Page 176 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

Istand in the doorway of the bathroom while Katie finishes fastening the clasp on one of her earrings. She catches my reflection in the mirror and smiles before looking back at herself, smoothing one hand over the dark green dress she chose for tonight.

“You’re being a creep right now,” she says, reaching for the other earring on the counter.

“No. I’m watching my incredibly gorgeous girlfriend.”

She narrows her eyes at me in the mirror.

I step farther into the room and stop behind her, looping my hand around her waist while she puts the second earring in.

“You ready?” I ask.

“Almost.” She tilts her head, studying herself in the mirror. “Do you think this dress works?”

“I think you know exactly what I think about that dress.”

Her mouth curves slightly. “I mean for the symphony, Michael.”

“It works for the symphony.” I let my hands move once along her waist before forcing myself to release her. “It also works for me taking it off later, but I’m trying to behave until at least intermission.”

She laughs under her breath and turns around to face me pressing her hands into my chest. “That was almost sweet until you ruined it.”

“I didn’t ruin anything.”

“You brought up taking my dress off before we even left the house.”

“I said I was trying to behave.”

“Fine. That’s probably the closest I’m getting to restraint from you tonight, so I’ll take it.”

I smile and reach past her for the small black clutch sitting on the dresser. She takes it from me, then glances at the mirror one more time before stepping toward the door. I follow her out, and she loops her arm through mine.

Enzo is waiting downstairs when we reach the foyer. He opens the front door for us, and Katie thanks him as she passes.

“You’re welcome, Miss Katie.”

The drive downtown is quiet at first. Katie sits beside me in the back of the SUV with the program resting in her lap, reading through the names of the pieces while the city moves past the window. I keep one hand on her knee, my thumb moving over the fabric of her dress.

“So your mother took you to these?” she asks after a few minutes.

I glance over at her. “Sometimes. Every few months, when she was home long enough and remembered she had a son who would say yes.”

I don’t mean for it to come out bitter, but I hear the edge in my own voice. Katie hears it too, because her hand tightens over mine.

“Did you enjoy it then?” she asks.

“I did.” I look out the window for a moment while Enzo turns onto Grand Avenue. “I think that’s why I kept coming back after I got older. It was one of the few things from her that didn’t feel complicated every time I touched it.”

She lets go of my hand and threads it into the hair at the base of my neck.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Doll.”

She gives me a small smile and continues running her hand through my hair. I lean into her touch.

When we arrive, the hall is already lit against the downtown skyline. Enzo pulls to the curb, and I get out first before turning back for Katie. She takes my hand, stepping carefully from the SUV.

The lobby is crowded, but not in the same way a gala is crowded. The noise is lower here, less aggressive. Conversations rise and fall beneath the chandeliers. People still notice when I walk in, but I’ve learned to let that move around me without giving it much attention.