Page 73 of Lumi

“I know.” River’s eyes lit up as she whispered, “But if she marries Spencer, they’ll have financial security for several lifetimes, and the best part is that Spencer told Nigel that he’s thinking about proposing to Lumi when he graduates. He says that she’ll make a strong partner.”

Liv shushed River. “Keep your voice down.”

I felt my hackles rise. “Sounds more like a business proposition than a romantic proposal.”

“Ah, don’t be such a downer. Lumi and Spencer are crazy about each other. Didn’t you see the diamond necklace he bought her?”

I watched Lumi more closely and noticed her hands playing with her necklace as she listened to Spencer entertain Charles.

The expression on her face seemed distant, like she was only listening with one ear while letting her mind go elsewhere. I didn’t blame her as I found Spencer as dull as Siobhan when she insisted on catching me up on her beloved soap operas from TV.

Why wasn’t Spencer touching Lumi? She was right there next to him, looking like a siren with her tight pants and yellow silk shirt that showed off her inviting curves. If Lumi were my girlfriend, I would find it hard not to pull her with me into a different room so that I could kiss and tease her. I stopped myself and shook my head a little. My admiration for Lumi had always been high, but the older she got, the more I noticed how incredible she was.

“Do ye think Lumi will say yes if he proposes?” I asked River with a bad taste in my mouth.

Liv shook her head. “No, Lumi is too young to marry anyone.”

“She’ll be twenty-four when he graduates. That’s not too young to be engaged,” River argued. “If Lumi says no to becoming a duchess one day, I’ll be truly cross with her.” River gave a small giggle. “Can you imagine?”

I gave her a quick smile before heading to the bar, where Charles had several bottles of good whiskey out. Checking my phone, I saw a message from my brother, Tommy, telling me to meet him and some friends at a pub. There was no message from Siobhan, but she had posted a picture on Facebook of the manicure she’d given herself while sitting on the couch. I sighed and poured myself a large whiskey.

Kit came over. “Did ye see the text from Tommy?”

“I did.” Drinking a sip, I felt the heat from the whiskey warm my throat. “I could use a night out.” My eyes kept finding Lumi, and at one point, she turned her head as if she felt me look at her. I raised my glass to her, and when she smiled back, a rush of butterflies filled my stomach. That’s when I knew I was in serious trouble. Lumi hadn’t been a teenager for years now, and I was developing a severe sexual attraction to her that made it impossible to deny that if I hadn’t been married and she hadn’t been a Robertson, I would have loved to be with her as more than friends. It was time for me to go before I did or said something stupid.

“Here, try this whiskey.” I handed it to my sister.

“Mmm, it’s good.”

“You can have it. I’m going to say my goodbyes and meet up with Tommy.

“All right then. Tell him that I’ll come next time. I have an early meeting with a new client at eight tomorrow morning, up North.”

Before I left, I went around the room, hugging the Robertsons. I deliberately left Lumi as the last one, but once I held her in my arms, it was hard to let go again.

“Ye wanna escape that bore of a boyfriend? Come with me to the pub,” I whispered in her ear. “Let’s drink and dance all night. I wanna see you smile and laugh.”

Lumi whispered back. “Tempting, but I have to pass.”

“Come on, princess. Live a little,” I pushed.

She laughed and kissed my cheek. “I’ll see you around, Damian.”

The next five hours went by in a blur of singing and rocking from side to side with my brother and his mates. I flirted with some lovely Irish women to boost my confidence, but not a single one of them could measure up against Lumi.

My brother tried for the umpteenth time to convince me to get out of my dead marriage, and this time, I nodded and told him he was right.

At a quarter to one in the morning, I knocked on Lumi’s door. Checking my breath, I hoped my chewing gum would disguise the amounts of alcohol that I’d consumed.

When nothing happened, I knocked again. This time I heard steps behind the door. When they stopped, I guessed that Lumi was looking through the peephole.

“It’s me, princess.”

The lock made a “click” sound just before the red door with the black frame swung open. Lumi had removed her makeup and was squinting her eyes a little.

“Damian.”

“Were ye sleepin’?”