“I actually plan on hosting one this weekend.” Lucian’s voice cut through the room, smooth and unreadable, giving nothing away about what he thought of catching us discussing him.
I jerked, finding him leaning against the wall with his arms crossed just inside the room. How had I missed him there? How long had he been there? How much had he heard? My cheeks heated, and I avoided his gaze like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
“Oh, really?” Grace asked doubtfully, unashamed of being caught talking about him.
“Yes.”
The heavy weight of his gaze urged me to look up until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Straightening my shoulders, I lifted my chin and met his eyes as if he hadn’t walked in on me acting like a sponge, soaking up every ounce of information about him. The dark depths held their usual aloofness, but something else lingered there, too. Maybe I was sensitive after witnessing the softer side all day, but I swore I caught a glimpse of the pain Grace just talked about.
“I was going to discuss it with you first to ensure we were free to entertain before solidifying any plans,” he explained.
“Of course.”
“Well, isn’t that so exciting?” Grace chimed in, clapping her hands. “I guess I should let you two go. You’ll have a busy week ahead of you with all your plans.”
With that, we made our way to the door, where I soaked up one more hug from Grace.
Eager to hear more about this party, we barely made it to the end of the driveway before I asked, “So, what kind of shindig arewe hosting? Prospective business partners? Friends? A secret society?”
His lips twitched, sending an absurd thrill of satisfaction through me from such a minor reaction.
“None of those. I spoke to Rose and Corbin last night about bringing The Berkshire to our condo.”
“The whole club?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around any part of that sentence and what it might mean.
“More like a select few. I thought a private event would allow us to play more freely.”
Heat sank into my core. “What kind of play?”
This time, his lips more than twitched, and he glanced my way with a smirk that reminded me of why I called him Dark and Dangerous. “Do you trust me?”
The question spun in my mind like a toy top, whirling too fast, wobbling, then snapping back to center. Did I trust him? Memories collided—times he’d been unwavering, and times he hadn’t—until my head swam.
Did. I. Trust. Him?
I shoved it all aside and went with instinct. I didn’t think. I let the first words that came to my lips spill out, unfiltered and raw.
“Yes.”
Another smile—this one softer, sending a different heat blooming through my chest.
“Then I would like you to take time before the party to review and confirm the activities you originally marked as being open to or interested in,” he said, referring to the list of sexual possibilities he’d given me when this all started. “If I only have five years with you, then I want to make sure you experience it all.”
I squirmed in my seat, my mind racing with possibilities.
In my chaotic imagination, one thought rose above the rest: five years wouldn’t be nearly enough time to experience everything I wanted with Lucian.
Especially now, since I was starting to want to experience things that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the life Grace had painted.
The kind of life Lucian swore he’d never have.
CHAPTER 9
ASPEN
Istared at myself in the floor-length mirror four days later. The light beige walls and fluffy bedding of my original room a stark contrast to my reflection.
After lunch, Lucian told me to take a long bath and prepare for the night. When I exited the bathroom, a simple white box waited on the bed, its note containing two simple words.
