I feel him smile against the side of my face.
“Eight.”
I dart my gaze up at him. “And—” I swallow, not sure if I want to ask my next question. It hangs in the balance, but a part of me knows I don’t need this information, yet still, I’m curious. “Are you all—” I pause again.
“Criminals,” he finishes my statement. “We’re—dedicatedbusinessmen.”
“So the other day, with Iman—” I point my eyes toward the man I was sure he killed. “That wasbusiness, about tonight?”
He huffs and straightens his spine, and right away I miss the closeness. “That’s enough. I didn’t bring you here for an interrogation.”
“Then why did you bring me?” I ask, ignoring what he’s just said to me.
I go unanswered, my attention being pulled back to the front of the room. Leaon opens the song with nothing but his vocals and the piano, singing the chorus beautifully.
Then the band joins in for the first verse ofIf Only for One Night. Naturally, I sway to the music, losing myself in his voice. Like the rest of the room, I’m transfixed on the stage, appreciating the talent.
Easton steps closer to me, and my breath catches from the weight of the lyrics and his presence against me. The air around me thickens, filled with a mixture of emotions. An intensity that steals my breath, or maybe it’s just the song and the sensualness of it. Or it’s my body reacting to the man who’s proven to be bad for me.
“This is why I brought you the dress,” he states firmly.
I frown, his words confusing me and catching me off guard.
He smirks and nods to the right. I follow his line of sight, catching the glimpse of a group of people watching us. No one shies away when they realize they’ve been caught either. A nervous prick creeps across my skin, and I shiver out of reflex.
“You’re gorgeous, and I knew you’d be the subject of envy tonight. Since we arrived, I’ve noticed the stares of half the men here. They want you, but I’m the one who has you.”
His words shoot through me, and my skin grows warm. I turn to keep him from seeing the smile threatening to show. Though, I don’t think it matters much. By the soft chuckle that leaves his lips, I know he notices anyway. But of course he does, it seems he’s aware of everything.
I fix my mouth to say something, anything to give the facade that his charms will not work on me. It’s a lie. Because despite me telling myself that, my body likes having him close, and hearing him say things like that. Movement by the curtains catches my attention. I turn to see a couple disappear behind them, and it piques my curiosity. I wait a moment to see if they reappear, but they never do.
Remembering the drink in my hand, I take a sip and face Easton again. “What’s back there?” I tip my head in the direction of where the couple vanished.
He ignores me with his eyes fixed across the room, not even paying attention to where I’m motioning. “Don’t worry about it right now.” He gulps down his drink then finally faces me. “Stay here, I need to handle something.”
He plants a soft kiss on my cheek then maneuvers through the crowd, stopping next to a woman. As he leans in and greets her with the same soft kiss he left me with, and his hand finds the small of her back, jealousy builds in my chest.
Chapter Seven
Easton
“Easton,” Celeste sings my name, grinning from ear to ear the moment I step in front of her.
“Celeste.” I dip my head and lay a tender kiss on her cheek. “Are you enjoying yourself tonight?”
She peers around the room, ignoring my question. Her eyes never linger on any one person long until she looks to where Arloe is standing. She has to crane herself to see around me, but I can tell when she spots Arloe because her eyelids lower, her chest pushes out further, and she bites her lip. It’s a familiar gesture, one I’ve seen a hundred times—one I’ve been on the receiving end of time and time again.
She’s hungry, a lioness, and she’s stalking her prey, searching for the perfect reason to speak to her. Celeste likes Arloe, and her body language all but screams it. And I find myself wondering what she comes up with. Is it to compliment the way she looks in that dress? Maybe it’s to show admiration for the small innocent smiles she gives to be polite. But, a second later, I get my answer when Celeste steps closer to me.
“Did you bring her for us?”
I let out a breath, sighing slightly, though my dick twitches at her words anyway. “Not every woman I find interest in is meant for you, too,” I respond while watching the side of her face. “We’ve had this discussion,” I say, in a tone more convincing than the one I had a moment ago.
Her gaze moves back to my face. “I miss the old you.” She places both hands on my shoulders. “The version of you who liked to watch as I had my way with the pretty young things you wereinterestedin,” she continues and tugs at the ends of my bow tie, not that it needs tightening, it’s just something she does. “You’re lying if you say you don’t miss it.” She moves her hands back over my shoulders then slides her palms down my arm to squeeze my biceps. “We were good together, Easton. We had fun.”
I reach up and run my thumb along her cheek. “We did, but I don’t have time for fun anymore.”
“Then what do you call the girl?” She tips her head behind me, no doubt to Arloe.
