Brian looked me up and down the same way he had Rose. However, mine included a knowing edge that made my skin crawl. It screamed,I know what you look like naked. I know what you look like when you come.
My stomach twisted, and for a terrifying moment, my champagne threatened to come back up, but I swallowed hard, drew a deep breath, and forced myself to ignore his leering gaze and everything it said.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see you here, considering it’s your father’s company.” He looked around the room, taking a swig of amber liquid from his glass before focusing back on me. “He does know how to throw one hell of a party.”
Lucian’s thumb stopped moving at the same time I ground my jaw, taking in Brian’s comment—your father’s company. I wondered if hearing someone else say the condescending words made him aware of how shitty he’d sounded saying them to me when we first met.
“Actually, Aspen is the mastermind behind this event,” Lucian said.
I whipped my gaze to his, startled to catch the unmistakable pride in his correction.
“It is beautiful, Aspen,” Rose complimented.
I offered a quick smile of thanks, only to have it vanish the moment Brian spoke again.
“Really?” He scoffed, giving me a patronizing smile. “Does that mean there are piñatas inside?”
No one joined Brian in laughing at his joke. I squeezed the stem of my champagne glass so hard I feared it might snap, but letting that tension flow into my grip allowed me to maintain my composure. I raised a cold, measured smile, armor firmlyin place. “Not yet. The mariachi band will bring them out after everyone eats, but before the dancing.”
Pride surged through me when Rose released an inelegant snort, and Corbin ducked behind his glass to hide a grin. I wasn’t keeping score, but if I were, I’d be winning.
Brian’s face pinched in a mix of shock and disgust. “You’re joking, right?”
My ire spiked as I remembered the uneducated, stereotypical, racial comments he made with his friends. Mariachi bands were more common in Mexican culture, but if I wanted to have Mariachi Jalisco de Puerto Rico play all night long, everyone would be lucky to hear it.
“Yes, Brian. I’m joking,” I said flatly, before launching into a lesson to educate him. “Besides, piñatas originated in China, then moved to Europe, and then to Mexico. Puerto Ricans are no more likely to have a piñata than Americans. And, even then, they’re mostly used for birthday parties. Just for future reference.”
Unfortunately, my lecture fell on deaf ears, pissing me off more.
Brian shrugged and refocused his attention on Lucian. “I heard you recently purchased a part of Quinn Music Group. Just in time, it seems, to make it to an event hosted by the wild girl herself. After how spicy she was in high school, it’s no surprise she’d throw together big parties.”
Lucian’s jaw ticked as he offered a noncommittal hum. Meanwhile, dread coiled tighter around my chest, constricting with each heartbeat until it felt like my lungs might collapse.
Brian leaned in, as if about to impart a secret that would change Lucian’s world. “You know, she appears all buttoned up, but I know how she really is. It might be worth it for you to get to know her better, if you know what I mean.”
“I’m afraid I don’t,” Lucian responded, his voice dark and dangerous.
Not that Brian picked up on it.
“Not to bring up the past, Aspen, but…” He held up his hands, like he was offering an apology I knew he couldn’t mean, and laughed. “It’s guy code to let other guys know about women.”
“Brian.” I tried to stop him, but he gave all his focus to Lucian.
“There were videos of her that went around our school, if you know what I mean. Ones of her with her boyfriend,” he explained with his lecherous smile. “In high school, you could watch them for a price, and man-oh-man, they were worth every penny. This woman was…muy caliente.Isn’t that what they say, Aspen?”
Every cell in my body wanted to shrink into nothing until I ceased to exist. Until this moment no longer existed. Everything pulled too tight, teetering on the edge of implosion. The light jazz band I’d carefully selected months ago dissolved into high-pitched ringing that swallowed my thoughts. The dim lights, perfectly placed to encourage a relaxed ambiance, swirled into blinding blurs. My head grew light until everything spun around me.
Oh, fuck. I was going to pass out, and all this work to hold myself together behind a shield of ice would be for nothing.
Oh, god. Oh, god. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Fu?—
“Thank you, Brian, for sharing such inappropriate information about my fiancée,” Lucian said, his voice as icy as I wished I could be.
“Oh, so you already know. Good for you, man.” Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as I watched Brian’s mouth twist into a gleeful smile and hold his hand out for a fist bump from Lucian.
Lucian glared at the other man’s fist, his lip curled, before slowly bringing his gaze back to Brian’s face.
Shadows gathered around him, the darkness thickening as if his irritation and anger were devouring the light, threatening to swallow Brian whole. This was the Mr. Dark and Dangerous I’d glimpsed that first day in my father’s office—a man who could make the most indomitable opponent tremble. “All I know,Ryan, is that Aspen is a phenomenal businesswoman who will take Quinn Music Group beyond what your tiny, insufficient mind can imagine. All I know is that I am damn lucky that this multitalented woman has deemed me worthy of being her husband. All I know is that you are a disgusting, worthless man living in a meaningless past because, despite how meaningless it was, it at least was more than the piece of shit life you have now.” Lucian stepped forward, crowding Brian. “All I know is that if I ever hear you talking about my wife like that ever again, I will personally rip your balls off and feed them to you.”
