“I’m glad about that, for my sake. But I also like hearing Bennett be called a cupcake.” Carson Lord sat at the table. How the hell Carson Lord managed to be present whenbothof us scent matched was beyond me. He knew what had happened at the DCAs now. I’d told him the whole story while filming. He raised an eyebrow and gave me a pointed look before glancing between Bennett and Esme.
I nodded subtly, and he grinned.
“Okay.” Esme fidgeted. “I’m gonna go now.”
Before I could stop her, she pushed through the crowd, fleeing towards the balcony.
Bennett stared after her. The look on his face was caught between devastating loss and feral desire.
“Sorry about that,” I said. “She doesn’t like parties.”
Slowly, like coming out of a daze, Bennett looked at me. “That’s your sister?”
“That’s Esme. In the flesh. Sorry about the interruption, Carson.”
“That’s all right,” Carson said, still holding back laughter. He’d never let me hear the end of it once we were on the same set again. “Even a fucked up Bennett Gray tattoo is still a Bennett Gray tattoo.”
“For real. I’m a huge fan of your work, and I’dloveto have a piece done by you sometime. Something bigger than you can do at a party.”
He blinked, and I smiled. It was clear he was still caught in the haze of being scent-sympathetic. I empathized.
My words finally seemed to reach him. “Absolutely.” He grabbed a card from his table. “Make an appointment and come in any time. We’ll do a consultation.”
“Thank you!” He looked in the direction Esme had gone with such longing it made my chest ache. “Do you want me to talk to her?”
“I don’t think she’s ready to talk to anything that isn’t made in a bakery.”
I laughed, keeping my tone light. “Don’t let her food craving scare you off.” Someone called my name. I used the opportunity to step away. “I’ll give the studio a call. Hopefully I’ll see you soon.”
Whoever had called my name didn’t follow up. If it was important, they would find me later. Right now? I had to gently and lovingly kick my sister’s ass.
CHAPTER TWENTY
________
EVA
“There you are,” Dante called to both of us as I dragged Esme to the dance floor. After giving her some gentle but tough love, I was hoping that dancing would help her relax. It was one of the few things she actually enjoyed at parties. “Dancing?”
“Want to join us?”
“Fuck yes, I do.”
Jasmine was near the dance floor and caught my eye, tilting her head toward the nearby photographer. “Dance for pictures first,” I said to Esme, and she nodded.
We danced differently for the camera. Slower and less ‘fun’ so that the photographers could catch good still images.
This guy though. It seemed like he wanted every fucking photo in the universe. Fifteen minutes later and he was still in our orbit.
“Dante?”
“Eva?”
I danced closer to him and made sure my back was to Esme and the photographer. “Esme needs to be able to dance without thinking she’s being watched every second. Can you take care of it?”
He grinned, but his gaze was cold. “My pleasure.”
Thank goodness. Once he was gone, wedanced. Esme had a smile on her face again. Dante made us laugh by doing silly dances on purpose. The whole party was relaxing as people let loose.
