Chapter 27
Dylan’s arms wrapped around me. “I want you,” he murmured in my ear. “I want to make love to my wife.”
The word “wife” left me breathless. “Yes,” I said arching my back and kissing him again. I pushed my tongue into his mouth and moved my body against the big bulge in his pants.
My pussy was weeping for him. It had been days since we’d made love, but it seemed like weeks. Time moved differently when I was in his arms, or when we were apart.
“Hey, hey, hey newlyweds.” I heard Leo’s voice and stopped kissing Dylan long enough to see Leo approach. He slow-clapped as he walked, an enormous smile on his face.
Dylan laughed and looked overhead.
“Leo,” I said, straightening up.
Leo landed himself right next to me, lips pursed. “I can see you’ve met your husband.” He wrinkled his nose as if he expected me to lose it. “Making out with masks on. I like it, so naughty.”
I swatted his arm. “I can’t believe you did this without telling me. I should be really mad at you.”
“Should,” Leo said. “Should, but you won’t be.”
Leo was right, I was trying to be angry but then I would feel the touch of Dylan’s fingers on my back and melt.
“Leo,” Dylan said, his arm still wrapped around my waist.
“Well, I couldn’t really tell you that instead of a secret wedding to your ex-fiancé, I wanted you to have a secret wedding to your super hot billionaire-sex-god boyfriend.”
“His words, not mine,” I said, looking at Dylan.
“I prefer sex-preneur,” Dylan said. “I fancy myself a maker, a crafter.”
Leo sighed. “Honey, you can fancy yourself anything, as long as you make my friend happy.”
“I accept,” Dylan said. His arm around my waist, his hands moved back and forth across the curve of my hips.
The Egyptian emcee from the catwalk entered. She stood beside two women holding an enormous brass circular tam-tam. She banged the gong three times drawing everyone’s attention to the center of the room.
“Lovers and magical creatures,” she said once the crowd silenced. “Proceed into the grand ballroom for delicious beverages, magical bites and entertainment that will dazzle your mind, body and soul.”
She banged the gong once more and exited. The lights dimmed and women wearing white dresses and wings opened the ballroom doors, shepherding people inside. Leo was distracted by a cherub holding a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries.
Dylan leaned in and whispered in my ear. “I’m playing tonight.”
“Strand is playing?” Leo said, holding an empty cocktail napkin in his hand. He looked straight at Dylan.
“You told him,” Dylan said, looking between us. He was not asking a question.
I exhaled and looked at the ceiling. “I did. I’m sorry. I reached maximum capacity on secret-keeping. I have so much more to share with you.”
“This is my fault,” Leo said. “I am either all chill, or I have no chill, sometimes.”
“I’m glad you know my secret,” Dylan said.
“You are?” Leo said. “Great. Because I did not want to deal with an angry rock star.”
“I’m not a rock star,” Dylan said.
“Of course not,” Leo said, nodding his head.
“I’ll see you inside?” Dylan said. He handed me a silver ticket. “Give this to one of the angels or gold people. It will get you and your friends closer to the stage.”
“Okay,” I whispered, smiling up at him.
Dylan brushed a hair off my cheek. “Promise me you’ll watch, and that you won’t leave without me. I can’t bear to lose you again.”
“I promise,” I said.
“Keep an eye on her, Leo,” Dylan said, not taking his eyes off of me.
“Totally unnecessary,” I muttered.
“Aye, aye, captain,” Leo said, giving him a salute.
“See you soon,” Dylan said. He held my face, kissed me, and walked away. I watched him the entire time, thinking one thought. That man was my husband, and he was going to play for me.
Leo stood next to me, eating another strawberry. “Did you see me salute?” He groaned. “He is just so pretty and powerful and I get weird. I can’t help myself.”
“You were fine,” I said. “He likes you.”
We moved away from the wall to join the crowd slowly filing into the ballroom. “This feels so crazy, Leo,” I whispered, putting my arm through his. “What if I like being married to him?”
“So what if you do?” Leo said. “Maybe instead of focusing on what might be wrong in your life you focus on the parts that feel right.”
“Not bad,” I said. “Although it does have a bit of a fortune cookie vibe.”
“That did sound good, didn’t it,” he said, wrinkling his nose.
“Is Roberto here? Is he all right?” I searched the crowd.
Leo smiled and pointed over my shoulder. “Roberto signed off on the plan. He’s okay, Bella. And he looks fine to me. What do you think?”
I stood on tiptoes and spotted Roberto waiting with Lissa by the ballroom doors. Lissa glittered in her ice blue gown. Roberto wore a black suit and jacket just like Dylan.
Roberto exchanged his mask for a crown and leaned against the wall, one arm around Lissa. She gazed at him with a sweet smile and I imagined sparks flying between them.
“They look good together,” I said to Leo.
“I know,” Leo said. He texted as he walked. He stopped and looked up at me. “Bella, you know that Dylan loves you.”
“He has never said it.”
“He doesn’t need to.” Leo rolled his eyes, his phone still in his hand. “The way he looks at you and touches you. Actions mean more. David used to say all the right things. He said them. He didn’t do. There is a big difference.”
“You know I can’t stay married to him,” I said. We circled an enormous chrome bar in the center of the room.
“Why not?” Leo shrugged. “As you know, I’m a man who falls in love easily. I fall fast and I fall hard and sometimes I get hurt.”
He inhaled. “David hurt, but if I don’t try again, if I let the fear of being hurt keep me from love, I might miss out on a night with the hottest tattooed Icelandic fisherman in the world.”
“That guy from the restaurant, Ari?” I squeezed Leo’s arm.
“He called. He is supposed to be here tonight.” Leo moved his shoulders up and down in a little dance. “Dylan looks at you like you are not just the most beautiful woman in the world, he looks at you like you are the only woman in the world. He doesn’t see anyone else, Bella.”
“Oh, Leo,” I said, my cheeks burning.
“You look at him like he’s a man who knows how to touch your soul,” Leo leaned in a wicked smile on his gorgeous face. “And other parts of you.”
“You are terrible.”
“Terribly good at falling in love,” Leo said. “Once you find the one who changes the color of your sky, you keep him. That guy is a keeper.”
I threw my arms around my best friend and hugged him. “You are the best.”
“I know.” Leo squeezed me back before pulling away. “Speaking of tall, dark, and handsome, Daddy likes.”
An enormous bear of a man walked in the room. He wore a silver tunic, heavy black boots and carried a shield. His tattooed muscles looked even better than I remembered.
“He does look delicious,” I said. “Is that Ari?”
“That is Ari,” Leo said, shaking his head. “He is so rugged. I have never been with a man that I think could keep me alive during a blizzard. He spends half the year on a boat. He knows how to build a fire, and chop wood and make syrup out of sap. You know, manly stuff.”
“I bet he does,” I said. “Um, Leo. Do you think that Ari might be the long red-headed lover of the sea that Auntie Aurora predicted?” I smacked his arm recalling Auntie Aurora’s prediction.
“I don’t know. Maybe the cards don’t understand gender?” He seemed excited about my theory. “We did agree that we are only going to pay attention to the predictions we like.”
“Right,” I said. “Only the ones we like. I am just saying, he is a lover of the sea.”
“That he is. I hope I get to fuck my heartbreak away tonight.”
“Go get him,” I said. “I’ll meet you inside. Find me so you can be close to the stage.”
“I’m going to catch myself a manly Icelandic fish.” Leo glanced back at me. “It sounded better in my head.”
Leo made a beeline for Ari, who lifted him in the air in a hug that looked adorable and a little scary. I was almost at the ballroom doors when I saw Shea and Odessa, standing side-by-side in the crowd. They were dressed like Greek goddesses.
Shea’s long strawberry blond hair was plaited and she wore a white dress accented with gold ribbons. Odessa was her opposite in a gold dress with white ribbons. Her wavy black hair was piled high on her head in a majestic bun. They both held beautiful crystal glasses filled with light purple drinks.
Shea looked as though she were dancing on pins and needles. Her hands clasped beneath her chin, she jumped with energy. “Bella, you look so bella,” she said, clapping her hands when she saw me.
“You two are so lovely,” I said. “I love the matching dresses.”
“Thank you,” Odessa said, curtsying. Her lips curled into a gorgeous smile. “We had so much fun with you and Leo. I’m so glad we ran into you tonight. Shea and I were talking and we agreed you must come visit us in Seattle.”
“Oh yes. You must,” Shea said. “You name the date.”
Leo joined us, Ari at his side. Roberto and Lissa were right behind them. Roberto held Lissa’s hand. He made eye contact with me and smiled. We would talk, but not tonight.
“Hi. Hi. Hi,” Leo said, clapping his hands. “Oh, all my favorite girls are here too.”
“Girls, this is Ari. Ari, these are the girls.”
“And I’m Lissa, and this is Roberto,” Lissa said. Leaning forward she shook hands with the girls. “We know Leo and we just met Ari.”
“Hello,” Ari said, his voice low.
Odessa and Shea both looked up soaking in Ari’s enormous frame.
A woman dressed in black asked to see my ticket. I handed her the silver ticket that Dylan gave me. “They are all with me,” I said, pointing to my friends. “The whole group.”
She nodded and raised a lantern high. It cast a golden circle on the ground all around us.
“Follow me,” she said, and she motioned for us to follow her into the dark.