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“Finn,” I breathed.
His eyes raked down my body. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
Finn smiled. “I’m a little early.”
“That’s okay.” Although, I was hoping Braden would arrive first. “Is Annika with you?” I asked.
“She’s in the limo,” he said, nodding toward the parking lot. “I think she said Braden was meeting us here?”
I nodded. “He should be here soon.”
Finn stepped back. “Great. I have a chilled bottle of wine waiting for us. We can have a drink while we wait.”
“Perfect. Let me grab my purse.”
Walking to the kitchen counter, I grabbed the little silver handbag I borrowed from Peyton and slid my phone inside, next to the three hundred grand. Finn held out his arm, and I didn’t want to be rude, so I locked the door behind me and took his arm as we descended the two flights of stairs. The second we reached the bottom step, Braden pulled into the parking lot. I didn’t have to see him to feel the heat coming from his stare at seeing me holding onto Finn.
“It’s a good thing I came early,” Finn said, his voice low. There was a hint of jealousy in his tone that caught me off guard. The last thing I needed was for him and Braden to butt heads at the charity ball. I had no clue how tonight would go, especially since I left Braden’s house with so many things left unsaid.
Braden got out of his car, and his eyes briefly met mine before shifting to the limo. Annika stepped out, wearing an extremely low-cut red dress that showed off every curve of her body; she was gorgeous.
Smiling, Braden walked straight over to her. “You look beautiful.”
She held his arm the same way I was holding Finn’s. “Thank you. And you are very handsome.”
Annika then focused on me and gasped. “Oh, Reagan, I wanted to ask if you’d go shopping with me tomorrow. I have the whole day and evening planned for us.”
A sense of relief washed over me. I’d been stressing about how I would explain my whereabouts to Braden and my sister if they asked. Now I had an excuse.
“I’d like that,” I responded.
Her smile widened. “Great. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
Finn peered down at me and then at Annika and Braden. “All right. Shall we go?”
Braden grinned at us and stepped out of the way so Finn and I could get into the limo first. Plastering on a smile, I hopped in beside Finn while Braden sat close to Annika. I’d told him we needed to keep our distance and pretend there was nothing between us.
Oh, how I regretted that already.
The charity ball ended up being at a swanky hotel in downtown Los Angeles. There was a seven-course meal that had to have cost about five grand a person, possibly more than that. Nevertheless, it was enough food to feed a small country for a year.
Everything shimmered and glittered under the crystal chandeliers. Tables were set up all over the room, filled with fancy foods and decorated with intricate ice sculptures. And congregating around it all were California’s top surgeons and society's elite. It wasn’t the crowd I imagined Finn to be associated with. But then again, I knew nothing of the mafia. So it wouldn’t surprise me if the people around us were involved in some shady dealings.
Finn and I walked around together, with Annika and Braden following behind. They branched off and strolled around the ballroom while Finn introduced me to several of the surgeons he knew. Everyone we walked past knew Finn by name and said hello to him. In return, Finn made sure they all knew who I was.
“You’re a popular man,” I said to Finn.
He patted my hand and laughed. “That’s because I donate a lot of money to their cause, and they know it.” He kept his hand over mine and I couldn’t pull away, not with so many people watching us.
Stopping over at the wine table, Finn picked up two glasses of white wine, handing one to me as we moved to a private table in the corner. We sat down and he tapped his glass to mine. “Are you having fun?”
Taking a sip of the wine, I scanned the crowd for Braden and Annika, but I couldn’t find them. “I am. Although I have to say this isn’t at all what I expected of you.”
Finn smirked. “How so?”
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I guess I thought you’d end up being like Nikolai. I dislike him with every fiber of my being.”
