I slip through the door and into the main hall of the house. The lights are low, and the bass of the music in the ballroom nearly rattles the walls. There is a couple entangled on the stairs as I pass, but it’s a man and woman, so I walk on by without paying them any attention.
There’s only one person I’m worried about finding. And hopefully, I’m not too late.
Turning the corner into the room, I scan it to find him. There are roughly two dozen people here, mingled in groups in the corners and on the furniture. In the center of the room is a makeshift dance floor where bodies writhe and move as one to the fast-paced music.
“Barclay!” a deep voice bellows over the music.
There in the center of the room is Pierce. And under his arm is Colin.
My eyes connect immediately with Colin’s as I pace across the room toward them. He’s watching me with a look of astonishment and awe. His lips are slightly parted, and his brows are pinched inward. My appearance takes him by surprise, which is good. It’s supposed to.
“You made it!” Pierce calls as he claps me painfully on the shoulder.
I shrug away from his touch and stare at the man on his arm. A feeling of betrayal threatens to build inside of me, but I know better.
Colin might still be with Pierce. Hell, he might even plan to marry him tomorrow. But this is who Colin is. He doesn’t stand up for himself enough. He doesn’t fight against authority.
“Let’s get you a drink,” Pierce says haughtily. There’s a man tending bar who definitely doesn’t work for us. As he passes me a whisky, I eye them both skeptically. “Relax,” Pierce says with a slur. He’s clearly already drunk. “The party is just getting started.”
I can’t take my eyes off of Colin. The feeling that is currently coursing through my veins is half determination and half terror. What if I’m wrong? What if he does want Pierce more?
I’m just a memory to him now.
No.Like Blaire said, I’m the love of his fucking life.
“So,” Pierce says, leaning toward me. “You’re here, so I assume you’ve given some thought to last night’s offer.”
My molars clench as I stare into Colin’s fierce blue eyes. He looks so innocent right now, although I know he’s far from it.
“I need to hear him say this is what he wants,” I mutter coldly, nodding my head toward Colin.
His eyes widen a fraction. He expected me to turn this down.
Pierce presses his lips to the side of Colin’s head. “Go ahead, baby. Tell him.”
“Don’t encourage him,” I say in an angry tone. “Let him speak on his own.”
Pierce turns a bitter glare on me, but he doesn’t say anything. And he won’t. Not in front of Colin, who is currently standing still as a statue, watching me intensely. I think he’s trying to read my mind. He wants to understand why I’m doing this.
And I understand his hesitation. He knows as well as I do thatonce he says yes to this, there is no going back. One touch. One kiss. One moment together, and he’ll be mine again.
“Yes,” he murmurs before swallowing and speaking louder. “Yes, I want to.”
Pierce grins wickedly. “Wonderful. The night is still young. My love, why don’t you go fetch me and Declan another drink?”
I glance down to see my glass is still full, which means he’s sending Colin away to speak to me alone. After gazing at me suspiciously, Colin disappears back to the bar to get us another round, and I take the opportunity to throw mine back.
The moment Colin is out of earshot, Pierce steps up toward me. “What are you playing at?” he asks coldly, all charm and glamour gone.
“I think you know exactly what I’m playing at,” I mutter in response.
This makes him laugh sarcastically. “You really think you have a chance because you got a little haircut and put on some clean clothes?”
“I know I have a chance because I’m a hundred times better for Colin than you are,” I spit back.
I realize that by having this very argument with him, I could be ruining my chances of having Colin where I want him tonight, but I can’t hold back. Pierce wanted a challenge, and I’m going to give him one.
“We’ll see about that,” he argues.
