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Situated closer to the elevator and stairs, she remained in a quiet bubble to greet everyone who came.
She sipped her champagne and smiled. Only one thing would have made the evening perfect. If Yolen had come.
And just like that, the cloud descended, the one that had kept her company since the bar fight from the night before. She ached so deep inside, it felt like she had weights attached to the bottom of her heart. Once more, she put a hand to her chest, almost struggling to breathe. She loved Yolen so much, but where was their relationship headed?
He hadn’t called her after she’d left the bar, not anytime that night or during the daylight hours preceding her exhibition. Of course, she’d since learned the whole story, that Keynes had used his mastyr-based power and knocked him out cold. Yolen had even served some jail time since bar fights were illegal in Bergisson. Keynes had apparently phoned his lawyer and gotten out of the mess.
But Mastyr Ethan had been the one to arrange Yolen’s release.
Still, Yolen hadn’t called, which led her to think it might really be over between them?
She heard the elevator ding, which meant that more guests had arrived. The gallery was located on the third floor of an old brick building and had an excellent view of the river. Though some took the stairs, the lift was necessary, especially with champagne involved.
Straightening her shoulders, she forced herself to breathe, to forget about her rocky love affair, and to somehow plant a smile on her lips.
But what stepped from the elevator this time, stunned her.
Yolen had arrived, wearing a tailored suit, and looking incredibly sexy. She often forgot that he was a man of means. In addition to working homicide, he owned a successful BMW dealership and several growing businesses in the States.
He carried a huge bouquet of red roses, maybe three dozen in all.
She couldn’t believe it, yet here he was.
She set her glass down and moved toward him, her heels clicking on the wood floor. “You came.”
His lips curved as he nodded. “Seemed like the right thing to do.” Then he opened his left arm wide, holding the roses away from her.
She stepped close and threw her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
He drew her against him in a powerful embrace, exactly what she needed, to be held close to him and reassured. She knew what this meant, how much it had taken for him to set aside his rigid schedule just for her.
She drew back, and caressed his face with her palm. “I didn’t hear until later that Keynes had knocked you out, but you don’t look the worse for wear.”
“I’m fine.” He kissed her gently. “And I want you to know I would have come to you last night, but I had a surge and wasn’t healing very fast.”
She knew all about his surges.
His nostrils flared. “You smell amazing.”
The gallery assistant, a troll named Julie that bounced from one foot to the other, greeted Yolen and took the flowers. “I’ll just put these in water.”
“Thanks.”
After Julie had disappeared down the hall, Brianna looked back at Yolen. “I’m so sorry for letting Keynes get that close to me last night. I honestly don’t know what happened. I’ve never been an admirer of his, but for some reason when he came onto me, I couldn’t push him away. Is that typical mastyr behavior and power? I actually felt enthralled even though you vampires don’t really have that kind of power.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, but Brianna I don’t blame you, not even a little. Keynes crossed the line, something he’s good out. Everyone in Cameron knows we’re dating. That he didn’t keep his distance meant he broke the code. Whatever else was going on had more to do with me, which is why I’m here tonight.”
She frowned slightly, wondering if she should pursue the subject, confess her part in the whole thing. But what Yolen had said made a lot of sense. Keynes shouldn’t have come to her like that, touching her, and now that she had some distance, she truly couldn’t explain her bizarre seductive behavior toward Keynes.
“Whatever the case, I’m still stunned that I didn’t just tell him to get lost.”
“As to that, I think it’s my fault. I want to do better by you and tonight I thought I’d start. I mean I can’t stay the whole night, but I wanted to be here for you.”
“Then you’ll head to work?”
“I have to. My instincts tell me that we’re really getting close to uncovering the identity of the latest troublemaker.”
