Here's an excerpt from The Billionaire's Desire (Part Nine).
Enjoy! :)
----
"So...where's
the ring?"
The conversations
around us ground to a halt as the attention flickered toward the lazy drawl of
Rachel Laraby’s voice. The crowd parted
slightly, revealing her standing on the outskirts. Wearing that blood red dress, her
eyes flecks of emerald, her mouth an angry line of barely hidden resentment.
For a moment, the
silence took center stage and I almost believed that she’d said something else.
Something a little less obnoxious. But this was Rachel Laraby we were talking
about—and ‘obnoxious’ was damn near her middle name.
“Rachel…” Jacob
began, his voice a warning that she’d be wise to heed.
“That’s me,”
she said sweetly, dismissing him with a patronizing grin. She took a step
forward, drinking up the attention of the crowd like someone that was used to
all eyes being on them. That lived for it.
Tonight was our night. Me and Jacob’s. He’d just
asked me to marry him for crissakes. This moment belonged to us—and she couldn't stand it.
The heat started
in my cheeks and worked its way outward as the eyes that gazed at me and Jacob
like we were a romantic movie unfolding right before them dropped to my hand.
To my left hand. And my bare ring finger.
Just to cull the
herd and remind them that the stage was hers, she repeated her question.
“Where’s the
ring?” The lighthearted, nonchalant tone she’d used before was gone and in its
place was an edge that reminded me of the haughty actress I’d met months ago in
Venice. The glittering celebrity who should have been on top of the world but couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the fact that Jacob Whitmore, billionaire
CEO of Whitmore and Creighton, wanted nothing to do with her.
The looks that passed back and forth between us and Rachel were different now. They weren't sure
where it was safe to land. Instead of the shock her question had originally garnered,
the tone had become markedly more uncomfortable.
“I mean, it was a lovely proposal,” Rachel gushed,
attempting to smooth over her transparent jealousy. “I’m just wondering if that
was just an appetizer and Mr. Whitmore’s seconds away from pulling out
a tiny black box with a big ole rock in it.”
Jacob tensed
beside me and I knew that he was dangerously close to saying something that
would make matters worse. He was usually the picture of calm, cool, and
collected, but Rachel had swooped back into our lives declaring war. Her question,
not even five minutes after I said yes to his proposal, was a heavy pill to
swallow. I'm pretty sure Jesus Christ himself would
have had trouble turning the other cheek after the blow she’d just delivered.
She sauntered
closer, eyes locked on Jacob with a smirk that told me she knew he was creeping
towards boiling point.
“It’s a valid
question,” she said with an innocent shrug. “I’m just curious is all.”
I saw bloody
freaking murder raging in his eyes, but I just held tight to his hand. Gripped
it until I saw the fire die down to embers and smoke. She wanted a blow up. She
wanted to ruin our moment. We couldn't give her that satisfaction.
Once I believed
that I could speak without my voice cracking or calling her something that
would make my mother gasp, I turned back to face her, pulling on a smile.
"The
ring--"
"--is none of
your business," Jacob finished tersely, glaring at her like she was a
piece of gum on the bottom of his leather oxfords. Mouth twisted like she was a
sip of alcohol, closer to paint thinner than anything refreshing. Body so painfully
taut that the slightest movement would be enough to make it snap.
A murmur rippled
across those gathered around us, the buzz of happiness officially snuffed out. Just like she wanted.
I sighed inwardly,
knowing she was tallying up the score. I was struggling to hold onto my smile,
trying desperately to pretend like everything was fine. I wanted to say
something funny, to alleviate the tension that electrified the air around us,
but I had nothing.
And of course,
Rachel wasn't done.
“It’s a fair
question,” she continued, batting her eyelashes as she scanned the crowd, looking
for some confirmation that she wasn't the only one wondering. When she realized
they were far more afraid of Jacob than excited at the possibility of gaining her
favor, she changed tactics. “It’s just that I know that your little soiree will
be breathtaking and jewelers will be knocking off your ring all over the world.
I was just hoping for a sneak peek.”
The smile on my
face twitched, the nerve beneath my eye going haywire. If I was being honest, I
didn't even think about the lack of an engagement ring until she brought it up.
I was still stuck on everything else. The melody of the song pouring into my
ears. Recognizing the bars immediately and remembering Megan telling him that it
was my dream to have that song playing at my wedding.
And then there was
the look on Jacob's face as he dropped to one knee and asked me to spend my
life with him. It was the look of someone that had never loved anything or anyone as much as he loved me. There was no
room for anything but sheer bliss. It was a high so powerful that I could
barely feel my feet on the ground. But her animosity crapped all over that
happiness. It anchored me, poisoning one of the most beautiful moments of my
life.
No, I told myself firmly, not giving
that thought any weight. I wouldn't let her take this away from me. From us. I didn't
care about a diamond. I just wanted him.
I swallowed the
burning anger that knotted my throat and leaned in, pressing my lips against
Jacob's cheek. I could tell from the way he barely responded to the touch that he
was expecting me to tell him to relax. To ignore her. But I had something more
important to say than any of that. More important than Rachel’s efforts to
spoil our memory.
"I love
you."
He stopped
flinging daggers in her direction and tilted his chin toward me. I watched as everyone
else in the world washed away and every swirl of blue crashed into me.
His lips spread into a grin that made my heart skip a beat. "I love
you too."