.
Bolt leaned in, his mouth close to her ear. "Don't say anything. Don't look around the room. Look engrossed in what I'm telling you right now. Even better if you smile.” He gave her a quick peck on her cheek. “This guy is probably watching you right now, looking for a reaction to his messages. We want to piss him off so that he reveals himself. Okay?" He squeezed her hand and continued to hold it.
"Okay," Regie whispered back, trying to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.
Tapping his ear, Bolt spoke quietly. "Our stalker is here tonight. Or at least somewhere where he can see us. He just sent Regie a text message." He listened to something she couldn't hear. "Roger that," he said and then squeezed her hand again. "The team's on it. We're going to continue this intimate conversation as if we're completely engrossed in each other. You haven't seen the text message yet. In fact, you're so infatuated with me that you've forgotten to check your phone all night. That's the kind of effect I have on women." She felt him smile against her ear.
"A little full of yourself, aren't you?" Her voice shook a little.
"It's not arrogance if it's true." He leaned back and gazed into her eyes, tucking stray strands of her hair behind her ear.
She rolled her eyes but felt a smile on her lips.
His eyes became distant again, and he nodded. She figured he was listening to whoever spoke in his earpiece. Arek? Nora? He focused on her again, his face serious.
"What's happened?" she asked. "What do I need to do?"
CHAPTER 23
Bolt hated that fear made Regie’s voice shake. Her blue eyes however, shone with determination. No fear reflected in them. “You and I are going to hang out here while the rest of the team scout the vicinity.” His instinct screamed to shift to wolf and hunt down the person who’d sent those texts. Bolt wanted to rip their throat out for putting that tremble in her voice. “We’re the bait who will lure this guy out. The happier and more in love we appear, the irater he will become. We want him to get so angry that he makes a mistake.” Waiting for Arek and Nora to report back on what they’d found frustrated the hell out of him. He needed action. Needed to do something to protect his woman.
Wait, no, to protect Regie. She wasn’t his. This was just pretend. He’d feel this upset no matter which client he had to protect. Wouldn’t he?
Mine, the wolf growled inside him. He forced the beast to stand down.
Fuck, he was so screwed.
She nodded. “Okay, but you should probably unclench your jaw. Right now, you look more like you want to throttle me than kiss me.” This time her eyes sparkled with mirth.
He felt his lips stretch into a smile and his jaw unclenched automatically. This woman did something to him. He’d smiled more in her company than he had in years. And he never joked. Jovial was probably the last word people who knew him would use to describe him. “Let’s dance again,” he said and stood up, holding his hand out for hers. The asshole stalker would have to move with them to keep them under surveillance if they circled the dance floor. Plus, the idea of holding Regie in his arms again, seemed like a fantastic way to distract him from not being able to hunt with Arek and Nora.
She put her and in his and he pulled her toward him so he could put an arm around her. He had to force himself from not scanning the room, looking for who might be surveilling them. “How will Arek and Nora know who’s sending me these messages?” Regie asked. She kept her head still, facing him, but her eyes darted all over the place.
“Keep looking at me,” Bolt said and smiled when she did, but also rolled her eyes at him. “If your stalker is here, he’ll be watching us most of the time. And to see us, he must follow us. Nora and Arek will be watching for anyone unusually focused on you. Someone who behaves out of the ordinary from what you’d expect at a party.” Arek would also be able to scent strong emotions like anger and rage. The alpha could tap into his wolf senses through the pack bonds, even when he wasn’t in his furry shape. His senses wouldn’t be as strong as when in wolf form, but much stronger than any other shifter while in human shape. And stronger than a regular human.
“I hate not knowing how it is.” Regie slid a quick look to the side again. “What if it is someone I know. Someone who pretends to be my friend.”
Bolt placed his hand on the small of her back and steered her toward the dance floor. “Don’t think about that right now.”
Her head snapped around his way. “Don’t you dare telling me to not worry about who my stalker might be. I’m not some feeble-minded woman you need to handle or cosset. This is my life, my business, that this asshole threatens.”
He fought a smile. Angry Regina was much better than scared Regina. Sparks of anger sizzled through the air. Her eyes glittered dangerously and her skin glowed. She was simply stunning. “I never told you not to worry. I only asked you not to think about it right now. Fuel all that indignation and anger into the part we must play to draw out this jerk.” He stepped out on the dance floor and swung her around in a twirl. The skirt of her dress ballooned out around her, revealing some of her shapely legs. He remembered her lack of panties, and quickly pulled her into his arms. That dazed feeling of calm overpowered him again. He nuzzled her neck as they moved to the music.
She sighed and relaxed against him. “Sorry. I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about men telling me to not ‘worry my pretty little head’ about things. You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve been mansplained how the business world works.”
He wasn’t. There were plenty of testosterone-laden jerks out there. He tried not to be one of them. “Your head is very pretty, but the sharpness of your mind is what makes you sexy as hell and irresistible.”
She leaned back, her eyes searching his. A small frown marred her brow. “You don’t have to say those things when nobody can hear us.”
It was his turn to frown. “Why not?” Had he offended her somehow? Maybe he came on too strong. So much for not being a jerk. This was unfamiliar territory for him. He knew he sucked at flirting, but it hadn’t bothered him before. He’d never felt the need to make this much of an effort before.
Regie looked around the room again. A faint blush crept up her cheeks. “I mean, you don’t have to pretend if there’s nobody here to see us acting our parts.” She met his gaze. The blue of her eyes deepened. “I’m not very good at pretending. It’s confusing to tell what’s real and what’s for show.” She looked away again. “If any of it is real, that is,” she mumbled.
“You thought I faked what happened on the balcony?” He couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice. To be honest, he was a little offended at this point.
She bit her lip. “No, I could definitely tell that you were into me.”
“Then what is it you’re trying to tell me?”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes.
He waited for her to respond. For being such a straightforward and smart CEO, she sure beat around the bush in this conversation.
Finally, she sighed and looked up at him. Her eyes as clear as a summer evening sky. “I’m not very experienced when it comes to relationships. I’ve dated enough, but when it comes to intimacy and emotions, I kind of suck at it.”
He had no idea where this was going. “Okay?” he hedged, waiting for her to continue.
“I know we don’t have a relationship, but the more we pretend to be in love, the more confused my emotions get. The intimacy feels too real.” She moved closer. Her head tucked away so he no longer could see her eyes.
He edged a knuckle under her chin, tilting her head back so he could look straight into those beautiful eyes. “There’s nothing fake about our intimacy. These sparks that fly between us whenever we touch? They’re real. Trust me.” It scared him how right that sounded.
CHAPTER 24
Regie heard the truth in Bolt’s voice, but was that because he really meant those words or because he was an excellent actor? She hated how vulnerable and messed up this situation made her. She felt like blaming her confused emotions on the man whose embrace she was currently enjoying, but rationally recognized how misguided and unfair that was. The person responsible for her recent rollercoaster moods was the freaking stalker. “I hear you,” she finally said when the pause after Bolt’s words lasted for a beat too long.
“Do you? And do you feel the heat that sizzle between us?” His hazel eyes had turned an intense bottle green.
She lost herself in his gaze. How had she become so involved with this man so quickly? She could deny it all she wanted, but she’d fallen for this man, and she knew nothing about him. “Yes,” she answered. “I feel those sparks, that heat.”
His gaze searched her face. “And do you trust it?” he growled. “Words can lie, but the truth of chemistry like ours can’t be denied.” His voice rumbled several octaves lower than normally. She could feel the words reverberating through her own body. They heated her from the inside, melting her bones and limbs.
Regie tried to nod, but the gentle pressure of his knuckle under her chin kept her face still. His eyes kept her gaze captured. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I trust it.”
A lazy grin stretched across his lips. “That’s all that matters then. We may not know each other intellectually yet, but our bodies have already figured out that we fit perfectly together. Whatever this is between us, I want to explore it.” He moved his hand from under her chin and caressed her jaw line. “But for now, we have to concentrate on finding your stalker.” Regret flared in his gaze. “The idea of someone hurting you, scaring you, is too much.”
She leaned her face into his palm. It felt natural to trust this man, to let him protect her. But what would happen if he knew the real her? If they became a true couple, would she be able to keep the darker side of herself hidden?
His intense gaze searched her face. Once again, she lost herself in the bright green of his eyes. Some wild and untamed emotion flash in the depth of them.
To her horror, she felt the black energy inside her rise in response. Like a hibernating snake waking up, the power uncoiled and stretched hungry tendrils toward Bolt.
He snatched his hand back as if she’d burnt him. “What the fuck was that?”
She couldn’t look at him. Trembling with the effort of containing the dark evil inside her, she took a step back. What if he touched her again? Would she kill him, like she’d almost done with the man in the college parking lot?
Bolt reached for her, but she took another step back and then turned and ran. Tears clouded her vision and she kept bumping into people. Each time, the horrid energy inside her flared up, trying to flow out of her, to reach the person she’d touched.
Finally, she reached the end of the dance floor. Desperately she looked around for an escape path. People stared at her, mumbling to each other. She must look crazed, but she couldn’t worry about that now. If she didn’t get out of here, she’d really give them a a show. Or worse, she’d hurt someone.
She heard Bolt call her name from behind her. Blindly, she stumbled forward and kept going.
Her grandfather appeared at her side. He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away. Knocking over a glass at a nearby table in the process.
“Regina,” Grandfather’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong? Did someone hurt you?”
Her breath came in short bursts and black dots danced in her vision. She forced herself to take a deep breath. “I have to leave,” she said. Her voice shaky and weak.
Bolt caught up with them. He too reached for her, and she sidestepped. “Regie.”
“Don’t touch me, please,” she whispered. Tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
He opened his mouth to say something but then tilted his head and inhaled deeply through his nose. His gaze turned cold, and his eyes narrowed. “Witch,” he said so quietly she almost thought she imagined it, contempt dripping from every syllable. She tried to tell herself the word must have been “bitch,” but she knew that wasn’t true.
