‘I do very well, thanks. I enjoyed our dance last night.’
She shrugs her shoulder. ‘It was fun, I suppose.’
I suppose.Jeez, tough crowd. Last night she was sweaty and unleashed and Bardot-esque; tonight she’s a ravishing ice-princess, that golden hair swept back and the delicate bones of her collar bones perfectly on display under those diamonds. Yet another side to her. Yet another side I’d like to get to know better.
‘Come ‘ere, mate.’ Jackson moves in for a bro-hug and I tear my eyes away from Ellery to throw my free arm aroundhim and slap him on his insanely ripped back before kissing Honor and introducing myself to their friend, Astrid, who apparently is responsible for the gorgeous concoction Ellery’s wearing.
‘Doesn’t she look good enough to eat?’ Astrid asks.
‘She certainly does.’ I can’t help it. My eyes rake down her body. Right now, I’d give everything I have to see her standing naked, that soft cloud of tulle at her feet.
‘Er, thank you; I’m actually right here.’ Ellery waves her hand.
‘You’ve stirred up quite the social media shit-storm.’ Honor assesses me. I wouldn’t want to mess with her, but her expression is amused.
‘Yeah.’ I go for a joke. ‘Sorry about that, Ellery. We ageing has-beens have to resort to whatever stunts we can pull with the hottest stars of the moment, just to stay afloat in this shark tank.’
A little smile from Ellery. ‘Has-been. Right.’
‘May I borrow you before they call us for dinner? Given we’re apparently engaged, according toTMZ, I figure we should get to know each other better.’
‘You may.’
I offer Ellery my arm, and she closes the gap between us and slides her hand through the crook of my elbow. Instantly, I feel a million fucking feet tall.
Jackson points in my direction. ‘Don’t go into any dark corners with him, Elle. The guy has no morals.’
Not fucking helpful, but also one hundred percentaccurate.
ELLE
I float through the crowd in this dream of a dress, on Josh Lander’s arm, and I feel as though I’m losing my mind a little. I should probably find the loos and bite down on a hand-towel and scream out my excitement, but I resist the urge and instead attempt to maintain my outer poise.
Heads—many of them very well-known heads—turn to stare. I was warned the guest list here would be model-heavy, but this is crazy. I spot Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner, all looking willowy and ravishing and endlessly tall. They are tall, of course; they’re also in heels. Oh, and I’m five-foot-five in bare feet. So no wonder I feel stunted in comparison, even in my four-inch Gianvito Rossi stilettos.
But more than the stares Josh and I are getting, I’m conscious of the heat of his body coming through his very nice dinner jacket. I’m conscious of the regular grins he shoots me, and the care with which he steers me past well-wishers and onlookers. He guides me out onto the terrace, pausing to gesture for me to swap out my half-empty glass for a full one with a server we pass.
A warm glow has been passing over my skin since Josh came over—a supreme sense of wellbeing. Obviously, last night’s little encounter was extremely exciting (and I may have watched the video of it about three hundred and fifty times since this morning), but I didn’t get to enjoyhimbeyond the knowledge he was behind me and those few stolen glances.
Now, I’m enjoying every bit of him.
His heat.
His smile.
His attention.
I know he’s got that slick film-star smile down pat, but still. It’s effective, in that I feel like the only person on his radar. He’s seriouslygood.
We emerge onto the terrace, and the cool air hits me. It’s really not very warm in the evenings at this time of year. I must have shivered, for Josh releases my arm and shrugs off his dinner jacket, sliding it over my shoulders. The delicious combination of warmth and the scent of him hits me, and I can’t stop the smile that breaks out at his chivalrous behaviour.
‘Thank you. That’s very sweet of you.’ I put my hand to my throat for the millionth time to make sure my gazillion carats of diamonds are still where they ought to be: around my neck.
‘Pleasure.’ He nods at my neck. ‘It’s still there. I’ll let you know if it disappears.’ He tugs the lapels of his jacket closer together around me and his fingers brush my collarbone. Everything inside me clenches in a most excellent way.
He really is gorgeous. I can study him up close now we’re alone and he’s standing right in front of me. His dirty-blonde hair is raked off his face for the night, and tiny, white-blonde baby hairs line his hairline. His face is perfectly tanned, and that famous bone structure certainly stands up to close scrutiny. He has an admirably straight nose, flanked by warm brown eyes that are surveying me with frank interest. I could drown in those eyes; I really could. Quite happily.
‘I have to say.’ He shifts his tumbler from one hand to the other. ‘Your performance last night was extraordinary. And I don’t mean your dancing skills.’
