Chapter 74 Say Something
ALICE
"May we have a look at your invitation, Miss?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your invitation," the man on the left repeated. "We've received a complaint that you're an unauthorized guest here. We'd like to see your invitation."
I parted my lips. For several seconds, I had no idea what to say to this. “I’m not. I came here as someone’s plus-one. He had an invitation, which he handed over to the men by the gate.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, but you’re going to have to follow us.”
“He’ll be back any minute now,” I said quickly. “He’ll clear things up and—”
“Miss, I’m going to have to ask you to cooperate here. Please, follow us to the gate.”
I was speechless. “But—”
With no warning at all, they reached for me. My feet were hovering over the ground and I felt scandalized, to be honest.
This was an incredibly humiliating experience.
“Could you put me down?” I asked, struggling to free myself. “There’s no need for this! How would I have gotten past the gate without an invitation? This is ridiculous!”
They didn’t seem to be listening to me. They just didn’t care. Seconds later, I heard a sharp ‘hey!’, and that was when Theo approached us.
Now that the security guards were gone and the two of us were alone, I had no idea what to say to him. If I didn’t expect to be carried out by two burly men, then I had no fucking clue how I felt now.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said, sounding genuine. “I don’t know what the hell’s gotten over those guys.”
They said they were following orders, but whose?
Maybe someone looked at me and decided I didn’t fit in. That was likely the case.
“Maybe I should just…go.”
“No. That was a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding or not, I clearly shouldn’t be here.” My feet moved before my mind could catch up. Right now, I wasn’t even really thinking about Freddie. I just needed to get away from Theo because I didn’t trust myself around him. Already I could feel the walls I spent weeks building crumbling down, and he was here with his fiancée.
He caught my wrist and electricity coursed through me. I sucked in a breath and my gaze flicked to his.
“You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to, Alice,” he murmured.
“I think it’s better that way.”
“Better for who?”
“Everyone. Me. You.”
He stepped closer to me and his warm, delicious scent invaded my nostrils. My head spun. “Me? Why would it be better for me, Alice?”
I was painfully aware of how close he was standing to me, and how his touch felt against my skin. My heart was slamming against my ribs and it was getting harder and harder for me to breathe.
It hurt me to look at his face and into his eyes. God, I felt like a walking bruise. I wanted to be close to him but that wasn’t relevant anymore. It didn’t matter.
I couldn’t stand the pain or the way I felt, so I had to make a quick escape.
“You’re engaged now,” I stated clearly. “I can only imagine how annoying it must be for you to keep seeing me everywhere around you. I bet you think I’m a stalker or something.”
Something flickered across his face. “No, that's not the case at all.”
My face heated up. “Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I should go.”
I tore my arm from his grip and started walking away from him, heading in the direction that the security guards were taking me. I opened my clutch and fished my phone out to text Freddie, but I delayed the typing because I could feel Theo’s eyes boring into me.
My footsteps grew heavier with every step I took in the opposite direction.
I rounded the side of the house, finally stepping out of sight. I pressed my back against the cool brick wall to catch my breath. God, that was tense. The air back there must’ve been thicker or something because I couldn’t breathe.
Well, at least it was over, and—
I heard rapidly approaching footsteps and before I knew it, Theo was standing next to me. I held my breath as he planted one hand beside my head. The other caught my arm, the same one he’d grabbed earlier, and then in one smooth motion, he was guiding me backward toward a side door I hadn’t noticed. It was open, and we went into the dark room.
He pushed me gently against the wall once we were inside, and his body caged mine.
“I’m sick and tired of letting you walk away from me, Alice,” he said. His warm breath fanned my face and his lips were inches away from mine. “I’m sick and fucking tired of pretending it doesn’t hurt me.”
My heart reacted like it had been stabbed, but his lips brushed against mine and every rational thought fled my mind.
I wanted him to kiss me. So badly that I could already taste him on my tongue.
How had I managed to ignore the strong feelings I had for him? Why hadn’t I just accepted them when I had the chance? Regret was an ugly feeling and it was twisting inside of me now. Hell, I felt like it would eat me alive.
His scent. The feel of his body against mine. The way he looked at me…my head was spinning and I felt like I’d pass out. His hand was on my side, and then he moved it over my hip and finally, settled it on my thigh, the one exposed from the slit in the dress. He slid his hand over my bare skin and wetness pooled between my legs.
“Tell me something,” he whispers. “Anything.”
My tongue froze in my mouth and I had no idea why. I held onto the clutch and my phone like my life depended on it.
He ran the tip of his nose along my face and goosebumps spread all over my body. My nipples tightened and pushed against the padded material of my bra.
“Tell me it’s okay for me to do this,” he pleaded as his fingers dug into my skin. “I’m fucking dying over here.”
I didn’t hold back. Didn’t hesitate.
I’d feel with whatever consequence there’d be later.
“Kiss me.”
Theo stilled, and then in no time, his lips were against mine and I swore that I could feel my heart beating in them. Then, his tongue slid along mine, and I lost all control.
The clutch and the phone both slipped from my grip, and I grabbed every part of him that I could.