Because it matters.
But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I should be focused on the cause.
On the kids.
Instead, I’m counting down the seconds until I can get the hell out of here.
With Rina.
We arrived together, and I’m hoping we leave the same way.
Zane struts past a mirror and whistles at his own reflection. “Gonna be a record breaker tonight, boys. Women are lining up to spend big money on me.”
I roll my eyes. “Pretty sure they’re lining up for the charity, not your overinflated ego.”
Knox adjusts his collar without sparing him a glance. “Trust me, nobody’s paying a fortune to hear you talk about yourself for two hours.”
“Correction,” Jax says, flashing that easy grin as he straightens his cuff links. “They’re paying to get him off the stage.”
Laughter ripples through the room. Even Laiken lets out a rumble of amusement, though he looks like he’d much rather be spending time at home with his daughter than trapped under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights.
“I’m surprised Rina and Evelyn were able to talk you into this, Lennox,” I say.
He shrugs, big shoulders rolling beneath his jacket. “That charity covered my niece’s hospital bills last year. Giving back’s the least I can do.”
The noise dips for a second. It’s a small, human pause in all the posturing before Zane ruins it by opening his mouth again.
“Then the charity’s really gonna love me.” He flexes in front of the mirror. “Wait until they see the numbers I pull in.”
With a shake of my head, I shove away from the wall. “Do you ever think before you speak?”
He bumps my shoulder as he passes by, smirking like he knows it’ll get under my skin. I shove him back a few paces without thinking. For a heartbeat, the whole room stills as tension vibrates before Steele’s voice cuts through it.
“Enough. Save it for the ice.”
Zane lifts his hands with fake innocence. “Sorry, Cap. Didn’t know Van Doren was so damn moody. Must be that time of the month.”
I glare at him until he looks away.
My nerves are just beginning to settle when Rina walks in.
She moves through the room, iPad clutched to her front, her focus sharp as glass. She looks every inch the polished PR professional she is until her gaze locks on mine and her mask falters for a beat before quickly recovering. But it’s more than enough for me to catch the crack beneath the surface.
Where that woman is concerned, I see everything.
Probably because I can’t stop staring.
The scent of her perfume reaches me a second before she does. It’s something smoky and warm with spice threaded through it that manages to cut through the stale heat until the whole room smells like her. She’s sunlight poured through amber glass, and for just a moment, I can’t remember how to breathe.
When her fingers brush the lapel of my tux, adjusting it as if she’s just doing her job, the simple touch burns right through the fabric.
“You look…” Her voice is husky enough to scrape along my spine before she clears her throat. “Very handsome.”
The compliment hits me hard.
I dip my head to her ear. “You better be the one holding up your paddle tonight.”
