"Can I go say hi?"
I hesitated. "I don't know, baby. She's working?—"
"Let her go," Eleanor said. "Evie could use a friend. She's been so serious lately."
Before I could protest, Zoe was already sliding out of her chair and making her way across the room. I watched her approach Evie, tugging on her sleeve, saying something that made the teenager's eyes go wide.
Whatever Zoe said, it worked. Evie's guarded expression softened. She crouched down to Zoe's level, the way Eleanor had, and within moments they were deep in conversation. Evie pulled something out of her pocket—a phone, maybe—and showed it to Zoe, who gasped with delight.
"See?" Eleanor said, satisfied.
I watched my daughter make a teenage girl smile and wondered how she did it. "Kim."
Xavier's voice was low, close to my ear. I turned to find him watching me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
"What?" I whispered.
He didn't answer. Just leaned in and kissed me.
It wasn't a quick peck. It was slow and deliberate, his hand coming up to cup my jaw, his lips moving against mine with a tenderness that made something ache deep in my chest. I forgot where we were. Forgot the roomful of people. Forgot everything except the warmth of his mouth and the gentle pressure of his fingers against my skin.
When he pulled back, I was breathless.
"What—" I blinked, trying to gather my scattered thoughts. "Why did you?—"
"Grandmother was watching."
I turned to look. Eleanor was across the table, deep in conversation with Helena, her attention entirely elsewhere.
"She's not even looking at us."
Xavier shrugged, but there was something in his eyes—heat, maybe, or challenge. "She was a second ago."
My head was spinning. The kiss, the texts from Cole, the way Xavier kept looking at me like I was something precious—it was too much. I needed air. I needed space. I needed to think.
"Excuse me." I pushed back from the table. "I need a minute."
I found the exit to a small courtyard behind the venue, the cool night air hitting my flushed skin like a balm. I stood there, arms wrapped around myself, trying to slow my racing heart.
Footsteps behind me. I didn't have to turn to know who it was.
"You shouldn't have followed me," I said.
"Probably not." Xavier came to stand beside me. "And yet."
"You're going against the rules."
"I've never been much of a rule follower." I could hear the grin in his voice.
I turned to face him. "This is serious, Xavier. I can't do this if you're going to?—"
He kissed me again.
This one was different. Hungrier. His hands came up to frame my face, tilting my head back, and when his tongue traced the seam of my lips, I opened for him without thinking. He tasted like champagne and something darker, something that made my knees weak.
My back hit the brick wall of the courtyard. I hadn't even realized we'd been moving.
Xavier's hands slid down my arms, my waist, hovering at my hips. He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, a question in his gaze.
