“Nova,” I squeak.
She ducks her head bashfully. “What do you think?”
“You … You look … Wow.”
I’m at a loss for words. She looks amazing in a floor-length black dress. It’s sheer and lacy in the front and … it’s just fucking mind-blowing.
I stand and cross the room to her.
I place my hands on her hips and draw her to me. I lower my head and kiss her quickly so I don’t mess up the dark lipstick she wears.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she comments with a smile. I step back with a smirk and let her check me out. “Does your dad know you’re bringing me?” she asks.
I shake my head. “It’s better the less he knows,” I mutter.
She makes a face. She’s about to learn all too soon what an asshole my dad is. It’s something I hoped I could spare her from, but I’d much rather have her at my side than suffer alone tonight.
Or worse, get groped by a bunch of old socialites because that’s happened before.
“Are we taking your truck?” she asks, picking up a clutch from the kitchen table.
I snort. “My dad would kill me if I showed up in my truck. He sent a car.”
“Oh … should we go then?”
I sigh. “Yeah. There’s no point in delaying the inevitable.”
I lock up behind us and we’re silent through the elevator ride.
I guide her outside and the driver of a parked black Escalade hops out.
“Mr. Kensington?”
“Yep, that’s me,” I say.
He gets the door, and I help Nova into the car before climbing in behind her.
The door closes and he climbs back in the driver’s seat.
Nova and I don’t talk during the drive. I think her silence is from nerves while mine is purposeful. I don’t know this driver, so I don’t trust him, and I don’t want to risk the chance of anything I say getting back to my dad.
An hour later we pull up outside a mansion that’s located away from the city.
The driver waits for our turn before letting us out at the steps. Somebody waits there to open the door, and I slide out, turning to hold a hand out to Nova.
She wobbles, unsteady in her heels, and I hold tightly to her so she doesn’t fall.
“Are you okay?” I whisper against her hair.
She nods, looking around with wide eyes. She swallows thickly. “It’s just now occurred to me that I’ve never asked you what your dad does.”
I wrinkle my nose in distaste as we start up the stairs slowly. “He’s a Senator.”
Nova nearly falls over and I don’t know whether it’s my words that have bowed her, or she’s just clumsy in the death traps she calls shoes.
“A-A Senator?”
Definitely the Senator thing then.