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“Of course not,” I say begrudgingly. “Nothing bothers you.”
He turns me away from the mirror. “You’re beautiful; your hair is beautiful. No one will suspect a thing. I love your hair like this. The little curls that escaped only add to your beauty, not take away from it.”
Sometimes, Ethan can be so sweet. At least he made me feel better. I sigh. “I don’t believe you, but there’s not much we can do about it now. Might as well get back out there. We’ve been gone too long as it is.”
Ethan takes my hand in his as he opens the door. The bodyguards are waiting discreetly down the hall and are careful not to make eye contact as we pass.
Lana and Jake spot us immediately and start coming toward us. Ethan kisses the side of my head and tells me that he’s going to get a drink from the bar with Jake, and he meets him halfway. Lana continues walking to me.
“Where were you two?” she demands. “I was looking all over for you.”
“I just needed some air,” I explain. My fingers are crossed behind my back, and I’m hoping she doesn’t realize the lie.
Her eyes narrow into slits as she looks me up and down. “Oh my gosh! Tell me you didn’t!” she says too loudly.
“Shhh, lower your voice,” I plead. “No, of course we didn’t.”
“Liar. I can see it in your face. And your hair,” she accuses. “And your lipstick is gone. You can’t fool me.”
I roll my eyes at her. “We kissed. That’s it.”
She raises her brows and looks at me knowingly. “A kiss, huh? Likely story. You were gone for a long time for a simple kiss.”
“I swear it, cross my heart. Just a kiss.”
“Then why is Ethan over there, staring at you, looking like he wants you for dessert?” She laughs. “It’s okay. I don’t need the details. I’m just so happy to see that you two are getting back together.”
I hold up my hand, my face as serious as I can manage. “We are not getting back together. It was just a little harmless fun. I got caught up with all of the glamour and excitement of the gala.”
“Been there, done that. But you two are made for each other.” She has a sly look on her face. “You just don’t realize it yet.”
“You’re wrong, and you better stay out of it. Don’t try any crazy matchmaking stuff,” I warn.
She looks at me innocently, shrugs, and deftly changes the subject. “Hey, let’s go join our men over at the bar. They look lonely.”
Lonely? Ha. Ethan just needs to smile at a female, and he’d have plenty of companionship. Still, I follow Lana to where they are standing. Ethan immediately hands me another champagne glass since I never got a chance to finish my second. Lana and Jake already have their heads together again. They can’t keep their hands off each other. If Lana’s flushed and giggling face is anything to go by, I’m guessing they’ll be going home soon.
Determined to get my mind off the man at my side, I scan the room. I don’t see Trent, so I assume he left early as he said he would. People are gathered around and talking and laughing. Champagne and wine flow like water. Everyone seems to be having a great time.
My parents had always led me to believe these events were boring and that the only reason to attend was to connect with influential people. Later, when I went to events with Jake, I always felt like I had to be on guard since we were working. This seems different to me. I feel like I have an opportunity to do as I want and have fun with no one looking over my shoulder.
The night hasn’t turned out like I thought it would. Even though I know I shouldn’t have cornered Ethan in that room, I don’t regret it. I wanted to kiss him. And he wanted to kiss me.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can both move on.
Except, I don’t think Ethan feels that way. I think I might’ve awakened the beast.
“I don’t like it when you ignore me.” He turns his smoldering eyes on me, lifts my hand, and kisses the back of it. When he leans down and kisses the sensitive spot behind my left ear, my legs turn to jelly. His breath soft on my throat, he purrs, “We should go home now.”
Not willing to give in so easily, I somehow manage a response. “You still owe me a dance.”
“So it’s going to be like that, huh?”
“A promise is a promise,” I say coyly.
Ethan chuckles sexily. “Alright, one dance. And then we go home.”
He leads me, moving in between the dancing couples until we reach an area with few people. He puts an arm around my waist and one around my neck. I’m happy to follow his lead as we begin to sway together. The delicate sounds of the four-piece orchestra float through the room. The music embraces us as Ethan molds me tighter against him, his touch filling a warmth in me.
