The Auction: Young Adult Romance, New Adult Romance, Forbidden Love (Magnolia Grove Book 1) (8 page)

No pressure.

Entering the tent, I notice Oliver isn’t at the table, so I scan the bar area. Typically, that’s where they go to hang out—him and his little work friends. I see Luke. He throws his head back a little and smiles at me. But no Oliver.

Why would I stick around here if he’s nowhere to be found? The trip to the cabana wasn’t quite the escape I wanted or expected, especially once Holden arrived. He’s showing me sides of him that I didn’t know existed. Regardless of my opinion of Holden, the questions he’s raised and his feelings of Oliver have me questioning everything.

After a leisurely trip to the ladies’ room, my stomach rumbles. But I can’t go back to the tent. I’m sure Holden’s made his way back, and I’m just not ready to face him again. Or any of those other people who realize that my fiancé bid on someone else’s package.

My feet make their way to the guest pantry. While I told Holden I didn’t want to eat at the cabana, the few bites he fed me were enough to spark sharp hunger pangs. At least, I think that’s what these are. Who knows what’s causing the myriad of foreign feelings in my body tonight?

Of course, to get to the pantry, I have to travel through a maze of halls. Prior to reaching my destination, I glance at the little nook Amie, Holden, and I used to hide in when playing hide and seek. It’s an empty space below the staircase. Literally the perfect place to tuck yourself away without being seen.

I’ve always thought it was weird that nothing was put there. No closet. No shelves. It would have been a perfect place for an upholstered bench or even a desk. The area has always seemed so wasted.

“I told you.”

A familiar voice catches me off guard. I quickly slide in like I used to do, feeling like a five-year-old child. My chest begins to bounce at an increasing rate, as if I’ve just run a marathon. My hands cover it like that’s going to make it slow down. Instead of panting, I try to slow my breathing down by inhaling and exhaling through my nose, but despite all this effort, my pulse pounding in my ears nearly drowns out the other voices.

“I told you I should have bid on her package or you should have at least made yours closer to something she liked. Now she’s pissed, and I have no fucking idea where she is.”

My eyes widen. He planned this?

“You’re forgetting the goal was for you to
not
get her package, which you didn’t. I don’t know why you’re so upset.”

Charity?

Yeah, I’m not hungry. I’m about to throw up. My arm moves, and my fingers cover my mouth to keep me from spraying this little hideaway with vomit.

“The goal was to not get her package, but to make it look like an innocent mistake.” There’s a pause. I wish I could see what is going on, but I’m also praying they don’t find me. “She thinks I’m an insensitive asshole because the package was what I like and not what she likes.”

Charity laughs. “Well, aren’t you?”

He huffs.

“Anyway, look,” she says. “You told me if I arranged this pretend date so you could go on a
business trip
with your little boyfriend, Ken, then I could get a promotion.”

Ken? As in Ken McIvoy? As in a man? What. The. Fuck?

Of course, it all makes sense. I was a business transaction to him. I was a way to cover his secret. He didn’t want to touch me, to kiss me, to make love to me.

“In case you haven’t noticed or need reminding,” Charity continues. “I’m a
good
girl. I’m not an expert like you at being sneaky, lying, and or hurting people’s feelings.”

Good girls don’t participate in shit like this. I want to tackle her, strangle her, and beat the ever loving crap out of her. No wonder she was being such a bitch to me at the auction.

Bile starts to quickly rise in my throat. I dash for the bathroom, not even caring if they see me. Tucking my chin down, I focus my eyes on the floor. I run smack-dab into something solid. Funny because it’s not like there are any steel beams or columns between me and the bathroom. Feet come into view, and I know whose they are.

Instead of bouncing back, arms are around me in an instant. I gasp for a breath, for air, and my nose is filled with a scent I’ve become all too accustomed with tonight. He pushes my head against his chest, muffling my growing wails and cushioning the fall of my tears.

“Shh. I got you, tigress.”

“I…” My body heaves. “I…h-he…O-Oliver…Ch-Charity.”

“I heard it all. You don’t have to say anything else.”

There’s no ‘I told you so.’

There’s no cocky comment.

Just sweet, loving, tender Holden. A side of him I haven’t seen since before everything got complicated. Since I watched him at the end of
E.T.
“Shh,” he says as he rubs circles on my back like Amie did at the auction.

The auction. This isn’t just two old friends. This isn’t just us. We’re not alone. My body shudders.

Did anyone else hear what just happened? I’m too mortified to even look. Is there a scene? This entire night’s been a clusterfuck. It’s gone the opposite of how it was supposed to because this isn’t supposed to be my life. But it is.

As I inhale a deep breath, the taste of salt drips into my mouth. I can’t fall apart here. It’s unacceptable. No matter what has been dealt my way. Composure is as essential as the air I breathe.

I suck in a breath, wipe my face with the back of my hand, and sniff. Holden reaches into his pocket and pulls a handkerchief. His scent is assaulting me from all directions. But I don’t care about that. There’s only one thing I do actually give a fuck about. “Get me out of here, please. Go the back way. Take me back to the cabana or take me home. Just please get me the fuck outta this place.”

He holds my head between his hands. “You have to know I had no idea about him and Charity. I absolutely had no fucking clue he was gay.” He slowly brushes a few stray strands of hair stuck on my cheek. “And this isn’t the way I wanted for you to be begging me to take you somewhere.”

I glance into his eyes. They look different. I’m not sure what they are expressing. For as long as I’ve known Holden, I should know his looks.

But I guess the only ones that really stick out to me are the cocky, sly grins. He’s not wearing one of those now. His lips are in a thin line, his brows furrowed. He almost looks pained. And with everything he’s been through, that’s a look I’ve never seen before tonight. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry, Cam.”

“Don’t be. You were right. He’s the asshole. I’m sure Webster would agree.”

Holden grins, which causes the corners of my lips to lift upward. “He’s worse than that…to use you…to hurt you because he can’t be true to who he is.” Tilting his head, he chuckles. “Wait. Does this mean your opinion of me being an asshole has changed?”

I smile, then look down at the ground. “Maybe.” Yes.

“Hmm. Well, I just paid an insane amount of money to be able to continue to prove to you that I’m not what you think. Like, as in I’ve never been on a date quite so expensive. And there’s no way I’d pay that kind of money to go on one with anyone other than you.”

I smile thinking of the amount we raised for the cancer benefit. Being stuck in that stupid soundproof room kept me from hearing how much he did actually bid on mine. Hell, or how much fucking Oliver spent on Charity. “How much did the date cost you?”

“Doesn’t matter, Cammie. You’re priceless to me.”

Mark your calendars.
The Date
is $0.99 and available for pre-order. It releases October 29, 2016! As a special thank you bonus, I’ve included an exclusive sneak peek at the first chapter.

Maybe Holden Masters isn’t all bad.

He releases me from our embrace, which makes me only long to be back in his arms that much more. Because while I’m in them, it’s like we’re teenagers again for a minute. Teenagers before our world flipped on its head. None of this other bullshit matters.

“Cammie?” Oliver’s voice cracks. My body shudders. If I never hear him again, it’ll be too soon. “It’s not what you think.”

It’s like my arms and legs are attached to a ball and chains, like my feet are glued in place. Trying to swallow proves impossible. The only part of my body that responds to my commands is my eyes. Except, maybe I don’t even have control over those because tears seep from my lids in a steady stream down my cheeks as I glance at Holden.

Shocker.

He’s staring daggers at what I assume is Oliver. Holden’s jaw is so tight, and every once in a while it ticks. I wonder how many of those ticks it will take before Holden explodes like a time bomb. He needs to keep his cool, though. Creating a scene at this function would not only be an embarrassment to the club, to the event, but ultimately to his mother. Holden’s made it clear for years he couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what anyone thinks of him. That included me up until tonight.

I think.

Finally, my body starts to cooperate. I slowly glance over my shoulder, afraid of what I’m going to see. Has a crowd of onlookers gathered? Did they hear everything? Is that why Holden looks like he’s geyser waiting to spew.

Oliver fidgets with his hands before slightly moving his feet. He’s closer than I expected, and thank fuck it’s just the four of us. I’m not sure if the space Oliver just filled is even enough to be considered a step. It’s like he’s a hostage negotiator. He’s proceeding with extra caution because he doesn’t know what’s going to tip me off. Or maybe he’s afraid of Holden. If Holden was looking at me the way he’s looking at Oliver, I’d be running in the opposite direction, not coming closer. “Let me explain,” he says. Maybe it’s just the scene he fears I may make more than either of us. Like if he keeps me calm, he’ll keep me rational—like he can reason with me to keep his secret. “Cammie, please. It’s not what you think.” He shakes his head. “It’s not that. Let’s go somewhere private so I can explain.”