My head turns and I see a woman sitting in a sleek gold gown, lifting her paddle with a confident smile. My head whips back to the front of the room, locking gazes with Matteo.
“That’s Grace Hartwell,” Elena whispers to me. “She bids on him every year and usually wins.”
Every year?
“Who the hell is she?”
“Someone who’s always wanted Matteo’s attention and never truly got it.”
Without a second thought, I lift my paddle. The number jumps again and the corners of Matteo’s lips slowly lift. The woman on the other side of the room counters. I bid again.
We volley back and forth, the bid creeping over ten thousand dollars.
“Twenty thousand,” I call out, lifting my paddle again. I do not have twenty thousand dollars to bid, but no way am I losing.
I outbid her by a considerable margin and murmurs ripple throughout the room. A low whistle comes from somewhere in the back.
“Yes, girl. Get your man.”
“I’m going to need to borrow 20k from him,” I laugh nervously.
Elena laughs. “He’ll pay it. It’s for charity.”
The auctioneer drags it out dramatically, bouncing back and forth between the woman across the room and me. I don’t bother looking at her. She doesn’t deserve a second of my attention.
“Going once… going twice… sold!” the auctioneer calls out, pointing at me. “To the lady in the ivory mask!”
Applause fills the room and I rise to my feet as Matteo comes stalking my way, his eyes hooded as he stops right in front of me. His mask obstructs half his face still, but I don’t miss the fire in his eyes.
“That was bold,” he murmurs, his eyes raking across my face. The auctioneer’s voice fills the room again and the attention shifts away from us. He leans in so his mouth is right next to my ear and says just loud enough for me to hear, “I’m glad you won.”
“There was no way I was losing,” I laugh quietly, giving him a sheepish grin. “I might need to borrow some money.”
He chuckles, shaking his head before letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s for a good cause.”
“So, what did I win with you?”
His eyes darken as he drags his teeth over his bottom lip. “I have an idea.” He holds his hand out to me. “Want to find out?”
My heart pounds harder in my chest as I slip my hand into his. “Yes,” I rasp.
He whisks me away from the ballroom, no one noticing us leaving as he pulls me into the foyer and down the hall. The last door on the right has a brass plate on it, but I don’t catch what it says as Matteo opens the door and pulls me inside.
As he pulls the door shut, I notice the coats and realize we’re inside the coat closet. The door latches and we’re encapsulated in silence.
My heart races, my stomach fluttering. “Matteo, I can’t see anything.”
“It’s okay, Sunny,” he says, the door lock clicking just before the lights flicker on. “Better?” He smirks, reaching for my waist and pulling me flush against him.
With one hand on my hip, he slides the other along the side of my neck, his thumb pushing against the underside of my chin as he tilts my head back.
His breath fans across my face, his lips parting as his graze drops down to my mouth and back to my eyes. I love when he looks at me like that, like he’s ready to devour me.
“Is this what I paid twenty grand for?”
He snorts, arching a brow. “You mean, what I’m paying twenty grand for.”
A grin spreads across my face. “Touché, touché.” I giggle as his face lowers and his mouth finds mine. He kisses me with an urgency, an intensity, with a burning heat that I can’t ignore. I can’t extinguish it.
