He's Captured My Trust (Captured Series Book 2) (22 page)

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

“No answer is necessary. It’s good to see him happy, and for once his happiness isn’t work-related. I know how busy your schedule must be, but I expect you to take note of Valentine’s Day, my wedding day. I fully expect you to be here for the wedding. My brother will probably wait until the week before and spring it on you.”

I smile at Connor fondly and we continue to dance around the floor until the music ends. He bows and I do a little curtsy. He seems to have some of his brother’s sense of humour or vice versa, seeing as Connor is older. The music picks up in pace as we leave the dance floor.

“Not so fast, missy,” Michael says, taking my arm and spinning me around toward him. “Now is as good a time as any for a dance.” He winks, glancing around the room, and I laugh until I see Alex standing a little distance away at the side of the dance floor. He’s talking to a gentleman but hasn’t taken his eyes off me—watching me, waiting to see what I’m going to do.

“Okay, then, let’s get this over with,” I answer Michael, at the same time shrugging at Alex.

“You make that sound almost painful. Be truthful. You’re as interested as I am in seeing his reaction to the two of us up close and personal.” He laughs as he pulls me tightly toward him, and we dance at a much quicker pace than my last dance.

“I can’t believe your choice of words.” I shake my head at him with a slight smile

“Yep, well, look at us. It’s the whole truth.” He spins me around. “You know, Libby, the last few weeks with Alex have been unbearable, especially at work.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been angry with himself for how things were left in Scotland and has taken it out namely on me and a few poor souls who weren’t keeping up to speed. He fired one guy in front of a full conference room. That’s not him. He’s been, shall we say, distracted. If I hadn’t needed him here, I would have sent him back to you and even paid his fare.”

“Shit,” I say, glancing around the room until I find those soft brown eyes still watching me.

“Miss Stewart, what kind of language is that for such an elegant lady tonight?”

“Michael, if you weren’t such a good friend to Alex—”

“You would fall head over heels,” he says with amusement as he turns and dips me in his arms, facing a straight-faced Alex.

Not amused, Alex mouths, “You’re pushing it,” to Michael.

I know I’ll be spending the rest of the evening dancing only in Alex’s arms, if only to keep the green-eyed monster at bay. “I love you,” I mouth to him as the music finishes playing. I take a deep breath and thank Michael for my rather entertaining dance and enlightening conversation.

Alex strides toward me, and I stand frozen to the spot. “That looked interesting,” he says as he takes my arm.

“It was interesting,” I say, smirking. “Another dance, Mr. Mathews?”

“It would be rude not to.”

We set off on the dance floor once again, although at a much slower pace than the previous song. I enjoy swaying to the music, leaning against the man I’m madly in love with, having his strong arms keeping me safe. In this moment, I’m sure I would do anything for him. I love him with all my heart. There are a thousand things swimming around in my head. And if it means moving here to be with him, I’m sure that when he asks again, I won’t hesitate. Yes, I do think it’s early in our relationship, but I also think he’s worth risking my heart for. I hope and pray that I’m doing the right thing, because my heart is delicate enough. The thought of it being shattered into a million pieces is almost unbearable.

His touch is soft and gentle on my back as we dance, loving and sincere. My eyes close as we sway, and I’m glad they do, because I can feel the start of a few tears. I don’t want to let them fall. It’s not because I’m feeling sad; it’s quite the opposite. The tears are for the feelings that words don’t seem to do justice.
I love you
doesn’t seem enough. I want to see what this relationship has in store for both of us. There are bound to be ups and downs along our journey, but if we’re meant to be together, they will be worth it.

As the music draws to a close, there is a tap on Alex’s shoulder. “May I cut in?” The voice belongs to Richard Mathews.

“Of course.” Alex nods. “Take care of her,” he says, placing my hand in Richard’s.

“Would I do anything else?”

Alex leaves me in the capable hands of his father and starts to walk off the dance floor, but he’s stopped by a beautiful blonde—Katherine. I suppose it was only a matter of time before she tried to sink her claws in. I give myself a shake and continue dancing and chatting with Richard, but I’m somewhat distracted by the couple dancing at the other side of the room. Every time I glance across, Alex’s eyes are firmly on me, watching me. His eyes follow me round the room, much to the disapproval of his dance partner when she realises he’s not looking at her.

“You know, Elizabeth, when it comes to Katherine, you have nothing to worry about.” Richard’s voice brings my focus back to him.

“I’m not worried about her,
really;
I’m more worried about Alex. She has a way of bringing his temper out. I struggle to understand how a friend can treat him the way she does.”

“Seeing my son with her last night, I don’t think they’ll remain friends for much longer, and I’m sure that will please my wife,” he says warmly.

I steal another glance in Alex’s direction, and he looks uncomfortable as he dances with Katherine. I turn away because I don’t want to get upset thinking about how he’s feeling. I carry on dancing with Richard and try to enjoy it. Alex’s family has welcomed me into their lives with open arms, with warmth and love—a love that reminds me of my own family. I push that thought to the back of my mind because I don’t want to dwell on everything.

The music ends and Richard takes my hand and leads me back to the table. I’m glad no one else stopped me while I was walking off the dance floor. My poor feet need a rest.

“Libby, are you finally taking a break?” Sophie says loudly as we approach. She pats the seat next to her, indicating that she wants me to sit down.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve not done much dancing.”

Michael laughs at my words. “Wine, Libby?” he asks.

“Yes, please. So Sophie?”

“It’s not my kind of music. I’d much rather be in a club.”

“Oh, I don’t know. The music’s not been too bad, and I got to hear your brother sing,” I say.

She looks shocked. “Seriously? Alex was singing?”

“Yeah, during one of our earlier dances.” I look from Sophie to Michael.

“I haven’t heard him sing since we were little. I do remember him having a great voice,” Sophie says.

“He still does.”

“What have you done to the Alex we all know and love?” Michael jokes.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s still there.” I look around the room for him. But he is nowhere to be seen, and come to think of it, neither is the lovely Katherine. I push that thought to the back of my mind.

I take a drink of the wine that Michael has poured and sit chatting to the others at the table. But I’m slightly distracted, wondering where Alex is, he’s been gone for some time, although he’s probably just talking to someone. A waiter approaches, I presume to clear away some of the glasses that seem to building up on our table.

“Miss Stewart?” the young man asks.

“Yes.”

“You are wanted in Mr. Mathews’ office.”

Sophie sniggers at his words.

“Run along, Libby. You don’t want to keep my brother waiting. Although I don’t want any details when you get back.”

I am embarrassed by what she is implying. Michael laughs. Or maybe I’m just embarrassed because that’s what we had done earlier.

I leave the ballroom and head in the direction Alex took me earlier. My thoughts drift to our earlier encounter in his office. Surely he doesn’t want a repeat performance. I pass James, who is coming from the direction of Alex’s office and has a smug expression on his face. He doesn’t speak to me. Leaving me feeling uneasy.

I keep going down the hallway and see that Alex’s office door is open. He’s expecting me after all. As I get closer, I hear voices, and one of them is not a voice I want to hear. My pace slows because I’m not sure I’m ready to face
her.

But what I’m faced with as I stand in the door is a scene I never expected to see. My lips tremble and my body shakes, and I could be sick as the scene unfolds in front of me.

Alex has his back to me. Katherine is sitting on his desk. His arms are on her shoulders, and her arms are around his waist. Her legs are wrapped around his, I can only imagine her dress is higher than it should be.

“I love you, Alex,” she cries. “I know you love me.” She pulls him tighter toward her and rests her tear-stained face on his shoulder, staring straight at me with a look of sheer satisfaction on her face. This is what she wants. I take a deep breath and bite the inside of my mouth. I try desperately not to let her see my feelings. I’m hurt and humiliated and fucking angry.

“Is this what you want?” He moves closer to her. Leaving no space between them. Just like the intimate times, between us. His voice softens. “Can you feel that?”

I can’t do this. I turn on my heel and walk away at his words. My tears are building. The walk back down the hallway is hazy. I don’t even know what I’m going to do. I can’t stay here now. I can’t believe he would do this to me after bringing me here to the States, telling me he loves me. His definition of love is totally different from mine. His words to Katherine play over and over in my head. Does he want her? My anger builds, and the blood flows through my veins like a raging fire out of control with each thought I have.

“Libby, what’s wrong?” I’ve been too distracted by my thoughts to see Michael coming toward me.

“Shit, Libby what’s happened?” He takes hold of my arms, stopping me from going anywhere.

My sobbing is uncontrollable as I take comfort in his arms.

“Seriously, Libby, tell me what’s happened.”

I shake my head, now blinded by the tears.

“Fuck. I’ll go find Alex.”

“
Don’t you fucking dare. I don’t want him anywhere near me.
”

He hands me a tissue, which I take and dab lightly against my moist face. “Libby, please take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

Slowly, I do as he asks. “He’s in his office with her. I saw them both. They’re welcome to each other.”

“Who?”

“Fucking Katherine Hunter.”

“Seriously, Libby, you must be mistaken.”

“Michael, I know he’s your friend, but I also know what I saw and heard the words that came from his mouth. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to go get my bag, clean myself up, and get out of here and go check into a hotel while I try to arrange a flight home.”

“You must be wrong. He wouldn’t do this to you. I know he wouldn’t.”

“Well, Michael, he has, and I just need to get out of here.”

“Right. You wait here. I’ll go get your bag so you won’t need to face anyone, and I can book you a room. I would offer you a bed at my place, but it wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?” He smiles warmly, reassuring me.

“You don’t have to. I don’t want to put you in an awkward position.”

“Let me worry about that. And when I have sorted things for you, I’ll deal with Alex. I still think you’re mistaken.” He gives me a warm hug before heading back into the ballroom. He’s in and out of the room in no time at all. He waits while I go into the ladies’ room to make myself more presentable. I emerge looking more like myself. My face is fresh again and my fake smile is on show. Michael looks at me with concern etched over my face. Maybe he thinks I’ll make a scene. But I won’t. I’ve been brought up better than that. No, as much as I would love to, I would get no satisfaction from that.

We exchange no words, just a silent understanding of what we need to do. Michael takes my arm, and I move cautiously in step with him. I am conscious that we have the ballroom to pass, and I’m hoping and praying that we get past without encountering anyone.

As we approach the ballroom, James exits.

“There you are, Libby. I was looking for you. You still owe me a dance.” He grins. Why talk to me now, when he didn’t passing me in the corridor?

“Libby is not—” Michael starts.

“It’s fine. Michael. A dance won’t do any harm.”

James holds out his hand, which I take, much to Michael’s disgust. I hand Michael my bag and he follows closely behind as we enter the ballroom. Neither Katherine nor Alex is back in the room. I push the thought from my mind because I don’t want to think about what they’re doing.

We stop at the dance floor and James turns me to face him. He gently puts one arm around my waist and lifts my hand up to his. “Miss Stewart, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

I follow his lead, unable to do anything else. Right now I’m in pain, and I’m shutting myself down the only way I know how. James is speaking to me, but I don’t even hear his words, I’m so emotionally closed off. I can’t even bring myself to look at him, although God knows why. He hasn’t done anything wrong . . . Or has he?

I catch Michael from the corner of my eye. He’s with Sophie at the side of the dance floor deep in conversation, and, judging by the grim expression on her face, he has told her everything. We twist and turn around the dance floor to the pace of the music, and still I haven’t uttered a single word to James.

The music changes to a slower song, and I look at James and realise I just want out of here. He moves his hand from my waist and places it on my back. The feel of his hand on my skin makes me feel sick.
What the fuck am I doing?
I know enough about James and Alex’s relationship to know that James must be getting a kick out of this. Maybe he’s hoping to get a reaction out of Alex by dancing with me. But Alex is too busy to even care about me.

He slides his fingers across my back. It doesn’t feel right. Everything at the moment feels wrong.

“If you would excuse me,” I say in the most polite voice I can manage.

“At least wait until this song is finished.”

“I agreed to one dance. Now if you don’t mind, I have somewhere I need to be.” I try to let go of his hand, but his grip has suddenly become tighter.
Seriously,
what is it with men and me?