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When Zoe finished the song as well as the requested concert, she slowly lowered her head, keeping her fingers on the keys. Only when she lifted her hands, placing them in her lap did the cheers and applause break out. As several guests rushed toward her as if she’d earned celebrity status, I noticed two men watching her from the other side of the room. The way they were looking at her brought a stab of anger to the forefront of my mind.
I powered down the remainder of my scotch, slamming the dense glass on one of the tables before pushing my way through the crowd. Right now, the goddamn roses were a hindrance. When one of the two men started to approach, I threw him a look. Given I stood taller than almost everyone else in the room, the mystery guest could easily see the anger riding my face.
He made the right choice to back off, but I had a feeling I hadn’t seen the last of him. Arman’s suggestion that he find a suitable husband for his daughter had shocked the fuck out of me. He’d told me on more than one occasion he’d never do that to her. The sudden change of heart should have been the first red flag. If I had to guess, I’d say he’d asked a few passable suitors to the party for her to meet.
My jaw was clenched, my anger turning into rage as I neared the piano.
“Thank you,” she said more than once, the warm flush on her face a clear indication she wasn’t comfortable with the amount of praise she was receiving. I took a deep breath, sidestepping the mayor and the man’s wife, waiting as they congratulated her.
“That was incredible, my dear,” Mrs. Kingsford said.
“There aren’t enough adjectives to describe that performance, Zoe.” Mayor Kingsford kissed Zoe’s knuckles. The mayor wasconsidered an ally, a man who’d been elected likely because of the sizeable contributions Arman and his family had made to the campaign.
“Thank you, sir. I really appreciate the compliment,” Zoe said.
The moment I moved behind her, she immediately bristled, standing taller. I wasn’t used to seeing her wear heels, the girl usually in jeans and sneakers. While I’d seen her during my week in New York, I hadn’t gotten any closer than ten yards. Being this close was dangerous, enough so it would take every ounce of control I had to shut down the longing that lingered, even if it meant taking a sledgehammer to my head.
She remained stiff and as the Kingstons moved away, she slowly turned around to face me. There was defiance in her eyes, a hint of anger and hatred similar to what I’d seen seconds before she’d boarded the jet. The word stunning came to mind, her beauty and grace more distinguished than I’d captured before.
The moment was frozen in time, as if no one else was in the room. She didn’t blink, didn’t move a muscle, but the intense frown on her face told me she wasn’t happy to see me at all. When she glanced at the flowers, I could tell she was bothered by the sight of them.
“If they’re from you, I don’t want them.”
“They’re from your father.”
“Aw. Still his lackey I see. What’s with the scratches on your face? Did you piss off some woman as you tend to do?”
Jesus. She’d come out swinging. I gave her a hard look, concentrating far too long on the way she dragged the tip of her tongue across her lower crimson-stained lip. It was obviouscollege had changed her. In my mind what she needed was to be taken over my lap for a brutal spanking. At least the thought dragged my mind out of the quicksand.
I kept any retort to myself, placing the bouquet on the piano. “Welcome home, Zoe. Congratulations on your successful graduation. I hope you enjoy your night.”
With that, I walked away. Perhaps it would be easy to keep my distance after all.
CHAPTER 6
Zoe
How dare the man walk away from me! How dare he act as if I was nothing.
Seeing him again had made me crazy.
I fisted both hands, wanting nothing more than to go after him, issuing a hard crack of my hand across his face. His chiseled, strong jaw. His… His gorgeous face. I looked away, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. A part of me wanted to trash the roses, even if they were incredibly gorgeous. I’d been rude, something I almost never was, but the hurt remained after all this time.
Sadly, I wasn’t certain what that said about me.
A few seconds later, I snagged the bouquet, bringing the two dozen gorgeous red roses to my nose. The fragrance was incredible. I rolled the tip of my finger along a petal then down to one of the stems. “Ouch.”
A thorn had pricked my finger. Another wave of anger almost pushed me into tossing them across the room. As I brought the tip to my mouth, I watched him slowly walking toward the doorway of the music room. He’d changed in the years I’d been gone, even more muscular than before, filling out the dark suit in an insanely attractive way. A hint of gray at his temples had added to his debonair appearance, but his eyes remained haunted, dark and cold. The look of a true predator.
Even though he’d acted as if he couldn’t care less about me, he remained in the doorway as if standing guard, scanning the perimeter as I’d seen him do hundreds of times. His muscular frame was filled with more tension than I’d ever seen, coiled as if waiting to strike at a moment’s notice like the predator he was. The man acted as if he was a lion pacing his cage, ready to pounce on anyone who got in his way. Some people had no clue just how dangerous he was, but I did. I’d seen it in action more than once, admonishing him for his brutality.
Yes, he was insanely good at his job, his ability to protect as well as his strong sense of loyalty something that my father admired, their friendship lasting longer than any other Daddy had had. But to me, Maddox would remain nothing more than the hired help. It had to be that way.
Right. Tell yourself another lie.
Oh, girl. What are you doing? What are you thinking? This isn’t high school and that man isn’t going to give you a second thought.How many times had I said that very same thing to myself? By now, it should be the only thing I accepted.
An ache had formed in my temple, one that threatened to make the rest of the evening miserable. I refused to allow it. This was my party and I planned on enjoying it to the fullest degreepossible. Why was it that I couldn’t take my eyes off him? Fury at myself lashed at my brain and my heart and I did my best to look away.
