Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 134961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 675(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134961 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 675(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
It’s the same type of crowd that has been around him all evening, the kind that naturally gravitates towards people like him.
But even as they talk, even as one of the men gestures animatedly in conversation, his eyes are on me.
Dark. Intense. Unwavering.
The second our gazes collide, my breath catches.
Heat prickles at the base of my spine, my heart thudding violently against my ribs as a familiar, unwelcome rush of want sears through me.
No.
No, no, no.
I refuse to feel like this.
I square my shoulders and keep walking, determined not to let him see any reaction.
He’s the one still staring at me, after all.
He’s the one who can’t look away.
I hold his gaze for just a beat longer than necessary - long enough to let him know that I see him, that I know he’s watching me - and then, just like that, I rip my eyes away.
This time, he doesn’t follow.
But I swear I can still feel him watching me as I step off the yacht and onto solid ground.
The second my feet hit the pavement, I exhale sharply, shaking off the sensation and forcing myself to focus. The girls are already moving ahead, and I quicken my pace to catch up.
“Well, that was a day,” Jas hums, stretching her arms over her head as we weave through the glitzy, bustling streets.
“And it’s not over yet!” Emma - who is now in full party mode - sings, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.
I glance at her warily.
“You’re not seriously -”
“Oh, but I am,” she interrupts as she links her arm through mine, eyes bright with drunken excitement. “We’re going out.”
“Emma, we just got off a yacht party. That we have been on all afternoon.”
“Exactly,” she grins. “We pre-gamed on a literal fucking yacht. You know we have to keep going.”
Jas snickers.
“She’s got a point.”
Leah groans, massaging her temples. “You cannot be serious.”
“Oh, I absolutely am,” Emma says.
“Emma, I swear to -”
“Leah,” Emma cuts in, just as dramatically, “We are in Monaco. If you think I’m going to bed early, then you don’t know me at all.”
Leah sighs, tipping her head back towards the sky.
“Fine.”
Emma cheers, swinging her gaze back to me. “Poppy, you in?”
Going out might just be the perfect way to shake this whole thing off, to drown out the lingering sensation of Frederic’s hands on me, of his mouth against my skin.
But I can’t.
The only thing I want to do right now is scrub the night off me. To stand under a scalding hot shower, wash away every trace of him, and then collapse into bed.
“I’m going to sit this one out.”
“Oh, come on,” Emma pouts.
“I really just need sleep,” I say, forcing a yawn. “I’m exhausted.”
“I bet,” Leah says. “Sounds like you’ve had a very draining night.”
Jas howls with laughter and Emma gasps again.
“Ugh. I’m so sick of you all.”
“Love you too, babe,” Jas grins.
Emma finally relents, linking arms with Leah and Jas instead as we move towards the road, where taxis are lined up and waiting.
“Fine, but you’re missing out, Poppy.”
“Tragic,” I deadpan. “I’m sure I’ll recover.”
Leah winks as she slides into the back of one of the waiting taxis.
“Well, make sure you text us if you change your mind.”
I huff out a sigh as I follow them into the car, settling into my seat as the driver pulls away from the curb.
Emma is already humming along to the music playing through the speakers, Jas is scrolling through her phone, and Leah is fixing her hair in the reflection of her phone screen like she’s about to step onto a runway instead of into a nightclub.
I lean my head back against the seat, eyes fluttering shut for a moment as the cool air from the window brushes against my skin.
The drive is short, and before I know it, we’re pulling up in front of the hotel.
The girls cheer as I step out, Emma blowing me a dramatic kiss. “Love you, Pops! If you change your mind -”
“I won’t!” I call over my shoulder as I push the door shut.
Leah grins. “Your loss.”
“Try not to dream about him,” Jas calls.
I flip them off as the taxi pulls away, their laughter fading into the night.
With a final exhale, I turn towards the hotel entrance, my silk dress catching in the breeze as I walk inside.
The whole way up to the suite, I try not to think about him.
Not about the way he touched me. Not about the way he looked at me.
And certainly not about the fact that, deep down, I already know that this isn’t over.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Poppy
The knock at the door barely registers at first.
I’m too busy enjoying the fact that, for once, I feel fresh - a sharp contrast to the absolute wreckage that is Emma, currently draped in an armchair, sunglasses perched on her nose like a celebrity avoiding the paparazzi.