Page 25 of Do It With Me

11

ELLORA

Iwas sitting on the edge of my bed while Bree fussed with the last stray hair sticking out of my updo. Mom had parked herself in front of the TV, seemingly entirely oblivious to Bree’s primping and my nerves.

Holden was supposed to pick me up in five minutes. Five minutes. Shit. When did it become that soon?

I stared down at the dress, fidgeting with the hem. I was not comfortable in fancy dresses. Not at all. My usual uniform of patterned yoga pants or jeans and oversized T-shirts felt like armor compared to this.

Plus, this crowd was going to be full of rich pricks who didn’t care about regular folks like me.

“You don’t know that,” Bree said when I shared the sentiment. “Holden’s not like that. He’s rich, but he’s also nice.”

I snorted. “Nice rich guys don’t exist. That’s literally a myth.”

“He is nice. You haven’t stopped talking about him for days.”

I groaned. “It hasn’t been that bad, but I suspect it’s also just because he’s suffered. He’s got that sort of haunted thing going on. It makes him seem more real. Mercedes made it sound like he had a rough divorce. You’d love her, by the way, Mercedes. We should all hang out sometime.”

Bree grinned. “That sounds good, but stop trying to change the subject. If you need me to sleep over and watch your mom tonight, just say the word. I’m happy to do it.”

I laughed. “That’s not happening, but thanks for the offer.”

My stomach was doing that nervous flutter thing, and I could feel the butterflies staging a full-blown revolt. I wasn’t sure if I was more nervous about meeting the people who belonged to his world or surviving the fake-date thing.

Bree gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You’re going to be fine. Just don’t trip on the way into the venue.”

I shot her a look. “Oh, thanks. That’s really comforting.”

She winked. “Hey, I’m just trying to think of things to watch out for. Don’t trip in your heels, don’t refer to him as Professor, and don’t forget protection.”

“Stop!” I smiled at where her mind had gone, though. Mine had been going there all day. And in those fantasies, I might have called him Professor once or twice. Although I would take that secret with me to the grave.

I stood up, inhaled a deep breath, and smoothed the front of my dress one last time, mentally trying to get in the game. Alright. Game face on. If I survive this, maybe I’ll even have fun. Maybe.

There was a sharp, deliberate knock at the door. My heart jumped. I gave Bree a quick hug, then called out, “Coming!”

I grabbed my purse and raced out of my room to give my mom a hug too, but then I lingered for a beat after I’d straightened up. She looked simultaneously so small and so completely normal sitting under the blanket, her eyes slightly glazed as she watched her show.

“Bye, Mom,” I murmured. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

She looked up at me like she was surprised I was here, blinking a couple times before she gave me a polite smile. “Are you here for bingo?”

“No, but Bree is,” I said, then took another deep, steadying breath and crossed the room to the door.

After giving her another wave that she didn’t even seem to see, I quickly slipped outside before Holden could see my mother behind me. I wasn’t ashamed of her. I just really didn’t want to invite his pity.

Not right now and maybe not ever, but definitely not tonight.

The door clicked shut behind me and I looked up. Holden was in a pitch-black suit that looked like it had been tailored by the angels just for him. My brain short-circuited as I took him in.

That dark, sandy hair that never seemed to want to stay in place was a little less mussed tonight, but a few strands still hung across his forehead a bit. His white shirt was crisp and his bowtie was perfect.

“Wow,” I managed, because that was the best I could do when faced with him looking like that.

Those deep blue eyes that were sometimes stormy were clear now, twinkling with something that looked a lot like mischief. He smiled a crooked, dangerous smile that spelled all kinds of trouble for the night ahead. “You look pretty wow yourself, Ellora. Are you ready?”

“Ella. Call me Ella tonight.” I swallowed past all the dry spots in my throat and took his arm when he offered it to me. “And I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”