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“Hayden!” Orlando called, dragging me behind him on his way to the kitchen island where our host was standing in the corner, surveying his guests as if he was debating which of them were worthy of being invited to the after-party. He was attractive with dark curls and a beard that was just past a five-o’clock shadow, and his dress shirt hinted at muscles underneath.
He looked our way, and his gaze raked over me with the cool disinterest of a man who never had to work for female attention.
“Hey, my sister is off-limits,” Orlando said without any of the growling Nacio would have used. “Eyes on her face.”
Hayden’s lips twitched. “Understood.” He gestured toward the hall. “Bathroom’s the first door on the right. You’re welcome to the bedrooms on this floor. Don’t go upstairs.”
“I’m getting a drink. You want anything, Piper?”
I shook my head. What I wanted was to be somewhere less crowded, preferably not in this building, beautiful as it might be.
I made my way through the crowd, past the stairs, to a second living room. This one had two-story ceilings and a glass door leading to a balcony.
Outside in the fresh air, I finally felt like I could breathe. A breeze lifted my hair off my shoulders. It was a pleasant evening, cool but still warm enough to spend time outside in the thigh-length dress I was wearing. I leaned against a glass railing and looked out over the city lights.
“Do you love the outdoors or just not like parties?” a familiar voice said behind me.
I turned away from the view to face Samuel. “A little of both, I guess.”
Sam’s eyes traveled up and down my body, taking in the wedge heels, the lacy white dress, the silver bangles around my wrists, the ruby necklace that suddenly felt like way too much. His gaze lingered at my chest, though I couldn’t tell if he was checking out the necklace or my cleavage. Unlike the dress I wore to the charity ball, this one was tight through the bust and had a sweetheart neckline. Finally he looked up to my face. “You’re wearing makeup.”
It wasn’t much, just a swipe of red lipstick and some eyeliner, but it was more than I usually wore. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“You’re more beautiful without it. Why bother covering your real face?”
“Because it feels like wearing armor and sometimes I need that.”
He moved closer, his hands grasping the railing on either side of me. “Are you ever going to stop hiding?” he whispered.
“I’m not hiding.” I wasn’t a teenager anymore, and while I didn’t try to attract attention, I was well past worrying about every rumor that circled about me or my family. Getting out of high school had helped a lot with that.
“Piper?” I looked over Sam’s shoulder to see Freddie standing in the doorway to the balcony. “Are you all right?”
Sam growled, so softly I could have been imagining it.
“Freddie.” I offered him a smile. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight. Have you met Sam?”
Sam sent me a look that I couldn’t read before turning to face our visitor. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” he drawled. “Samuel Torres.”
I’d never heard Sam’s last name before. Of course I knew he had one, but it was still strange. He hadn’t used one when he’d introduced himself to me or my parents.
“Alfio Rossi. It’s nice to meet you. Do you mind if I borrow Piper for a moment?”
Sam’s eyes narrowed, his expression going lethal. “That sounds like a question you should be asking her.” There was a bite in those words.
“Actually, I think I’m going to get a drink,” I cut in. “If you’ll both excuse me.” Sam thought I was hiding, and Freddie was still asking everyone but me for my attention. I didn’t want to deal with either of them at the moment.
Neither man made any attempt to stop me as I slipped back inside.
“Ah, there you are.” Orlando grinned at me. “Are you having fun?”
“This place is lovely,” I answered.
“Isn’t it? And even better, now that Hayden’s back on this side of the Atlantic, Nacio and I are no longer the richest bachelors in Boston.” Knowing Orlando, that alone could be the cause of friendship toward Hayden. I couldn’t say I blamed him.
“He doesn’t happen to have an unmarried sister, does he?”
“Sorry. He’s got a younger brother and a very-much-married older sister.”
