“Zach, I will—”
“No explanation needed. The lady of your heart is waiting for you. Go play your cards well.”
Despite his grin, the teasing edge of his words reminds me that I am indeed still in the gambling phase tonight. “Come over, I’ll introduce you,” I answer.
“Great, if you hadn’t offered it yourself, I’d have come anyway. Let’s go, Don Nathan.”
We stroll across the room. I’m happy when the live band starts playing, because the way my heart hammers as I approach Eva should be audible to anyone in a ten-foot radius. It reminds me that I might not be striving to dazzle Eva anymore, nor do I have to negate my longing for her to myself, but at least on the surface, I have to pretend I don’t feel as love-struck as I do. Murphy and Mother could appear any minute and if they see me staring at Eva with mesmerized eyes, my act could fall to pieces.
As we get to Eva, I immediately put a possessive arm around her waist and present her to Zach.
They exchange a few polite words, and then my friend excuses himself. But before he leaves, he quietly whispers to me. “You have my blessing, she’s a total catch.”
When Zach is gone, Eva raises her full flute to me. “Where could I put this down without anyone noticing?”
“What’s the matter? You don’t like the champagne? It’s Dom Pérignon.” I wink.
Eva grins. “Wow, now I’m almost tempted to try it. But it’s better if I don’t. I’m not good with alcohol. One glass makes me wobbly on my feet, and I’d love to act proper and put-together during this event.”
I notice the timid glint with which she measures a lady wearing large sapphire earrings. “Eva, you look perfect, and I can’t imagine wanting anyone else at my side tonight. But…” Her glance snaps to mine, and I take her glass. I drop it in the hand of a passing waiter, then reach into my pocket. “You could make your attire complete with these, what do you think?” I hold out the diamond earrings I bought her a week ago as an excuse to get her address.
Her eyes widen. “You kept them? But why?”
“If I’m honest, I hoped one day you might change your mind and accept them. Once you were convinced that you can trust my good intentions.”
Her cheeks blush and she takes the earrings from my hand. With an agile gesture, she clicks them onto her curvy earlobes. They dangle like two tiny glittering raindrops at her jawline, enhancing the natural attractiveness of her ebony eyes a tick more.
“How do I look?” she asks.
“Breathtaking. Not even Juliana de Cortez looked this good when the Duke invited her to his seasonal opening dance.”
Eva’s jaw drops. “What? Have you watched Roses and Love? I clearly wouldn’t have expected that.”
To be honest, I wouldn’t have either. I used to think telenovelas were silly entertainment, and even now, I’m not a fan of them. But streaming through a couple of episodes of Eva’s favorite show hasn’t been a pain at all. Probably because I knew she liked this show and I wanted to understand why.
Come to think of it, it is bewildering how much I’m behaving differently, all at once. Or maybe not all at once. Some kind of change had already started after Eva’s first refusal in the Desert Rose. I expected her to bend my way and she didn’t. I could say that her resistance first, and her openness later, lured me into a situation where some metamorphosis was unavoidable. Eva acted as a catalyst on a desire I didn’t even know I had about understanding and connecting with people around me and trying things I never even thought interesting. She forced me to act out of my comfort zone. Because I wanted her to like me, I had to pretend I was worthy of her. And by pretending to be a better man, I did become one perhaps…
Did Murphy anticipate this? Maybe, without even knowing, my brother had helped me more than he could have ever imagined. I’ve spent a big chunk of my life feeling annoyed with Murphy’s exaggerated efforts to turn me into a touchy-feely person. I can’t say he succeeded, but I’m certainly not the same man as before our bet. I’ll have to thank him for it eventually.
After I’ve managed to play him.
I run a thumb on Eva’s jawline and move close to her ear. “I was curious if the Duke had anything on me or not. I wouldn’t want anyone stealing you from me, even if it’s a fictional heartthrob.”
Eva peeks up at me, her cheeks becoming a hue darker than before. “No risk of that. Don’t you worry.” She rubs the tip of her nose gently on my neck and the yearning to haul her close and forget that we are in a large hall full of guests permeates my molecules.
Luckily, before my limbs can escape from my control and show the desire pumping through my veins, Eva withdraws her glance and cocks her head to the dance floor. “Do you dance during these fancy events?”
“Not really. I mostly spend the time buttering clients up about new deals or entertaining the special guests that Mother points out to me. On rare occasions, I exchange banter with Murphy and his girlfriend-of-the-moment.”
“Would you be ready to change your habit for me this one time?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
The slow waltz doesn’t seem a risky proposition. Even considering Eva’s floor length skirt. Especially because, this morning with the help of a YouTube video, I practiced the box step, which apparently is at the heart of all waltzes.
I put my hand on the lacy back of her dress and lead her to the other dancing couples. I place my right hand on her left shoulder blade and wrap my left hand around Eva’s right hand, paying attention to keep my elbow up at
