“I’m sure you do,” I say. “Neo is not a point of negotiation for me, Candace. Mess with him and I’ll ruin you.”
Candace looks to the man at her side like she’s expecting him to leap to her defense, but he’s staring off into the distance. I’m fairly certain he’s not even listening. Perhaps, like Candace, he doesn’t care about the person on his arm, just their standing in society.
“Leave, now,” I say firmly. “And do it quietly, Candace. I don’t want a scene. Who knows who might film it and put it online.”
Someone comes up beside us. “Yes, wouldn’t want the world to see the hue of blue that you’ve been unable to conceal with that foundation.”
Dalton’s words have Neo coughing to try and cover his laughter, but it’s no good.
Candace’s nostrils flare before she storms off, her date trailing behind her. I nod toward Brennan, who’s been lingering behind us. He’ll make sure she leaves without creating any fuss.
“She wasn’t blue,” Neo says when she’s out of earshot.
Dalton smirks. “I know, but now she’s going to spend days worrying about it again. Never forget the mental torture. Just as important as the physical.”
Neo gives a delicate shiver. “I think I’ll leave all forms of torture up to you guys, thank you very much.”
He lifts on his toes to press a kiss to my cheek. “And thank you, darling, for defending me.”
My chest warms as I pull him closer. “Always, brat.”
“How did she sneak in here, anyway?” Dalton asks, still tracking her progress toward the exit. “Didn’t we rescind her invitation?”
“We did,” I say. “I assume she came as that guy’s plus-one.”
“Poor man,” Neo says, humor rippling through the words. “I doubt he’s any better than she is, but you’ve gotta feel bad for him.”
“Yeah.” Dalton snickers. “His night just got a lot more boring. But with her, I guess it already was. Anyway, you guys seen Jackson? He arrived with Matthias and Wyatt, but then disappeared.”
I arch an eyebrow at him. “Why do you care?”
Dalton shrugs but doesn’t meet my eyes. “Just curious where everyone is, and, you know, gotta make sure no one is getting themselves into trouble. Speaking of, where’s Samson?”
I don’t believe him for a second. Judging from Neo’s smirking, he doesn’t either. “He decided to skip this and do a job instead.”
“Fuck. All right. Makes sense. He hates these things.”
“He does, and since Matthias and Cade are otherwise occupied, itseems you’re stuck with Harley for the rest of the night,” I say, and Dalton knocks into me a little too roughly.
“Yeah, all right. You two enjoy your night. Looking forward to your big speech.”
As he walks away, Neo glances up at me. “What big speech?”
“The one I give every year when I do this. Don’t worry, I only mention you a few times.”
His eyes widen. “Oh my god, Wylder. Do not mention me.”
“I have to. You’ve been integral to the entire program. I need them to recognize your hard work.”
“But I don’t want recognition. I just want people to forget I exist.”
“No one could ever forget you exist. And plus, you’ll be up there with me. Iwantyou up there with me. I want to show you off to the world. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
He stares into my eyes, long and hard, leaning closer and closer. His hand clutches over my chest, right against my thundering heart.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
