Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
A waiter passed and he took two glasses of champagne.
“I don’t drink,” Tamsin said.
“I know, baby, but while you have a glass, no one will try to insist on you trying some other concoction.”
“Ah, good thinking.”
She didn’t take a sip.
Wrapping an arm around his wife, he nodded and smiled at several associates. He ignored the Delcoties, even though he had caught Albert’s eye. There was a brief acknowledgement, but it could be easily understood as politeness.
He didn’t want to deal with his father’s questions or potential wrath. He’d yet to talk to Tamsin about Albert’s … revelation.
There was no way he was going to ask his wife to be bait, or put her at risk, or allow her to kill his father. If anyone killed Paul Savonas, it would be him. Tamsin had already been through enough. He wouldn’t ask her for anything else.
“We’re going to have to mingle, aren’t we?” Tamsin asked.
“I do believe that’s what is expected of us.” He looked around the room. “So, you pick who we mingle with. Your brothers, my father, my brothers, the Castillos, or shall we go with a complete stranger?”
“I don’t like the thought of any of them.”
“I say let’s go and see your brothers.” He was already urging her forward. Mason felt her tense up, but didn’t stop until they were near Jacob and Abel. They were together with their wives and a couple of businessmen.
Introductions were brief.
Jacob reached over and kissed Tamsin’s cheek, as did Abel. Their wives did the same.
After that, he noticed that Tamsin did take a long, drawn-out sip of her champagne. The Dentons were the lesser of all evils. His father would only dominate the conversation, and Mason needed to be ready to talk to him. With their enemies as well as their allies present, he couldn’t show any weakness.
“You look stunning,” Lousia, Jacob’s wife, said.
“Thank you.”
“Married life agrees with you,” Harper, Abel’s wife, said.
“You both look amazing as well.”
Both women smiled at Tamsin.
“You know, I was just telling Jacob that it’s been a lifetime since we had you for Sunday lunch,” Lousia said.
“Oh, we’ve got to go and talk to Connor and Reese,” Tamsin said. “Please, excuse us.”
She grabbed Mason’s arm, and they walked over to his brothers, who were in the corner, out of everyone’s way. His brothers never enjoyed parties like this. They often felt like they were referred to as the “spares.”
Their father had often said they were useless unless anything happened to him. Mason wouldn’t allow his brothers to be let down. They were his best friends and closest allies. He trusted them with his life.
“You just used my brothers to get out of Sunday lunch,” Mason said.
“It worked.”
“Now you’re using us, Tamsin?” Connor asked, and tusked his tongue.
In response Tamsin glared. “Unless you would like to go to a Denton family lunch complete with interrogation and possibly even a hint of playing the guilty card.”
“The guilty card?” Reese asked.
“Yes, my family will try to make me feel guilty for not seeing them sooner. I have no interest in renewing relations. At least, not yet.” She finished off her champagne. “Crap, where did that go?”
She pressed fingers to her lips.
Mason took the empty glass and put his full glass in her hand. “You’re going to have to be careful, baby. Champagne can go straight to the head.” He stopped a waiter, taking a small piece of bruschetta and giving it to Tamsin. She didn’t argue with him and took a bite.
He didn’t want the alcohol to go to her head. Her family was worried about her, and he didn’t wish to add to that. His brothers looked concerned as well.
It had been a few months since they last had been to a gathering like this one. Mason knew if he looked toward her brothers, they would be paying attention to her, which wasn’t a problem, but he did need her to be in control.
Chapter Ten
Tamsin hated this.
She didn’t understand her feelings. It was so much easier to hate her brothers when they were far away. This made it next to impossible to hate them, when all she had to do was look behind her and they were there, as if appearing like magic.
The glass of champagne in her hand looked tempting, and it would be so easy to knock it back and drink it all, but she wasn’t going to do that. There were so many people around, and the last thing she needed was to lose control of herself.
Tamsin stayed focused on her husband and his two brothers. She also noticed Paul hadn’t strayed far from his sons this night. She felt a little on edge as every time she looked toward him, he was staring back at her with a look she couldn’t quite read.
Forcing a smile to her face, she handed Reese her drink. “Could you please take this?” He did so without question and she turned to Mason. He had yet to replace the drink he’d given to her. “Dance with me.”