I watched him walk through the front doors, and when I couldn’t see him anymore, I drove away.
I sat at my vanity and fastened the diamond earrings into my lobes. My hair was in loose curls, and all the thick strands were pinned to one side, making my layers fall down one shoulder. I was in a sweetheart-neckline strapless black dress with a diamond hanging down from my throat.
Liam was visible in the mirror, wearing a three-piece suit. “What’s this dinner for?”
“You don’t have to come.” I didn’t want to drag Liam to an event he didn’t want to be part of. The Tuscan Rose was hosting a charity dinner for the city, and the guest list was expected to be over five hundred. I wasn’t working tonight, but I was attending as a guest on behalf of the hotel.
“I didn’t say that. Just wondering what it’s for.” Once his tie was tied, he came up behind me and placed his large hands on my bare shoulders. His fingers gently dug into me, warm and callused.
“Charity.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my exposed shoulder. “Like I’m gonna let my beautiful wife go out alone dressed like this.” He kissed me again, this time moving to my neck. He smelled my hair before he straightened. He turned away and moved to his dresser, where his wedding ring sat. “And I’m happy to be with you, wherever you are.”
We stepped into the crowded ballroom where the attendees wore beautiful gowns and pressed suits. Waiters passed flutes on trays, and guests congregated at the bars for something stronger. Music from the string quartet played, and all the chandeliers were lit with a heavenly glow.
Liam’s arm was around my waist. “Beautiful place.”
“Yeah…” I didn’t expect to see Sofia for a while, not when it was this crowded, but after we got our champagne, I spotted her talking to someone with Hades beside her, her pregnant belly visible in her blue dress. Hades had his arm around her, wearing a dark blue suit like he’d intentionally tried to match her.
We moved toward them just as their previous guest left. “I think this party is a success.”
“Me too.” Sofia hugged me and looked me up and down. “Wow, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you. So do you.” I turned to Liam. “Let me introduce my husband. Liam, this is Sofia.”
Liam shook her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.” He turned to Hades quickly and shook his hand. “Congratulations on the baby. Didn’t know you were expecting.”
Hades returned the gesture. “It’s our second.”
“Then I should congratulate you twice,” Liam said. “Know what you’re having?”
“A boy,” Hades answered immediately. “This will be our second son.”
“That’s great.” Liam returned his arm around my waist. “How old is your first boy?” Their conversation faded away when I became distracted.
By the six-foot-three, sexy-as-hell, gorgeous man on the other side of the room. He held a glass of scotch while he spoke to a few gentlemen, his legs long and toned in the black slacks he wore. His black jacket fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and his jawline was clean-shaven, showing that sexy smile that he flashed once in a while. I knew I wasn’t the only woman in the room staring at him.
His presence hadn’t crossed my mind. I just assumed he wouldn’t be there because he had nothing to do with the Tuscan Rose, and it didn’t seem like the type of event he would want to attend anyway.
Damn, I was wrong.
4
Damien
I felt her before I saw her.
Like the distinct tingle on the back of your neck when the temperature changes in the room, or the ominous feeling you get in your gut when you feel someone watching you, or the inexplicable intuition you sense when you know something is about to happen…good or bad.
That was exactly what I felt.
And then I saw her.
She wore a skintight black dress with four-inch heels, her sexy hips narrowed into a petite waistline. Her sculpted legs were sexy and tanned, visible from mid-thigh all the way to her toes. Her tits were pressed together and perky in the tight ensemble, and the thing she’d done with her hair was sexy. It was exactly the way I pushed her hair off her face, and it made me wonder if she did that on purpose.
She must have felt the same feeling I did, because she turned my way when she felt my stare. Our eyes locked for seconds, both impossible to read. She was the first one to look away, returning to her conversation with Sofia and Hades…and Liam.
His hand was around her waist, his height and size diminishing hers. He seemed bored with the conversation, so he continued to drink the champagne, getting a new glass far quicker than everyone else.
Get a man’s drink, asshole.
I’d known she would be there, but that didn’t prepare me for the way she looked, the way she took my breath away just the way she used to when she was naked and riding my dick in the middle of the night.