I weave my way through the crowd, ignoring the smiles and the nodding heads as I pass them, these fake, plastic people acting like they know me when I’m a complete stranger. It’s not until I’m standing directly behind her, breathing in her delicate scent, fascinated with the elegant tilt of her neck, the way her hair slides across her shoulder as she speaks animatedly to the woman standing in front of her, that I finally jolt myself out of my trance and say something.
“Hayden.”
She glances over her shoulder, doing a double take. “Tony from the dealership? Is that you?”
I can’t help but smile. Her voice is soft and lilting. Sweet sounding. Her eyes are wide and she’s grinning at me like I’m the best thing she’s seen in a long time.
I can’t help but return her smile. “It’s me.” I hold my arms out. “In the flesh.”
“And what pretty flesh you are,” she murmurs.
I rear back a little, surprised at what she said. And she doesn’t back down from it either. She just watches me, completely forgetting about the woman she was speaking to only a second ago. We stare at each other for a moment before I realize this is the perfect opportunity for me to check her out completely.
The white dress she’s wearing should be criminal. It covers up a lot, yet reveals plenty too. It’s short, showing off those killer legs. The ruffled skirt hem flirts with her slender thighs, and while the dress is long sleeved, it has this deep V-neck that shows off her cleavage perfectly.
I’m a leg man. I always have been. But Hayden’s tits are absolute perfection.
“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” she says to me while I stand there gawking at her like an idiot.
“I didn’t expect to see you either.” I slip my hands in my pants’ pockets, trying for casual. My blood is buzzing, racing through my veins at just having her this close. “Guess we both had the same plans.”
“Guess so.” She turns away from me, grabbing the hand of a girl wearing a dark blue dress and yanking her to her side. “This is my sister. Palmer.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake her little sister’s hand. She watches me with narrowed eyes, her lips parting, revealing the braces on her teeth. Definitely younger. She’s blonde too, and her features are similar to Hayden’s.
“Who are you again?” she asks me.
“Oh sorry. This is Tony.” Hayden puts extra emphasis on my name, sending her sister a knowing look.
Hmm.
“Wait a minute. Range Rover Tony?” Palmer studies me carefully and I can’t help but chuckle. “Hayden told me she thought you were cute.”
“Palmer!” Hayden nudges her sister with her elbow.
“What? It’s true! You’re always telling me I should be truthful and never hold anything back.” Palmer rubs at her side where her sister jabbed her. “It’s no big deal that you think he’s cute. From the way he’s staring at you, I’m sure he thinks you’re cute too.”
Hayden glances over at me, her eyes lighting up when she catches me staring, just as her sister said.
“So you’re talking about me to your sister, huh?” I ask Hayden, taking a step closer to her. I think of Helena and how she invaded my space only moments ago, and I hope like hell Hayden doesn’t think I’m doing the same thing to her right now.
Clearly, she doesn’t, thanks to h
er taking another step closer to me too. So close, our chests are almost brushing. I can smell her delectable scent even stronger now, and unlike all the other cloying fragrances filling the room, I can’t help but inhale her like I’m some sort of junkie.
“I told my sister I thought you were cute,” she says, her expression like a dare. “That’s all.”
“You think I’m cute.”
“Cute is too common of a word for you, but yes. It’ll suffice for now.” Hayden smiles, showing off her straight, white teeth.
Damn. Everything about this girl is pretty. Perfect. She doesn’t have nearly as much makeup on her face as all the other women who are here, and she definitely doesn’t need it. That sexy white dress showcases her banging body to perfection. The scattered star necklace from earlier lays against her throat, a delicate spray of gold upon her smooth skin. I’m intrigued by that necklace.
I want to touch it. Trace it with my fingertips. See if I can make goosebumps rise.
The whine of a mic being turned on sounds over invisible loudspeakers, and the majority of the room gasps in response. It’s followed by the tinkling of silverware against glass, and I turn to see a man standing on the stage in front of a podium, a fork in one hand and a wineglass in another. He taps the edge of the glass again with the fork, just before he announces into the mic, “Welcome everyone. Please do find your seats. Dinner will be served momentarily.”
It’s a free for all after that, and I watch Hayden be helplessly dragged away by her sister, still smiling while we continue to stare at each other. I’m tempted to go after her, but she turns away at the last second and follows after Palmer. I watch Hayden walk toward the other side of the room, my gaze dropping to the sway of her hips, the way the skirt flutters around the back of her thighs.