Cutting a path toward Bryn, who’d been greeted by the woman with the tickets, Vivian didn’t let herself stop. If she so much as paused, she’d change course out the door.
As if sensing her, Bryn looked up from the tickets she was being handed. Looking over the woman’s shoulder, her gaze collided with Vivian’s.
Bryn went still.
Vivian didn’t stop moving.
ChapterEighteen
Skydiving had never appealedto Bryn. The idea of voluntarily hurling herself out of a plane, of feeling her stomach lurch as the wind snatched the air from her lungs and the ground rushed up to swallow her whole, seemed like the dumbest way to die.
But as Vivian sauntered toward her, gaze locked and unwavering, Bryn realized she’d been shoved out of a plane. The nice lady handing her tickets disappeared, and everything melted away around her until breathing turned optional.
Pulse thundering, Bryn managed to close her mouth and swallow her surprise. She hadn’t expected to see Vivian. Not tonight, anyway. Maybe at the Saturday night awards at the end of the conference. But the last place she imagined reclusive Vivian would want to be was at the Wednesday night welcome drinks.
And yet, there she was, parting the faceless crowd like a goddess commanding the sea. A force of nature bending physics to her whim.
Vivian’s energy had been overwhelming even in the quiet seclusion of her home. Even in linen and cotton, her fierce polish was intimidating. But here…
Bryn crushed the drink tickets in her damp hands. She knew she was gawking and was powerless to stop.
In high heels and a black dress tailored to her incredible body, Vivian radiated the raw power of her celebrity. She wasn’t the woman who’d laughed with Bryn about a ridiculous dinner in Napa or spouted sardonic quips. The woman with a stunning face and perfect hair swept back to expose her long, elegant throat and lethal, plunging neckline had not climbed down from the heavens to kiss her.
Vivian was someone else. She was a star in the truest, most violent sense of the word. And it was impossible to look away when a star went supernova and set fire to the night sky. There was nothing for Bryn to do but brace for impact.
“Hi,” Bryn squeaked first when Vivian approached and the drink ticket lady darted off to greet another attendee.
“Hello,” Vivian said softly. So softly Bryn almost guessed that her voice had failed her.
With all the grace of a partially tranquilized rhinoceros, Bryn leaned forward and smashed her cheek against Vivian’s.
“I didn’t expect to see you.” Bryn’s brain sent way too much blood flow to her mouth. She couldn’t stop herself. “You didn’t answer my text.” A horrified cold pang in her chest. “Well, not that I feel entitled to a response. Or your time. I mean I?—”
“Let’s talk somewhere else,” Vivian said, sure and steady and eyes on the exit.
“Yes.” Bryn exhaled her bone-deep relief.
The short walk from the patio to an empty seating area tucked behind the elevator bank told Bryn more about Vivian than Google ever could. She moved with incredible poise, because even the way she held herself was different here. And Bryn understood why.
There wasn’t a single person they passed who didn’t look at her. And if there was more than one, they whispered the moment Vivian crossed. Bryn could have been naked with her hair on fire and not drawn so much attention.
But they weren’t looking at Vivian with star-struck wonder. It was more the casual curiosity of a zoo guest. The delight of seeing a white tiger stalk the edge of its enclosure. Dangerous and beautiful and inhuman.
Trading the social chaos of the patio for the quiet seclusion of the hidden seating area was disorienting. Bryn was going to make a joke about it because if she didn’t excise the nerves from her body, she was going to have no control over her brain and even less over her mouth. And then Vivian sat next to her on the tiny loveseat, knee touching hers, and all hope was lost.
“I, um, I know you probably think?—”
“You don’t know what I think,” Vivian said in a voice like silk against skin. Like the pounding in her chest.
Bryn swallowed. Jesus, when did that become so hard to do?
“Right, no. Um, I guess what I meant was I don’t want you to think I expect anything.” She looked away from Vivian’s mesmerizing eyes, but she could only stay away for a second because she was a dummy with an unfortunate crush on a celestial being. “Just because we, well—” She tried to steady herself. “I just meant, like, I get it. The text. The silence. You’re drawing a line. Which is fine. Great, actually. I love lines. I’m a huge fan of geometry. Lines are the best way to get from point A to point?—”
“Bryn.” Vivian pronounced her name like fingers curling around her throat. Like something between a bite and a kiss.
“I’m just saying.” Bryn pressed on, desperate to build a wall of words between them before she did something stupid like kiss her again. “We can be cool. I can be cool. I am the definition of cool. Whatever happened…” She cleared her throat. “We can just file that away and be colleagues. Professionals.” She smiled even though she felt queasy. “Friends even.”
Vivian turned fully toward her. The movement yanked up the hem of her dress, revealing an unexpectedly muscular thigh. Bryn didn’t look away fast enough and the perspiration started at her temples.
