Chapter 41: : Chapter 41

Jewel pulls away, but I don’t let her. Instead, I tug her even closer and wrap my arm around her waist.

Michelle smiles—it’s utterly fake—as she approaches us, but Jewel doesn’t smile back. I lean toward her, my intention to whisper in her ear to calm down, but she leans into me at the same time, and I take that offering, as a starved man would, and kiss her neck. I feel her body tighten, and her hand grips my trousers as if she is giving me a warning. But warnings are my favorite type of foreplay when it comes to this beautiful vixen. It means I’m getting under her skin. And I like it.

I like making her uncomfortable.

I like her.

Darting my tongue out, I slide it up her earlobe and take it into my mouth.

“Eli,” she hisses in warning. “We have guests.”

“Hmmm…” I hum, not stopping. She squeezes my leg, purposefully gripping the still-healing spot where she carved her initials. I still don’t stop, though. It’s impossible to stop when I want something so badly, audience be damned. I’ve always gotten what I wanted in this life, even if it takes a little longer than I initially hoped for. I haven’t wanted to crawl between someone else’s legs as much as I want to crawl between hers.

“I came to congratulate you, and you put on a performance like this? Rather poor behavior, wouldn’t you say?” Michelle says, and Jewel now purposefully pushes me away, but I keep a hand on her hip.

“It’s lovely to see you, Michelle,” I reply, leaning in and air-kissing her cheek because the thought of touching any woman other than Jewel now repulses me. She places a kiss on my cheek, and she whispers something I don’t quite hear. I pull back and see Jewel glaring daggers at her.

“What’s wrong?” Michelle asks sweetly, but it’s filled with a venomous undertone.

“Tell her to leave,” Jewel demands, turning to me.

Michelle’s smile remains. “I’m a guest. I’m not leaving. I don’t know if you’re familiar with who my father is and the relationship our families have, but⁠—”

“Leave,” I say to Michelle as I scan the room. “If my fiancée doesn’t want you here, then you won’t be here.”

Michelle’s jaw drops open. “You can’t just ask me to leave.”

“I didn’t ask.” I raise a brow at her. “Our families’ relationship has nothing to do with me. My priority is my fiancée.” I say nothing more as I slip my hand into Jewel’s, and we walk away.

Michelle looks as if she’s going to explode when one of her friends ushers her away. I didn’t know she was coming, but I didn’t really think much about the guest list. If Jewel wants to kill her, so be it. I don’t care.

I’m not going to do anything to make my future wife upset with me.

Even if this is a hoax, and I have to remind myself it isn’t real.

It’s somehow starting to feel real, though.

When we’re a distance away from Michelle, who is loudly being removed from the party, Jewel leans in with a sickly sweet smile that is as fake as can be. “Kiss me like that again tonight, and I will tear your cock from your body.”

“Shouldn’t I be rewarded for doing as you said and kicking Michelle out? And besides, I may like your hands on my cock. How about a truce tonight, Kitten?”

“Not even if your life depends on it.” She keeps the smile intact as the twins approach us.

“Boss,” Hawke says this to Jewel and not me. Her smile turns more genuine at that, and I want to pummel his ass for making her think he’s funny in any way.

“Shouldn’t you be irritating Billie somewhere?” I grit between my teeth.

“Nah, man, not in front of Dutton; he’ll kill me,” Hawke says airily.

“What makes you think you can’t kill him?” Jewel asks innocently.

“That man’s a crazy motherfucker,” Hawke replies with a smile, slipping his hands into his pockets.

“You say that like you’re not,” Ford deadpans, then turns to Jewel. “We heard you met our parents at one of the auctions. How did you like the establishment?”

“Your mom’s kind of crazy, and I’m into it,” she confesses, and Hawke offers her a cheesy grin that I want to rip off his smug little face.

“Jewel. Eli,” Dutton says, drawing my attention away from her. She inches away from me, most likely being considerate so I can talk to my cousin, who clearly doesn’t like her. It takes everything in me not to pull her back. Dutton notices, and I hope he’s the only one who does.

Billie and Hope join Jewel and the twins, who all head over to the food table. Dutton seems to be studying me, but I don’t give a fuck. I want to make sure she’s comfortable. Watching her freak out as she tried on the wedding dresses tugged at a part of me I never want to feel again. I don’t want her to spiral because of me, not in that way.

My mother joins the group and pulls Jewel in for a hug. Jewel is awkward, but I really expected no less from her. My mother can read people very easily, so when I’m around Jewel, I’m careful to show that I want her. Which, let’s make no mistake, I do. So that part isn’t hard, and it works well that my mother understands that Jewel is not an affectionate person.

So, our game of push and pull is working.

For now.

“You’re really doing this?” Dutton asks incredulously.

“Yep,” I answer, not taking my eyes off my fiancée as my mother parades her around, introducing her to people. I watch as my mother grips Jewel’s hand as if she knows she might try to escape.

“I’m sure your father would have given you the business even if you didn’t marry,” Dutton says. Even though he thinks he knows my father, he doesn’t.

Crue Monti loves to say how his wife made him a better man, which also includes being a better businessman. And while I don’t want to believe him, I know my mother made him a better person. She once went away to Italy for a week without him, and he looked lost without her. Two days later, he was on his private jet on the way to Italy to “surprise her.”

“Are you still going to kill her after all of this?” Dutton asks, bringing his glass to his lips. I pin him with a glare, and he shrugs. “Oh, right. Divorce was the agreed-upon plan. Word of advice, cousin. You’re not looking at that woman like you want to kill or divorce her.”

“That’s none of your fucking business. Just learn to keep your mouth shut,” I hiss as I look over his shoulder and see my father discussing business with a few of his men.

Dutton chuckles in disbelief. “I’ll offer a great speech at your funeral.”

“Whose funeral?” Billie asks, walking up behind me. “Stop giving Eli such a hard time for his puppy-love gaze.”

“It’s not a puppy-love gaze,” I grit out at my youngest cousin, who just grins back at me.

“I like her.” She salutes with her champagne glass. “She’s kind of a little mysterious too, you know. We had no idea you were seeing someone, and now we have to tell all of Hope’s cutesy artist friends that you’re off the market.”

“Don’t bring them around.” Dutton pins her with a stare. “Their type isn’t made for this world.”

Billie rolls her eyes. “The thousandth reason why you remain single.” She pokes her tongue out at him. “Aunt Rya really likes her too. I didn’t think your parents would like any woman you brought around, but I guess anyone is an improvement from Michelle. She was a bitch.”

“You need to learn not to speak so loudly at events like this,” Dutton chastises, but as he looks at his sister, it’s with love. She couldn’t do anything wrong in his eyes.

I watch as my mother continues to guide Jewel around and introduce her to everyone. Billie spots Hope again and goes to join her.

“Your mother is going to be pissed when you separate,” Dutton says under his breath. I resist the urge to hit him. “And are you entirely certain your dad is a fan of her?”

I glance over at my father, who looks miserable to be here. Most likely because he’s watching after my mother, who isn’t currently giving him attention.

“If you still want an invitation to the wedding, you’ll keep your mouth shut. I told you I have this under control.” Dutton smirks and holds his hands up defensively.

I walk away, the only thing I can do to ensure I don’t kick my cousin’s ass in front of everyone. I ignore the few who try to congratulate me and shake my hand. This party is a formality only. I don’t give a fuck who’s here. The only person I want to speak to, the only one who matters in this room, is Jewel.

My mother notices me first and drops her hand from Jewel’s back, and I replace it with my own. The moment I touch her, Jewel’s body goes rigid, immediately sensing it’s me standing behind her.

She’s gotten used to my touch now, but her body reacts for an entirely different reason. I notice the pink flush heating up her neck, something that often happens to her when she’s thinking of promiscuous things.

I smirk and lean in, whispering so only she can hear, “You have a choice. Temporary truce, or we stay here for another four hours and mingle.”

Her jaw tenses, and I try not to chuckle. Because the one thing I know about my little tigress is she doesn’t like people, let alone being the center of attention. Which is exactly why I threw her to the wolves for thirty minutes, leaving her with only one option for an early exit: my cock.

Someone else tries to engage us in conversation, and we both politely smile and accept the congratulations. That’s when she looks up and is quick to say, “Fine. Temporary truce.”

I smirk as I grab her hand and sneak out of our engagement party.