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“Okay, I know calling you an asshole wasn’t exactly smart, but it was the first thing that came to me.”
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking at me. “I think you secretly enjoyed it.”
My brows furrow. “And why would I do that?”
“Because you’ve always loved pushing the limits.”
Amusement sparks in his eyes, and I realize he’s playing me. “You’re not mad at all.”
Laughter bubbles out of him, and he shakes his head. “Not even a little.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You like it.”
Sticking my tongue in my cheek, I roll my eyes and turn toward the door. “I’ll see you later, asshole.”
“Wait,” he calls out. “I got this in the mail this morning.”
He opens his drawer and hands me an envelope. Scrolled across the front is handwritten fancy lettering.
Mr. Asher Hawthorne and Guest
I flip it over and open it, pulling out the invitation inside.
You are cordially invited to the Annual Lexington Benefit.
This year’s theme is Hidden in Plain Sight.
“A masquerade party?” I ask as my eyes meet his once more.
He nods. “It’s a benefit I go to every year. The Lexingtons are very wealthy and powerful people. They throw this massive event and every dollar earned goes to a charity they founded.”
I look around to make sure no one has come in yet. “Are you out of your mind? I can’t go with you there.”
“Why not?”
“Uh, because we’re supposed to be laying low? And you said it yourself, they’re very powerful people, which means they’re smart. What if they figure out I’m only eighteen?”
He reaches over and points to the word masquerade on the invitation that lies on his desk. “You’ll be wearing a mask, and as for the age thing, just act older. You’ve done it before, Miss Davenport.”
I try to hide my guilty smile as he uses that one against me. The corners of his mouth raise, bringing out his dimples and unfairly making it so I can’t deny him.
“So, what do you say? Will you come with me?”
23
ASHER
I stand in the middle of the platform, looking at the suit in the multiple mirrors that all provide a different angle. It’s simple. Charcoal gray with a white shirt and a light gray tie for contrast. The color will go well with the mask I’ve picked out.
“Oh, this one’s good,” Colby reads from his phone. “Rumor has it Asher Hawthorne secretly eloped with his mystery woman over the weekend.”
For the past hour, while I tried on suits, Colby decided it would be a great idea to go over all the headlines that have been released since our trip to Miami. Some of them, like this one, are so absurd that they’re actually amusing. Others, however, cut a little too close to the truth. Those ones make me uncomfortable.
Tessa and I have had to go through extra measures to ensure we don’t get caught, especially with her currently living at my place. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been incredible. No matter how much time we spend together, I don’t get the slightest bit tired of her. Somehow, she never loses her ability to keep me on my toes, and it always makes things interesting. However, I do sometimes wish we could go places.
The media has been tracking me since they saw me put my hand on Tessa’s back. They call her my mystery woman, and it’s become an internet wide thing where people try to figure out who she is. Even the kids on the team have picked up on it, trying to pry information out of me when I’m trying to run them through plays. They finally stopped asking when I threatened to make them do one hundred push-ups for every time they bring it up.
