My gaze gravitates to the floor the second I realise who they’re talking about. Lucy and Ava aren’t paying attention as they’re too caught up in their own conversation.
“I reckon if I drink at least five glasses of champagne, I might be confident to go over to him.” Phia waggles her brows.
I’m spiked with unbelievable jealousy, and it infuriates me that I care becauseIdon’t care.
“Who are you talking about?” Lucy leans into the circle.
Grace lets out a dreamy sigh. “Caleb.”
“You’re not his mate, so don’t go there,” Ava snaps back.
“Oh, please.” Phia blows out a breath. “He does not seem like the type of guy who does mates.”
Well, at least she’s right about one thing.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Lucy responds.
“I bet he’s cold and calculated, and too mean for a mate. Although he probably fucks real good.”
I flinch and recover by taking another sip of champagne, only to start choking a few seconds later. Ava rubs my back gently and asks if I’m okay. I raise my thumb at her because words will probably fail me.
“Why don’t you put the same effort into talking about him vulgarly as you do into actually looking for your mate?” Ava says with raised brows. “They might be here tonight, considering the entire district has made an appearance.”
Grace narrows her eyes at Ava. “I was only joking.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t sit well with me.”
Grace and Phia walk away, and I turn to watch Caleb walk directly into my eyeline. His father stands beside him, face as hard as stone, body rigid.
A shiver rolls down my spine at them together. I understand why people might be wary; their hard exteriors definitely aren’t the most inviting, and together, they look even deadlier.
My eyes scan what he’s wearing, and I tense at what I see. He’s wearing a black shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, flashing off his inked skin. His shirt is tucked into a pair of dark trousers that fit his legs to perfection.
Powerful. That’s what comes to mind.
And handsome.
I grimace at myself. Yeah, we’re not going there tonight.
A young woman approaches them. She’s absolutely stunning, with perfectly plump pink lips and a sleek black floor-length dress. Her blonde hair is curled and thrown over one shoulder.
I watch and hold my breath as Ryker talks between the two of them, then cracks a smile, which takes me by surprise. The woman doesn’t take her gaze off of Caleb once, looking up at him with stars in her eyes.
Caleb keeps his attention on his father, and after a few moments, he leans down to leave a kiss on the woman’s cheek before taking her hand.
If I thought Grace’s words made me envious, this is a completely different story. My eyes burn a hole in the hand that Caleb places on the small of her back as they begin to walk away. She smiles up at him, and he returns it.
I’ve never seen him smile—not like that. My stomach clenches, and fury roars in my veins.
“Breathe, Evan.” I hear Ava’s voice from beside me as she loops our arms together.
So I force myself to let out a breath. My eyes flick between his face and the hand on her back. When I look up, he glances at me for a split second. I cannot read him, but something flashes in his expression when we lock eyes, then it disappears the second he looks back at the beautiful woman on his arm.
“I-I can’t stand here and watch this,” I mumble. “I need to get some air.”
“Do you need me to come with you?”
I shake my head. “No. I need some time alone.”
