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“Thank you.”
I glance over his shoulder, searching the crowd once more, and spot Mr. Bordeaux with his jet black hair, face hidden behind a silver mask. I spy Vance and Miles wearing black, but Sebastian is nowhere in sight. Neither is Liam.
“They haven’t arrived yet.” Ford’s lips purse in amusement.
I return my attention to him. “Who?”
He laughs. “You’re cute when you act coy.” Taking a step closer, he sticks out a hand. “I want to show you something.” It’s yet another demand obscured by a tone of gentle persuasion, but I slide my palm into his and allow him to lead me through the throng. The guests part again, keeping to either side like pillars, and it isn’t until we cross through the gauzy drapes that I let out a shocked gasp.
Under the glow of neon lighting, a separate realm exists—a deviant clash of perversion and decadence. Scantily dressed people gyrate to the pulsing music on a makeshift stage, their skin damp with sweat.
In the middle of it all is Pax, bare from the waist up except for his leather mask the same color as mine. He crosses the stage with an undeniable swagger, his abs glistening under the lights as he leads his slave to a giant X on the wall. Nude acrobatic dancers perform in neon cages on either side as he secures Frieda to the planks. Curious guests make themselves comfortable on the surrounding loungers to watch the show.
“So what do you think?” Ford asks, lingering behind me. “Want to go up there and play with me?”
“I should…p-probably eat something,” I say, my vocal cords constricting as I envision the hors d’oeuvres near the ballroom’s entrance. If there’s one thing about this night for which to be thankful, it’s the cancellation of the monthly dinner in favor of Ford’s ball, not to mention a much-needed escape from his expectations.
I push past him and disappear into the crowd, but his chuckle seems to trail after me above the techno beat. I sense a mischievous streak in Ford Stryker, and that makes him as unpredictable as the rest of the men in the Brotherhood.
Sending a quick glance over my shoulder, I make a small plate before blending into the shadows at the edge of the ballroom, grateful for the illusion of solitude. With my attention on the front entrance, I nibble, tasting none of it. I’m wound tight from too much nervous energy, and so focused on the masked guests coming and going that I don’t notice the tall figure appearing from the opposite direction until he’s right in front of me.
A pair of seductive brown eyes stare back from behind a black mask, making my heart skip a series of beats.
For several moments, Liam says nothing, though his expression betrays what’s on his mind.
Fear of rejection.
Self-recrimination.
Lustful appreciation.
“Jesus…” he trails off with a thick swallow. “You wouldn’t have made it out of my bedroom dressed like that.” His gaze drifts down my body, that heated perusal caressing me like a phantom touch.
“The gown was Ford’s idea.”
“I could murder him right now.” A tick goes off in his jaw.
“Aren’t you in enough trouble already?”
“Apparently not.” Tilting his head toward the dance floor, one brow raised in silent question, he holds out a hand.
I glance at the entrance again before depositing my plate with the other abandoned culinary fanfare.
As his warm grip encloses my hand, hesitation stiffens my limbs. Against my better judgement, I allow him to usher me onto the dance floor.
He pulls me close, and the music slows to a hypnotic beat. A full minute passes in soundless tension, despite our bodies moving as one. Burrowing his face against my neck, he holds me tight against him, as if he’s scared I’ll disappear from the cage of his arms.
“I’m so sorry, Novalee.” Further words aren’t needed to convey what he’s apologizing for. What happened in the dungeon plays in my mind like a horror film, and in this moment, I know it haunts him as much as it haunts me.
“You stopped Pax from hurting me.”
“By hurting you myself.”
“You did what I asked—what you had to do.” Pulling back, I meet his eyes. “We both did.”
“There’s no justification for how I got off on it.”
“We didn’t have a choice, Liam.”
