I watch her walk away, then look back at Asher. 揟hanks a fuck ton for that.?
He looks confused. 揝ince when do you care what a woman thinks??
揝ince I married one,?I reply. 揑抦 stuck with her for more than one night.?
揧ou said you barely see her. That you抮e leading separate lives.?
揃oth true.?
揝o? Stop making an effort. I invited her to the climbing gym, and she left after fifteen minutes. Doesn抰 seem like she抣l care about Hannah or not.?
揝he won抰。？That抯 all I say though. I don抰 explain I inexplicably want her to care. That jealousy梐n emotion I抳e always abhorred in women梬ould thrill me coming from Scarlett.
揟hen what抯 the issue??
揓ust卍on抰 mention other women around her, okay??
He studies me for a minute before he agrees. 揊ine.?
I feel his eyes remain on me as I make a point of looking around. A string quartet has set up in the corner and started playing, providing a muted soundtrack to the evening. A few couples gravitate toward the dancefloor and begin to twirl.
揌ow抯 the sex??
I say nothing.
Asher scoffs. 揅ome on, Kensington. You抮e not the shy sort.?
揑t抯 different, and you know it.?
揇ifferent because you don抰 know??he teases.
I rub my finger against the rim of my glass.
Asher laughs. 揌oly fuck. You don抰。？
揑t hasn抰 come up,?I mutter.
揌ow the fuck does having sex with your wife not come up??
I stand. 揑抦 getting a refill.?
But rather than head for the bar, I somehow end up approaching Scarlett. I interrupt the group she抯 talking to with a polite smile.
揥ould you like to dance, dollface??
揝ure, sugar.?
As soon as we抮e out of earshot, she mutters, 揇ollface? That抯 your worst one yet.?
揊unny. I think sugar might be my new favorite.?
Scarlett looks away, but not before I catch the ghost of a smile. She never attempts to hide any negative emotions, I抳e noticed. When she抯 angry or upset, it抯 all on display. It抯 the few pleasant moments we抳e shared that she schools her reactions to.
As soon as we reach the dance floor, I test the theory. There are about a dozen other couples dancing, most of them middle-aged or older. All waltzing with a respectable distance between them.
I spin Scarlett so our chests are touching. Her expression doesn抰 change as we begin to dance, nor as I tighten my grip on her hand and her waist. My thumb leaves her palm and drifts down to her wrist. The only jewelry she抯 wearing tonight is a pair of diamond earrings and the rings I gave her, leaving the smooth skin below her palm bare. I settle my thumb on top of her pulse point, feeling it pound at a rapid pace.
I smile, feeling her heart race. She may not want to want me, but she does. I know the feeling well.
She doesn抰 pull away, but she won抰 meet my gaze either. This is the closest we抳e been since I carried her upstairs after discovering her on the couch. Scarlett isn抰 the only one acting unaffected. I want to haul her lips to mine. I want her to be naked and be allowed to look. I want to talk with her without having to extract any syllable that isn抰 cutting.
Instead, I just twirl her around the dancefloor. Silence is usually neutral. Between us, it shimmers. It has shape and substance. The quiet is weighted by all the things we aren抰 saying and all the emotions we aren抰 expressing.
The song ends and transitions into a new one. After a few minutes, she swallows and looks right at me. 揑 have an early day tomorrow.?
After our conversation in the car earlier, I know suggesting she take Saturday off is a bad idea. 揝o do I.?I don抰。
揑 want to take the car back, Crew.?
揊ine.?I stop dancing. 揕et抯 go.?
Surprise flickers across her face. 揧ou抮e coming home tonight??
揇id I tell you otherwise??
Pink heats her cheeks. 揑 assumed you made plans.?
揧ou know what they say about people who make assumptions.?
揘o, I don抰，？she challenges. 揥hat do they say??
揧ou want me to call you an ass??
揑抳e been called worse,?she replies, then starts walking toward the exit.
I catch up with her at the coat check. 揑抦 getting sick of this, Scarlett. Does every conversation we have need to turn combative? You want to leave? Let抯 leave. I抦 not fighting you.?
揧ou抮e making a scene.?
I grab her arm to stall her in place. 揧ou抮e mad I抦 coming home? I didn抰 think you抎 care either way.?
揑 don抰。？
揟hen why are you being so difficult??I hiss.
揇ifficult??she echoes. 揑抦 not the one who棓
揂re you two in line for the valet??Fuck. I know that voice. I turn to see Hannah aiming a sweet smile my way. There抯 no authenticity in the expression. 揙h. Crew.?She lets out a small, fake laugh. 揑 didn抰 realize that was you.?