Rules about Lily by Angelina Fayrene Read Free Book Online

before you go downstairs.” She winked at him as his hand went to his mouth and came away pink. Her laughter lingering in the air as she left.
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    The music and conversation reached his ears as Jared stepped out of his room. His eyes scanned the crowd as he descended the stairs memorizing the layout and the flow of foot traffic, sharply aware of the staring eyes and quieting voices. This was his wish after all and it was being played out as he had directed, his eyes continued its search finally coming to a stop on Lily. Lily’s breathe caught in her throat as she stared at Jared, perfectly groomed and looking like he just stepped off the pages of a GC magazine. His tuxedo fit him beautifully, tailor made to cover his broad shoulders and long torso but no clothes could cover the raw sex appeal or confidence that flowed off him in waves, every woman was affected and Lily hated them all. Unreasonably jealousy clawed at her chest and she felt the urge to scream at them to leave her man alone, but he wasn’t her man and she stood still, waiting for him to speak.
                  “Good evening everyone, I hope you are all having a great time. There will be lots of time for me to meet each of you but in the meantime please avail yourself to the all the amenities that have been provided. If you need something that is not readily available any of my staff would be happy to accommodate you. Lily can you come up here please.” He watched as she made her way through the crowd and came towards him. She turned to the crowd as she stood on the step below his.
                  “This is Lily; she is my personal assistant and the person responsible for putting all this together. In case of emergencies you can also contact her; she will always be able to reach me. Now, let’s adjourn to the dinner table shall we?” Jared tucked Lily’s hand through his arm and led her to the dining room where he pulled back the chair to the right of his own and seated her. They dined on a plethora of succulent meats, grilled vegetables and sweet wine, all laid out on the finest china that was a combination of several generations of Maguire marriages.
    Jared mingled for several hours, dancing and talking to first one woman and then another. The evening progressed very well and would have been called perfect if the strained link between him and his best friend didn’t exist. She had yet to talk to him since the party started but acted like the perfect hostess, directing the staff discretely and carrying on light conversation with the guests.               
    It was late into the evening when the band started a slow bluesy tune and Jared had seen her in the arms of yet another adoring male for too long. He walked up to the dancing couple and tapped the man on his shoulder a little harder than was necessary.
    “Excuse me, you don’t mind if I cut in do you?”  Mingled with Jared’s icy stare it was more of a statement than a question. The man nodded and stepped back allowing Jared the space in front of Lily. She slipped into his arms easily but refused to look at him. Jared settled her in his arms and swayed to the music without effort, her head nestled in the notch between his shoulder and chest and Jared rested his cheek on the top of her head. He felt her relax and tightened his hold on her just a fraction more, it was by far closer than he had held any of the other women tonight. Why did he never notice before how perfectly she fit into his arms, not just his arms but also his life? Her left hand clutched at his back and the right was trapped under his much larger one over the steady beat of his heart.
                  The song ended as did their few minutes in heaven and Lily stepped away from Jared.  Anything they might have said was interrupted by the departure of the guest for the night. The last person left, leaving the two of them alone in the foyer. An