As we head downstairs, Carter is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, holding two large, square black velvet jewelry boxes.He hands one to Gemma and then offers the other to me.
Gemma opens her and squeals, leaning up to kiss Carter before he helps her put on the necklace set.
I open the box and gasp.Inside are a necklace and earring set, glittering with delicate red stones and gold filigree.Nestled inside is another small note.
I chose these because they reminded me of you.Bold, beautiful, and impossible to ignore.Wear them tonight, not for the crowd, not for the fantasy, but for me.When I see you, I'll know you're mine.–G
I swallow hard, my fingers trembling as I lift the necklace.Gemma steps behind me.
"Wow, it matches your dress perfectly," Gemma whispers before she helps fasten the necklace around my neck.
She holds the box while I put on the earrings.Though I hide the note, keeping it just for me.Then, I place it in the box on the table there, I will have to come back to get it tomorrow.There might come a time when these will be all I have to remember him, but tonight I will make the memories last forever.
"He's thought of everything," I whisper, my voice catching.
"He's never done this for anyone," Carter says."Gage...he's different with you.I've never seen him like this."
I glance at him, my voice barely a whisper."Are you sure it's not just the forbidden part of it all?That it's not just because we can't have each other?"
Carter shakes his head."I'm sure.It's the way he looks at you.The way he talks about you when you're not around.He's all in, Skye.He just doesn't know how to show it without crossing lines."
Tears prick my eyes again, but I blink them back yet again.
The three of us ride to the ball together.The entire way I can only think about the moment when he finally finds me, making nerves flutter in my stomach like birds.
Someone turned the main room of Club Red into a ballroom from a fairytale.All candlelight and music, with faces hidden behind ornate masks, anonymity wraps around us like a second skin.My heels click softly against the floor as I enter with my heart pounding.
Somewhere in this crowd, he's waiting.
And I plan to find him.Weaving between groups of guests talking, some already removing clothes and doing more than talking.
I don't have to look long.
I feel him before I see him.I feel his eyes on me, running over every inch of me.Scanning the crowd, I look for him.
Then Gage steps from the shadows in a midnight black suit, mask concealing everything but the way his gaze devours me.I forget how to breathe for just a moment.
"You found me," I whisper.
His fingers skim my bare shoulder, tracing slow circles."I'd know you anywhere."
His other hand takes mine.
"Red suits you," he murmurs.
"And black suits you," I reply, heart thudding.
His lips twitch, but his eyes are all hunger.
He offers his hand."Dance with me."
I shouldn't.
But I do.
We move like we've done this a thousand times, his grip firm at the small of my back.Every step, every brush of our bodies sends shivers down my spine.The music fades and the crowd vanishes.There's only him and me.
His hand slides lower, skimming just above the curve of my ass, his fingers pressing into my waist possessively, pulling me closer.Every pivot of the dance pulls our bodies tighter, the tension between us crackling.
