Chapter 6 You're Way Too Thin

Henry's head came up. His nose grazed Irene's chin. His voice came out low and rough. "Leave the birthmark showing. I like it."

That comment made Irene's self-consciousness vanish in an instant.

The fitting room was tiny. They were positioned in a way that felt way too close for comfort.

Something clicked for Irene right then. Henry acted all distant and icy around other people. But when it was just the two of them? He had no problem flaunting his sex appeal.

She figured he knew she wasn't some innocent virgin, right? Maybe he felt like he didn't need to hold back anymore.

Her scattered thoughts got cut short. Something cold pressed against her neck.

Irene glanced down. An emerald necklace-glossy and brilliant-was now sitting around her throat.

The question popped out before she could stop it. "What's this?"

Henry's tone stayed casual, like it was no big deal. "My family's been passing it down for generations. Your wedding dress and this are the perfect match."

Irene had hung around Caiden long enough to know quality when she saw it. This necklace wasn't some run-of-the-mill jewelry. Regular folks couldn't get their hands on something like this.

She tried to turn it down right away. "This thing's worth too much, I can't-"

Henry wasn't budging. "Keep it on."

His hand shifted to her waist. A slight frown appeared on his face.

The dress hugged her body just right in most places. But around the waist? A bit of extra space.

Irene assumed he wasn't happy about the fit. She jumped in quickly. "They can take it in."

Henry shot back, "How about you gain some weight instead of messing with the dress?"

His eyes traveled over her without any shame whatsoever. They stopped at her chest and stayed there for a beat. His eyes got narrower. Then came his assessment. "You're way too thin."

Heat flooded Irene's face. Her hand flew up to shield her chest. Her voice came out quiet. "But I thought all guys liked women who were thin?"

Henry's voice took on an edge. "All guys? So me and who else?"

Caiden drifted into Irene's thoughts. He had always gone for women like Paulina-delicate and rail-thin.

Irene had kept herself on a strict diet because of that. Her chest, which used to be fuller, had shrunk down to barely a curve.

Henry's stare felt like it could see straight through her.

He didn't push her to name these other men. A scornful sound came from him instead. "Guys who only go for fragile women? They're not real men. Men like that are insecure. They're scared of women who are healthy and strong. They don't want women who can stand on their own two feet."

Those words hit Irene hard-like something solid dropping in her chest.

She studied Henry's face with real attention. It struck her then that he wasn't like the other guys she had known.

...

They left the bridal shop. Henry brought up the idea of heading to the Shaw family's home with Irene.

Abby had asked for this.

Three years back, Henry had asked for Irene's hand. After that, Abby had tried multiple times to get Irene to come by.

Irene wanted to see Abby-she was an old friend of her mother's, after all. But the Dixon family always shut down any connection with her mother's circle. Plus, she was worried about Tobias and his gambling addiction, trying to milk Abby for money. So shed turned down the invitations politely.

Irene had a pretty good guess that Abby was ticked off at her.

Sure enough, when they showed up at the Shaw family's residence, Abby didn't even bother coming to dinner.

Laura Benson, the housekeeper who ran the household, made it crystal clear. "Mrs. Shaw says Miss Burton needs to spend the night."

Henry let out a sigh. "Got it."

That night went exactly how Irene expected. She got put in the bedroom with Henry.

The shower was running. Irene sat there gripping the blanket's edge, her nerves shot.

Although it wasn't her first time, there was zero emotional connection between her and Henry. Sleeping with him this fast? She couldn't wrap her head around it.

She waited, anxiety building. Then the bathroom door swung open. Henry walked out with just a towel wrapped around him.

Irene kept her eyes away from him-or tried to. The room was small though. Her gaze ended up wandering over to him anyway.

His body was athletic. His muscles had that flowing, powerful quality to them. He moved like a big cat on the African plains-smooth and easy, but radiating danger.

Irene was the prey he had picked out.

Panic hit her, and Caiden popped into her head out of nowhere.

He had hit the gym regularly too. He had those defined chest muscles and abs he had been so proud of.

But stacked up against Henry, Caiden came up short-literally. His shoulders were narrower too. He didn't have that raw, untamed energy.

The silence in the bedroom stretched on. Irene decided to break it herself. "So... your mom's still mad at me, huh?"

Henry stopped toweling off his hair. His lips pressed together. It looked like he was about to say something. Then Irene's phone started ringing.

Caiden's voice came through, all accusatory and sharp. "Where the hell is Paulina's food? You didn't drop it off today."

Irene kicked herself for picking up without looking at the screen first.

Henry's expression turned ice-cold instantly. She forced herself to push back. "Mr. Smith, I already quit."

That made Caiden laugh-but not the nice kind. "Quit? Yeah right. You're just jealous of Paulina. Still pulling these petty moves to get under my skin. Let me tell you, I-"

A man's mocking laugh cut through the line. "Irene's got better things to do than listen to you run your mouth."

Caiden froze up, caught completely off guard. Irene was with another guy?

Henry had grabbed the phone from Irene by then. "Feel free to keep listening if you're curious what she's up to."

He said that and chucked the phone to the side.

Irene was still processing what just happened. Suddenly she was airborne-Henry had swept her up. Everything spun around. Then she landed on the plush bed.

Henry came down after her. He had her pinned. There was no room for resistance.