The desperation in her voice was clear. She didn’t even try to hide it.
He stopped, closed the door that he’d just opened, and turned to look at her. She could almost feel his attention sliding over her, and she saw the exact moment he realized this wasn’t just a game of protesting for the fun of it. “You don’t want this.”
“This?” She motioned between them. “This is fine.” But now wasn’t the time for bravado—not when she was about to climb out of this car and face down the man who’d been instrumental in her being branded a dirty cop. Charlie took a deep breath and muscled past her pride. “I like the games—when it’s between you and me. You can’t honestly expect me to go out there with a goddamn vibrator in my panties.”
He was so still, she wasn’t sure he was breathing. Finally, Aiden smiled. “I don’t.”
“What?” She pressed her hand to her chest to hide the relief that made her shake. “What are you talking about?”
He had her dress up and the vibe removed before she had a chance to tell him she could do it herself. Then Aiden pulled her back into his lap and rested his chin on the top of her head.
Charlie stared blindly into the shadows of the town car while Aiden…comforted her. She’d be lying if she called it anything else. He didn’t say anything, and she didn’t know what to say, so they sat there in silence as he rubbed her back and held her. The shift happened so fast, she was surprised she didn’t have whiplash.
I don’t even know what’s happening right now.
Movement on the outside of the car drew her attention. People were walking through the front doors, each dressed glitzier than the next. “What are we doing, Aiden?”
“You were worried about meeting Romanov tonight. Now you’renot.”
Charlie froze. All this was a distraction? Forher? To put her mind at ease because he knew how nervous she was to finally face the man behind her downfall?
She didn’t know what to think of that—of any of this. Just when she thought she had his number down, he went and did something to make her question everything she thought she knew about him. She wasn’t fool enough to believe that he had a soft gooey center beneath all those barriers and masks, but maybe he wasn’t as much of a cold bastard as she’d originally assumed. “Thank you.”
Aiden shifted her off his lap so he could climb out of the car. He adjusted his slacks before bending to offer her hishand. “If you get overwhelmed and need a break, just take my hand and I’ll get you out of there.”
“I can handle it.” Her body still hummed from pleasure, but she felt much more in control now. Like she might actually be able to do this.
Because of him.
“I know.” He looped a possessive arm around her waist, a clear signal to anyone who looked that she was his and his alone, and headed into the building.
Charlie didn’t look to the right or the left as they made their way into what was probably a very impressive ballroom. It might as well been a shack, for all she cared. The location didn’t matter—the act did. She let herself lean a bit more into Aiden, telling herself that she was selling the lie, rather than taking comfort from his being so close.
“Brace yourself, bright eyes.”
There was no mistaking his meaning as he guided her toward the dark-haired man standing on the other side of the room, his people flanking him. He was attractive, though not in the flashy way that Aiden and his brothers were. This man had an earthier handsomeness that screamed violence even though he looked perfectly at home in his suit. His men, on the other hand, were almost caricatures of bad guys—all dead eyes and poorly concealed weapons. As a group, they looked out of place in the finery of the ballroom—wolves among sheep.
Except the O’Malleys are wolves in their own right.
“Romanov.” Aiden’s arm tightened around her. “You made it.”
And there he was, the object of so much of her hatred. Charlie had seen pictures of Dmitri Romanov before, and he had always seemed so completelyunremarkable. Tall, dark, and handsome, sure, but there was nothing there to indicate he was one of the most dangerous men on the eastern seaboard.
Standing here in front of him, she suddenly understood all too well.
“I prefer to be punctual.” He turned those inky eyes on her. “Who’s your…” His gaze flicked to her left hand, where the ring felt like a line of fire against her skin. It didn’t matter that it was all in her head. She was suddenly half-sure that Dmitri could see how uncomfortable the piece of jewelry made her.
He arched his brows. “A fiancée. Aiden, I didn’t think you capable of surprising me, but I stand corrected. Delighted to meet you…”
“Charlie.” She could barely get her name past her lips, couldn’t do anything but stand there like a statue as he lifted her right hand and kissed her knuckles. It wasn’t anything like what Aiden had done that one time—it was perfectly polite and without the slightest bit of heat.
That didn’t stop her from wanting to bolt to the nearest restroom and scrub at her skin to remove any trace of him.
“I can see why you’ve turned our mutual friend’s head.” He took in everything in a single sweep, and she realized with horror that he’d noted every indication of her arousal before he turned back to Aiden. “Now, where ismyfiancée? I have something I’d like to give her before this circus begins.”
“Romanov.” The steel in Aiden’s voice had the other man looking at him with polite disinterest. But hewaslooking. “You might be planning on marrying my sister, but if you touch her before the ceremony, I’ll skin you alive.”
The Russian smiled, and the sight chilled Charlie despite the warmth of the room. Dmitri picked a phantom piece of lintoff his jacket sleeve. “I can’t be responsible for her actions. Theyareher choice, after all.” He must have seen something on Aiden’s face, because his shark’s smile widened. “Your request is noted.” And then he was gone, moving through the growing crowd, two men trailing behind him.
