The Marriage Auction: Book One(53)
A snort slipped out and my eyes widened as mortification enflamed my cheeks. I shook my head. “No reason. It was…cute,” I settled on.
He frowned. “Cute. Hmm, I don’t think I like this word being used to describe me.” He pursed his lips. “I’d much prefer my fiancée find me handsome, engaging, and, dare I hope…sexy?” His voice lowered to a sultry timbre at that last word.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I opened and closed my mouth trying to find the right words to fix my blunder. “You are sexy,” I blurted. “I mean, look at you.” I gestured to his body and face. “Any woman would find you ridiculously attractive. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” I rushed to apologize.
That was when Erik clutched at his stomach with one arm and fell into a full belly laugh. His head tipped back, hair falling around his shoulders, and his throat stretched with his movements. The air filled with his deep, throaty chuckles. I watched his massive chest rise and fall and I thought to myself that I’d seen many beautiful things in my time, but this man laughing heartily was quite possibly one of the most striking .
“Oh, Savannah, you amuse me greatly.” His eyes sparkled with joy. “I do believe we’re going to have a beautiful life together.”
A beautiful life.
Together.
With him. Not Jarod.
I clenched my teeth as my nose started to sting, the precursor to the deluge of tears wanting to escape.
Erik lifted his hand and cupped my jaw. “Hey, now, none of that. No sadness here. Me and you, we’re going to find a happy medium. Figure all of this out together, remember?”
I glanced away, shoving the constant ache for the man I’d left behind into a locked box deep in the recesses of my mind, which was where I wanted him to stay, at least for the next three years.
“Yep. That’s exactly what we’re going to do. You mentioned food?” I reminded him, desperate to have something else to focus on.
He held out his hand, palm up. “Shall we?”
I placed my hand within his, noting the rolling magnetic energy that moved between our palms the very moment we touched. I stared at our hands with suspicion.
Erik leaned over. “You feel it too?” he whispered.
Denying the connection would be ridiculous. Yet assigning a voice or name to it felt presumptuous. I wasn’t ready to admit anything physical or metaphysical between me and this man at this point. There were so many layers to this day. I needed to break it down, decipher internally, and determine exactly how I felt and how I wanted to deal with all the changes ahead.
Instead of speaking, I just nodded.
Thankfully, Erik was wise and didn’t question me further. He simply squeezed my hand, silently letting me know I wasn’t alone in this strange new world as he led me through the casino to one of the many onsite restaurants.
The restaurant we entered was lively and decorated with opulent, dark wooden chairs and tables. Deep jewel-tone fabrics and interesting art were immaculately displayed on the walls for viewing ease. They boasted a European menu with a fusion of French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, German, and more. Whatever that meant. Seemed like it would have been easier to just say there was something for everyone as long as you had money. Because the prices were nowhere near affordable. Light piano music played in the background, and the seats were tall, button-backed velvet throne-like chairs which would have looked more appropriate in a castle than in a swanky restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Just as I was scanning the entrees, someone standing at the entrance reviewing the menu from a podium stand caught my eye. A tall Black man I recognized stood next to another familiar face.
Memphis and Jade.
Just as I was about to stand, Memphis’s dark gaze met mine, and a huge white smile slipped across his face. My chest filled with excitement, and I waved wildly catching both his and then Jade’s attention.
“Friends of yours?” Erik asked.
“Yes, they were supposed to be in the auction but something…happened,” I noted distractedly as the two made their way over.
I stood up, and Memphis pulled me into his hulking frame, embracing me. “Girl, I’m happy to see you,” he murmured in a low rumbling timbre reminiscent of a megastar soul singer.
I snuggled in and tightened my hold, allowing myself a moment with my new friend. We hadn’t known one another long, but for some reason, being auction candidates had connected us in a way that was hard to explain. I chalked it up to a shared experience or maybe just people meant to be friends. Whatever it was, those ties ran deep, and I was glad to see them.
He let me go, and I turned to Jade, tugging her into my arms. She stood stiff as a board but patted my back and gave me a slight smile. It was the best I could hope for with Jade. The woman so far had been entirely composed, outside of when I saw her running from the stage sobbing earlier this evening.
“What happened to you guys?” I dipped my head closer to the two, trying to keep my tone at a whisper.
Jade’s lips flattened into a thin, compressed line, but she didn’t speak. Memphis lifted his chin toward something over my shoulder.
I spun around and whisked my curls out of my face. “Oh my goodness me. Memphis Taylor, Jade Lee, meet my um… fiancé, Erik Johansen,” I said, making introductions.
Erik held out his hand and shook both Memphis’s, then Jade’s. “Please, sit down. Join us.”