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“I guess not,” he murmured.
She didn’t know how to take that, so she moved onto the other assembled men and only had to be introduced to two of them, which showed how little things had changed over the years. The fact that Roth was sitting among these men as an equal, considering how little time he had been a part of their world, was nothing short of astounding.
When she reached Penelope’s father, William, he spread his arms wide as if she were a long-lost daughter.
“Sweet Jasmine!”
After he wrapped his arms around her, he rocked her from side to side as if she were still a little girl. She buried her face against his suit, taking in his familiar scent. Again, not much had changed.
He pulled back and chucked her under the chin. “How are you doing, love?”
Her eyes pricked with tears, but she gave him a bright smile. “Better than the last time you saw me.”
William made it to the funeral. It took everything she had not to break down when he whispered in her ear that day.
He slid an arm over her shoulders and angled her toward Roth. “I told you there were good things in your future, didn’t I?”
She kept her eyes trained on him. “Yes, you did.”
“And I was right, wasn’t I?” He gave her a sly look. “You’ve decided to make an honest man of him, hmm? You have your hands full.”
“I certainly do.”
He pushed her toward Roth. “Give him a kiss, love. He’s done good work here today.”
She stood beside his chair, unable to bring herself to meet his gaze.I didn’t expect you to be so accommodating.Her hands fisted at her sides as mortification and anger pumped through her. She couldn’t bring herself to look higher than his chest. He wasn’t wearing a tie. Why that bothered her, she had no idea. He just sat there, waiting. He was always fucking waiting for her to make a move, so he could counter it. Everyone expected her to rush into his arms like the newlyweds they were supposed to be playing, but she couldn’t do it. Even if he married the same woman twice, what sane person would expect Roth to morph into an affectionate husband?
She turned away from him with a fixed smile on her face, ready to crack some joke, when a hand grasped the back of her coat and gave a firm yank. She yelped as she staggered back and fell across his lap. As her arms windmilled to regain her balance, an arm braced against her back and a large hand cupped her face. She had a split second of warning before his head descended. She braced for a peck to appease their audience. The last thing she expected was his tongue to invade. She let out a distressed gasp, which he took full advantage of. She clutched handfuls of his suit to anchor herself as she was engulfed in prickling heat.
It was the cheers, clapping, and hollers from the normally staid businessmen that reminded her where they were and with whom. She was stretched across his lap like a fainting heroine, and he, of course, looked like the conquering hero. That image gave her the strength to wrest her mouth from his. She buried her hot face against his shoulder and slowly became aware of William’s boisterous voice.
“Janis has to see this,” William said. “You two should come to dinner tonight.”
“I don’t—" she began and started to lift her head, but his hand sank into her hair, keeping her in place as he said, “We’ll be there.”
“Excellent, excellent.”
As William’s booming voice drifted away, she waited for Roth’s hand to fall away. Thirty seconds passed before she realized he had no intention of doing so.
“Let me go.”
“You taste like coffee and chocolate.”
Her hand fisted on his shoulder. “What the hell was that?”
"What's expected."
“Since when do you care to meet anyone’s expectations?”
“I don’t.”
“Then, why put on that show?”
“Because I wanted to.”
She tried to ease away, but his grip kept her in place. “You’re an asshole.”
“Because I kissed my wife?”
