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The sour thought follows me long after Dad dismisses us from ourfamilyhuddle and we set out to carry out our specific tasks. Mine is to help Zoe with the sign-ups for donations. Each person gets a rose corsage from the basket I’m carrying.
The only thing I can think of as I make my way to her is Luc. I search the crowd for him but don’t find him anywhere.
There’s another hall with a buffet laid out that he might be at. Or not.
In keeping with my promise, I shouldn’t be looking for him, but how can I not?
I keep thinking of him telling me that he looked for me in Vegas. It meant a lot to hear that, and to see him here today and feel like being with him meant something.
Zoe gets up from her chair when she sees me approaching and rushes up to me for a quick hug.
As we break apart I want to tell her everything. Everything about Luc, but I hold back. This is neither the time nor the place, but my God would Zoe have a field day hearing about my strange stroke of coincidence.
“Look at you. I’m loving this dress on you and your hair like this.” She spins me around so she can get a good look at me, excited because this is the first time in over a year since we had an excuse to dress up.
“Thank you.” I smile back at her. “You look amazing, too.”
She’s wearing a shimmering green cocktail dress that matches her eyes, and her hair is in a half-up, half-down style.
“Come sit.” She gestures for me to sit at the beautifully decorated table that has a clipboard on it with the donationforms attached. “Tell me what’s happening. I saw you talking to your father. AndCole.”
“It’s not good. I’ll tell you more later.” I press my lips together and release a stagnant breath.
Zoe’s brows knit. “Oh no. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll figure it out.” The thought to ask her about Luc comes to me, so I do. She’d know about the players on the team. “Zoe, what do you know about Luc Le Blanche?”
Her face lights up, becoming almost animated. “Oh, I love this topic. He’s hot like hell.”
“Apart from that?”
“Hot like hell and your father hates him. Why are we talking about the hot hockey god?”
The universe must be at work again because he chooses that moment to make an appearance. Luc walks in with four guys who must be his teammates. They have the same Greek-god look he sports, with the same muscle, height and I-own-the-world attitude.
People turn to look at them, and they acknowledge them, but he looks right at me and doesn’t stop looking at me even when he’s swarmed by a group of women who look like they’d sacrifice their firstborn just to be with him for one night.
“The hot hockey god who’s looking at you,” Zoe chimes in a low voice, just loud enough for me to hear.
“I’ll tell you that part later, too.” I use the same secret-soft tone and continue staring at him.
I know I’m making myself look obvious but I can’t take my eyes off him either.
I was just warned to stay away from this man by the one person who will decide my future, yet here I am, setting myself up for a fall.
Dad would go apeshit if he knew I’ve already crossed over to the dark side with Luc Le Blanche. He’d most likely use thatknowledge to throw a spear into the credibility of my character and say I’d definitely lost my mind for hooking up with a man he labeled as trouble.
Maybe I have lost my mind. Because despite the risk and the fear, I still want to hook up with the forbidden man again.
Chapter 10
Luc
I’ve just arrived at Jericho’s house.
I’m dying to talk to someone in a safe space. Jericho doesn’t know yet that my mystery girl turned out to be Shawn Jakobe’s daughter, but I sent him a text letting him know I was running late. As if things weren’t bad enough, there was a buildup of traffic that set me back an hour. I’m hardly surprised, what with the host of batshit that’s been ruling my life.
I take the path at the side of the house leading to the terrace and try to steady my thoughts, but there are too many crashing around in my mind.
