She attempts to pull away from him, but he’s already pressing something into her palm.
Her lips part, no doubt ready to rip him a new one, but instead a small gasp escapes her as she closes her fingers over whatever he just gave her.
Without a word, he reluctantly lets go of her and leaves her speechless, walking away and closing the door behind him.
Her eyes rise to mine, a tear escaping.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
She opens up her palm, and sitting there is a gold rose brooch.
“I thought I lost it,” she says, unable to hold back her emotions.
It was a gift from her nan; she was always her one constant, making up for all the times her parents were gone.
“Oh, Abi.” I place the dress on the bed and quickly pull her in for a hug.
Her arms wrap around me, her body shaking as she cries.
I wait until she pulls away and study her face. “Are you okay?” I ask.
She swallows and reaches for a tissue from the box on her vanity and wipes her face.
“Yeah, just shocked. I searched everywhere for it.”
She glances at the door, chewing on her lip.
“It’s okay to be vulnerable, you know.”
“I know,” she replies, delicately placing the brooch in her trinket dish before turning to face me. “But right now, we both need to finish getting ready. You have a mystery man to meet, after all.”
And just like that, my stomach churns all over again with nervous anticipation, because as much as I do want to meet him, I still can’t stop thinking about Harrison and Hunter.
Chapter 11
Ari
Abi insisted we arrive at the Masquerade ball in style and has none other than Sebastian as our glorified chauffeur. Not that it seems to be much of a hardship, seeing as he gets to drive an exclusive Mercedes-Maybach, and I’m sure he’s being compensated for his time one way or another.
I notice how she purposely keeps the partition lowered so she can throw jabs his way as he glares back at her in the rear-view mirror. But I also didn’t miss the way he looked at her like he wanted to devour her whole when we got into the car either.
Sebastian pulls up to the VIP entrance, bringing the car to a stop, but does nothing else and remains seated behind the wheel.
“Well?” Abi says, glaring at him in the rear-view mirror.
He grunts something under his breath, unclips his seatbelt, and exits the car.
A few seconds later, he’s opening Abi’s door and just as she steps out, her heel gets caught on the hem of her dress, causing her to squeal. I gasp as she tilts forward, then scramble towards her. But Sebastian has wicked reflexes and reaches out to stopher descent. I do not doubt that if he hadn’t intervened, she would have face-planted.
And if that wasn’t enough of a shock, it’s what happens next that renders Abi speechless, which is so unlike her. She can usually fire off an insult like the crack of a whip.
Seb kneels, and Abi’s hands land on his shoulders to keep herself steady as he carefully frees her heel from the fabric of her dress. He lingers for a beat, looking up at her, before rising and stepping aside.
A few seconds pass, then she squares her shoulders and steps forward.
I slide out of the car next, and he holds out his hand for me. I take it gratefully.
“Thank you,” I say with a smile.
