Page 16 of Bliss

“Yes.”

Laughing, he stood and offered his hand. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into, aşkim.”

Noah

Before we went to look at the silent auction items, I grabbed us both nonalcoholic drinks. Other than the occasional beer, I didn’t drink often, and Bliss had always been adamant that she wasn’t a fan of alcohol.

During our secret relationship, she’d once told me about her father and how he’d been a hard-core alcoholic until meeting her mother. Those years of abusing his liver had resulted in the need for a liver transplant due to severe cirrhosis. The trauma of nearly losing her dad had stayed with Bliss ever since, and she didn’t drink except for the rare glass of champagne.

Handing over her glass of sparkling cider, I slid my hand down her back and urged her toward where the wall of armed guards stood. Her dress left her back bare, and I took advantage, brushing my fingertips down her spine as we walked. I could feel the goose bumps pop up. She shivered and shifted closer to me as we stopped to examine the items that had been donated for charity.

Bliss considered each item up for auction with the same intense interest. Cooking lessons from a celebrity chef notoriously famous for his bad temper and over-salted cuisine. Dinner with a famous fantasy author, followed by a private viewing of the movie adaptation that hadn’t been released yet. An entire set of jewelry that had been designed specifically for some princess of a small Asian country. When the princess died, they’d been sold to pay off the country’s debt. How Hawkins had gotten them was anyone’s guess.

Bliss barely glanced at the gold jewelry. She wore platinum and white gold, never yellow or rose. Most of the delicate items on offer didn’t interest her, but she still paused long enough to be polite. Some of the displays made her giggle or roll her eyes, but she obviously wasn’t impressed.

We worked our way in a circle, not fully stopping until we reached a painting that caused Bliss to gasp. I gave it a second glance, not sure exactly what I was looking at, but Bliss seemed particularly moved by the splashes of color on an otherwise black canvas.

“She didn’t tell me she was donating anything,” she muttered to herself.

“You know the artist?” I asked, still staring at the piece.

“My sister Heavenleigh. She owns a gallery and has her own studio there. I hadn’t seen this one yet.” She lifted her hand, speaking animatedly as she explained the contrast of colors and the emotions they pulled from her.

“I don’t know much about art,” I admitted, causing her to laugh lightly.

“You don’t have to understand something if it draws emotions out of you, Noah. You just have to accept it and allow it to continue to move you.” She gave the picture one last lingering look. “Hopefully whoever wins it appreciates it the way it deserves.”

Heavenleigh wasn’t just any sister. She was the one Bliss told me repeatedly in the past she was closest to. And despite that bond, she hadn’t told her sister about our relationship for fear of me ending things. Fuck, I’d been such a prick back then.

For the next half hour, I followed Bliss around the rest of the room, taking note of anything she might enjoy. Nothing really caught her eye, though, something I knew because I watched her every expression as she pondered the items. We were mostly killing time until dinner was served. Xaden was right. No one wanted to have to sit at a table longer than necessary with Ted and whomever his date was.

As we exited the display area, someone wasn’t watching where they were walking and bumped into Bliss, knocking her back several steps. I moved fast, wrapping my arm around her back before she could fall.

“Watch where you’re going,” the woman hissed, as if Bliss were the one at fault.

Her tone caused Bliss to stiffen, her eyes shooting blue flames at her. Steadying herself against me, Bliss brushed her hands down the front of her dress and tilted her head at the woman. “Maybe follow your own advice, Odette. You’re the one bumping into people.”

“Bliss,” Odette gritted out, her face losing color. “I’m surprised to see you here. Aren’t you severely allergic to all things sports-related?”

“It strikes me as odd that you know such an intimate detail about me, Odette. I’m pretty sure the last time you even spoke to a member of my family, you were encouraged to move to London to pursue your acting career.” Bliss gave her a tight smile. “How is that going, by the way?”

“It’s great,” she said in a somewhat brittle tone. “Actually, more than great. My new boyfriend is hosting tonight. Maybe you know him. Ted Hawkins.”

“Ah, of course.”

Odette squared her shoulders. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on something before dinner.”

I moved aside, pulling Bliss with me. The other woman walked away, keeping her back ramrod straight as she entered the auction area.

“Friend of yours?” I asked as we slowly made our way back to our table.

She snorted out a laugh. “Hardly. Odette graduated with my sister Arella. Odette has a cruel side to her, and she may have said horrible things about someone in our family. Arella has never been one to let something like that slide, so my sister taught her what happens to mean girls who run their vile mouths.”

“So being vicious is a family trait,” I teased.

Grinning, she nodded. “And don’t you forget it, Kavanaugh.”

“Noted, hayatim.”