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The decent thing to do here is bedecent. If only for tonight.
The only thing I should do is meet with River, enjoy the art show, and have dinner, then maybe I could offer to pay her debts again if she allows me to. If that doesn’t work, maybe I could use tomorrow as back-up.
After that, I’ll leave her alone. Honestly, that’s as far as I can go with her anyway. The time to see her in line with the auction would have run out, and I’ll be crossing over into stalker territory again. So, it’s best to stick to the plan.
That’s what I intend to do. Until I reach the Artisan and the sight of my gorgeous ex standing by the balcony outside on the terrace steals my senses.
A simple black mid-length dress with tiny straps over her delicate shoulders looks like it’s been painted on her decadent body. The black of her dress combined with the shadows of the night makes her red hair look more striking.
She hasn’t seemed to change much over the years. She still has that light of innocence about her, so I’ll be willing to bet she has no idea how beautiful she looks in such simple clothes. Or that she’s still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life.
I was the devil would have tainted that purity and corrupted her light.
I haven’t changed in those ways. I’m still the devil, and the wicked thing that made me kiss her last night has infiltrated my mind, still wanting me to own her in those ways, too.
It reminds me that she’s mine.
Mine for the next two nights.
ChapterTen
River
As Jericho approaches me, my heart stills and my lips tingle as if he’s still kissing me.
The thought is not exactly the best to start the night with if I hope to concentrate and focus on staying sane.
I need to do both. Sanity is always a plus, but I don’t know who would be able to concentrate around a man like him when he looks as if he just stepped off a billboard advertising Hollywood’s latest movie.
Years ago, when he made my head spin, he was a boy. Now he’s a man. One of the most highly sought-after men in this hemisphere.
The soft glow from the moonlight shines down on him, illuminating his confident exterior, and the slight breeze ruffles his neatly trimmed hair.
Dressed in a silky black shirt, beige pants, and tanned brogues, he looks every bit the man people talk about in magazines and on TV.
I always felt like a fish out of water back when I was around him. I feel no different tonight, yet he’s looking at me as if I’m someone important.
He’s certainly treated me as if I am. He sent a Maybach to pick me up from Gina’s earlier.
Maybe I could believe that I’m important just for tonight, and tomorrow.
Even if I’m a nervous wreck. I paid the arrears on the loans and the bills earlier, but I’ve been walking on thin ice all day, dancing around the lies I had to tell Eden.
Of course, she wanted to know how the auction went and who I ended up with. I told her about the money because I felt it was right she knew, as she’s worried about me, but I decided to tell her that an elderly man won me. To ease her worries further, I told her that he wanted my company to attend a friend’s wedding. That’s it. No funny business.
I couldn’t tell her about Jericho because that would have opened the door to all manner of questions and assumptions I didn’t want.
Now I’m here. I’m staring at the man who’s plagued my mind for years, and we’re standing on the terrace of one of the most beautiful buildings in New York with the starry sky above our heads and the skyline in the background. It’s romantic and strange all at the same time because it feels like neither of us should be here.
Jericho stops a breath away, towering over me with his height. I’m wearing a pair of wedge heels, so I’m much shorter than I usually am next to him.
The corner of his mouth slides into a sexy grin, and he looks me over when he notices my obvious nervousness.
“Hello.” His deep voice is smooth, making his baritone tenor sound playful.
“Hi.”
“Did you get here okay?”
