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I looked for my exit, I had put enough time in and posed for enough pictures that would show how charitable the Kavanaghs were. It was time to be alone.
As I headed toward the exit a spotlight hit the stage and a familiar face greeted me. My breath caught as I recognized the green eyes scanning the crowd. I had thought about her daily since I saw her at Paradiso.
Her nerves bled through her confident facade causing her voice to tremble just a bit. I was enthralled with the girl who had caused my eyes to watch every word formed by her dark red lips. I hadn’t made the connection that she would be here. Stupid of me since I saw her in every girl I had fucked since then. I hadn’t heard a word of her speech but moments later there was polite applause filling the room.
She quickly left the stage after her speech and the lights dimmed to a soft glow. Her grace moving through the crowd kept my eye as she mingled and talked with some of the more well-known donors. I stood off to the side and unsure of if I should reach out. Women didn’t stick around in my life. That was more my preference than theirs. I definitely didn’t think about them when they weren’t around. This one had already proven different. The decision was taken from me as our eyes met and recognition gleamed in her gaze.
She sauntered over. Suddenly a lot more confident in herself.
“My hero. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” She remarked.
“I came to save the animals.” I bantered back. She eyed me suspiciously with a smirk playing at the edge of her lips. A charitable good guy didn’t fit the version of me that she had already built in her mind. That’s good, it means that on some level she knows that I am not good enough for her. “Alright. Family obligation, but I do donate.” I tried turning up the charm.
Her cheeks tinged with pink from the champagne she carried in her hand, her gaze lingered on my body. Her attempts to be discreet made it more obvious to me. I, on the other hand, was not being subtle at all. “Would you like to dance?”
Sitting her glass of champagne on a nearby table, I guided my hand to the small of her back and led her to the dance floor. Pulling her close, the slow music wound itself around us. It was unusual for me to have these types of interactions with the women I pursued. Most were quick hookups that I picked up at the club. A means to release the violent frustration that my job imbued. So what was I doing here? She felt perfect in my arms, and I never wanted to let go. But fuck me, but I wanted to get Anna back to my apartment. I wasn’t able to read her like the other girls. But I could tell she was innocent and happy, and good. And I don’t want to scare her off with the life I had. She didn’t deserve that, no one did.
“So you said a family obligation. What family is that?” She asked.
“Kavanagh.”
“Like Wilder Kavanagh as in the Kavanaghs that own the casinos?” She blurted out.
Fuck. Being new to the city, I was hoping that she wouldn’t be familiar with the name. “My father, Ryan Kavanagh, is the man who owns the Casinos. I actually have a few other businesses here in the city.”
“Oh, sorry.” She gently tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up at me. We continued to dance slowly to the music as we made small talk about her love of dogs and wanting to “make a difference” in the world. We talked about how she was adjusting to the city and what sites she had gone to see and what sights she had yet to explore. Which it turned out had been most of them.
As our conversation started to wind down, we headed off the dance floor. “I better get going. We have to prepare for the auction. Thank you. For the dance.” She lingered for a minute.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me this week?” Damn. Now I was nervous.
7
Chapter 7
ANNA
I paced back and forth across the living room. I tried talking to Luna but she was ignoring me, instead choosing to chew on a bone. I didn’t know what the plan was for the night. Wilder hadn’t given me any clues, just that he would pick me up at 8 tonight.
Everything was going so well for me right now. Work was amazing. The gala was crazy successful for my first event. I had my first date since moving to the big city.
Getting through the work week since Wilder had asked me to dinner was mentally exhausting. I didn’t have many pressing issues to attend to at work so I was free to let my mind wander. And wander it did. It had been a while since I had a date. I dated a few guys in college, but it never really amounted to anything serious. And none of those guys had the immediate chemistry that Wilder and I had. I hate to say love at first sight but maybe strong lust at first sight would be more appropriate. So I began to worry. At home, I second guessed every outfit I pulled out of my closet. Beyond jeans and a tshirt, I didn’t have too much to wear between casual and fancy. Finally, I settled on a pair of black skinny jeans that had ripped knees, a black tank top, and nude heels. I left my long hair wavy and down with a ponytail on my wrist just in case. I perfected my winged eyeliner and swiped some light pink gloss on my lips. I had ten minutes to spare.
Despite knowing when Wilder was supposed to be here, a knock on the door startled me. Opening the door, I was glad that I didn’t dress any fancier. Wilder looked like a god. His height filled the doorway and I could tell he was strong by the way his muscles filled the tight black tshirt he was wearing. He was dressed in a similar outfit to the night at the club. But now in the light, I could see the edges of tattoos curling out from under his sleeves and peeking up over the edges of the neck.“Who is this?” Wilder asked as Luna came bounding up dropping a toy at his feet. She brings everyone a present when they come over.
“This is Luna.” I watched as he threw the toy a few times for her. “I’ll put her away and then we can go.”
Outside, Wilder opened the door for me to a black Range Rover. “Where are we going?” I asked after settling in.
“To see the sunset.” I was starting to realize that Wilder was a man of few words. I tried to fill the silence and talk about my job and the sights I have on my to-do list. Wilder was listening to everything I said and even though he wasn’t talking much, I could tell he was attentive to every word I was saying. He does it without bringing the conversation back to himself and it was refreshing. A lot of the guys I have run into lately want to talk about their jobs and their accomplishments, and always seem to bring the conversation back to their life.
“The John Hancock Center is over a thousand feet tall. And at the top is an observation deck that overlooks the Chicago Skyline on the 94th floor. I was hoping you wouldn’t have a fear of heights.” Wilder glanced at me from the driver’s seat, eyebrows raised in question.
“Nope, no fear of heights. A fear of tiny, dark spaces. But heights don’t bother me.”
“Awesome.” He said as he pulled into a parking garage. We walked to the building, and although there was a line, Wilder guided me through the doors and into the elevator. Although I was still not really sure what it was that Wilder does for a job, I was starting to think this guy had a little more influence than I was aware. Obviously, he had money, he was at the gala for the wealthy and he was part of the Kavanagh family, but I guess I could’ve done a bit more googling. Wilder reached for my hand as we boarded the elevator, the warmth sending a shiver up my arm. My tummy floated with the excitement and the speed of the elevator as it flew up 94 stories. But stepping out of the elevator to the view was fan-freaking-amazing. The tower sat right on Lake Michigan. I could see the Willis Tower in the Chicago Skyline. I walked around the deck, and I kind of stopped paying attention to Wilder because the sunset was so awe-inspiring.
Leaning against the railing, I lost myself in the beauty. My memories wandered to my parents and how we used to go watch the sunsets at the lake near our home. I thought about how hard I had been working the last few years and since I got my new job. I was always working toward the future and I realized that I was on a date with a really handsome, successful guy and I had lost focus to the past. I needed to be more aware of the present. As the sun dipped below the horizon, fireworks exploded over the Navy Pier. I turned back to Wilder and smiled. He was smiling as he watched me.
