I squeezed her hand, grateful for the adorable little outburst. It helped me resist the urge to reach for my knife.
“Must make networking interesting,” he went on, like he was commenting on the weather. His gaze fixed on my mask. “Hard to read people when they don’t give you much to read back. I like to know who I’m dealing with.”
In a flash of midnight blue, Gabriella tried to step around me. Her fingers slid over my arm. The motion was casual. Familiar. But it was also protective.
Or at least, that was what I wanted to believe.
“Oh, he’s very easy to read,” she said. She smiled at the tycoon, patient and polite, inviting him to underestimate her. It fucking grated that she wasted even the most professional smile on him. “He just prefers conversations that actually matter.”
The tycoon laughed, tipping his glass toward her.
The condescending arse.
“Fair enough. Still,” Sacks added, eyes drifting back to the mask, “must get hot under there. Or is that the point? Easier to scare people when they don’t have to look at what’s underneath.”
The people eavesdropping suddenly had somewhere else to focus their attention.
Gabriella didn’t miss a beat. Her smile sharpened just enough to cut.
“You’d be surprised,” she said lightly. “Most people are much easier to deal with once they stop worrying about appearances. But then again, I suppose that’s harder when your whole business depends on faking it.”
Sacks frowned, anger sparking in his eyes.
But Gabriella wasn’t done. Her tone dripped with disdain. “The spray tan, the dental implants…a great investment for shmoozing the weak-minded.”
My feral little wife. Something violent swelled in my chest. Pride. Admiration. And somethingmore.Like I would be blind if she left the room.
“What gives you the right—”
“My husband said he’s not interested,” Gabriella continued, talking over him. “No one with an ounce of common sense is touching that youth center. The locals are very proud of it.”
With a squeeze of my arm, she turned into me, still speaking loudly enough to be heard. “Come on,” she urged. “I think we’ve endured enough bad taste for one evening. We need a drink.”
“Agreed,” I drawled and carved a path through the crowd for the beverages.
But as we walked, I heard their whispers. I felt their stares. I wanted to reach up and touch the mask, so I forced my gloved hand to fist at my side.
Gabriella stroked her fingers over my arm, humming under her breath. I focused on that sound.
I don’t know how I would do this without her.
“Whiskey. Neat,” I instructed the butler who was mixing drinks behind the portable bar.
He nodded, balding head glowing under the dazzling lights. “Yes, sir. And for the lady?”
“Oh, um….” Gabriella paused, tearing her gaze away from the spectacular room and looking at the man in the penguin suit.
“She’ll have the same,” I instructed.
Gabriella’s eyes danced. That pretty smile was right there.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
When the cut glasses slid our way, I took them both, dumped the one into the other, and brought them to my lips.
Gabriella’s gaze heated.
I passed her the glass, watched as she turned it, just like I knew she would. Those crimson-stained lips found the spot mine had been. She didn’t look away as she sipped.
