26. Ian
26
IAN
The mixer buzzed around me, the clinking of glasses and low hum of conversation filling the room. I held a champagne flute loosely in one hand, nodding absently to a man who’d introduced himself as Mr. Butler, one of the conference’s sponsors. He was talking about his company’s expansion efforts, something I should’ve been engaged in, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
On Maddie.
I’d spent the earlier part of the evening at a dinner for presenters and conference organizers, but I couldn’t focus then, either. I’d decided to give Maddie the evening off from that part of the event. She deserved a break after how much time I’d monopolized her over the last few days.
From the summit’s events to our shopping trip earlier, I’d barely given her a moment to herself.
Still, as much as I wanted her to relax, I’d been anticipating seeing her all night.
We’d decided earlier she would wear the red dress for tonight’s mixer, and I’d matched her choice with the red tie I picked up during our shopping trip. I still couldn’t get over how stunning she’d looked trying it on. Heck, I couldn’t get over Maddie, period.
The afternoon had only cemented what I’d already begun to suspect—I was falling for her.
Hard.
But unlike the whirlwind infatuations I’d had before, this felt different.
Deeper.
Calmer.
It wasn’t about adrenaline or chasing the thrill; it was about her. The way she smiled. The way her laughter lit up a room. The way she didn’t try to impress me and still managed to leave me breathless.
It was maddening. And exhilarating. And terrifying.
Mr. Butler chuckled, apparently at something he’d said. I forced a polite smile, raising my glass in acknowledgment. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of deep red.
Her.
My breath hitched as I turned, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. Maddie stood at the entrance, scanning the room, her cheeks tinged pink as if she were nervous to enter the room alone. The red dress hugged her curves perfectly, the neckline revealing enough of her cleavage to make my throat go dry. My eyes wanted to follow the fabric down, to take her all in, but I reminded myself to be a gentleman and forced my gaze to stay on her face instead.
I could think about how good she looked in that dress on my own time.
Her eyes found mine a second later and she smiled shyly, the room going still as my chest tightened.
She really had no idea what she was doing to me, did she? No idea how she’d completely upended my world.
“Excuse me,” I said to Mr. Butler. “My date just arrived.”
And with that, I moved through the crowd, my pulse quickening with every step closer to her. When I reached her, I couldn’t stop myself—I had to touch her, to make sure she was real. So I slid my arm behind her waist, resting my hand at the base of her bare back.
And wow, the contact of her smooth, soft skin against my palm sent an immediate rush of heat through me.
“Hello, darling.” I leaned in, brushing a kiss against her cheek, trying to play it cool even though my heart was skittering around in my chest.
“Hi,” she said.
“You look breathtaking,” I murmured against her ear, my voice low and sincere.
“Thank you,” she said softly, sounding almost shy.
And I couldn’t help but smile, wondering how someone so effortlessly stunning could be completely unaware of the effect she had on everyone around her.
On me.
“Did you get some rest?” I asked, my hand still lingering on her back.
“I took a little nap.” She nodded. “Got to talk to Grant, too.”
“Good,” I said, meaning it. I wanted her to feel as incredible as she looked tonight. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Her gaze flicked to my champagne flute. “I’ll have one of those.”
“Perfect choice.”
So I led her toward the bar, stealing glances at her along the way. Every move she made, every flick of her hair, every soft smile she gave someone who caught her eye—it all drew me in deeper.
We grabbed her drink and were standing at one of the tall cocktail tables, chatting with Drake about the latest expansion plans he was spearheading, when I noticed Margot approaching from across the room. And when we made brief eye contact, a polished smile lifted her lips.
Was she headed our way, then?
I hoped not. We’d already seen too much of each other at this event. No need to keep interacting even though we’d once been close.
But she continued to move gracefully through the crowd, a wine glass in hand, her gaze flicking between Maddie and me as she closed the distance.
I straightened instinctively, sensing Maddie stiffen slightly beside me as well. But then, Maddie’s hand brushed against mine—a seemingly fleeting touch that somehow grounded me more than I expected.
“Ian,” Margot greeted smoothly, her voice light. “I know you’re busy, but I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you how incredible your keynote was earlier. You really have a way of wowing a crowd.”
“Thank you, Margot,” I said, her compliment taking me by surprise. “That means a lot.”
“Of course. I know we have a complicated past, but I hope you understand that I can still appreciate how talented you are.” Her smile stayed fixed, and I was just about to say something back when her attention shifted to Maddie, her gaze sweeping over her. “I love your dress, by the way. And those earrings—they’re stunning.”
“Thank you.” Maddie returned the smile, her voice graceful but steady. “They were a gift from Ian.”
“I thought they might be.” Margot’s lips twitched slightly. “They looked so similar to the ones he bought me back in college that I figured he must still have the same taste today.”
And there it was. The little jab I knew had to be coming.
But instead of lingering, Margot cast Maddie, Drake, and me one last smile before moving fluidly to the next group as though the exchange had been nothing more than a passing breeze—or more accurately, a fart in the wind.
Maddie and I exchanged a brief glance before Drake said, “Anyway, what was I saying again? Oh yes…” before picking up the conversation right where he’d left off.
His energy helped ease the moment’s tension, and I found myself relaxing again. Maddie leaned in slightly, laughing softly at one of Drake’s anecdotes. Her eyes sparkled in the warm light, and for a moment, I forgot we were even at the mixer since she had this way of making the rest of the world melt away, no matter where we were.
In fact, I was so caught up in watching her that I almost didn’t notice Slade Jennings approaching us, his booming laugh cutting through the conversation. Slade was an acquaintance I’d crossed paths with during my last couple of years at this conference—a guy I barely knew but who seemed to think we were closer than we were.
“Man, Ian, you’ve come a long way from last year,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder like we were old friends. “From living it up at the mixers to giving the keynote. What a step up.”
“Yes—quite the shift,” I said, feeling my face warm at his mention of what I’d done at last year’s mixer.
“I’ll say.” Slade grinned, clearly relishing his walk down memory lane. “But I mean, just because you’re this bigwig now, I hope you’re still finding time for fun. Man, we had a wild time together last year, didn’t we? I mean, you must’ve hooked up with what? Three different women in three days? That must be some sort of conference record.”
Shut up, Slade. My jaw clenched as I tried to think of a way to get him to stop. Because while I knew that Maddie was somewhat aware of how promiscuous I’d been in the past, I really didn’t want her to hear Slade’s version of things.
But before I could stop him, Slade barreled on with a wide grin. “Wasn’t one of them even a big social media influencer? What was her name? Nala? Man, she was hot. Probably a great lay, too.”
My stomach twisted, a wave of panic washing over me as I saw any good opinion Maddie may have formed of me slipping away before my eyes.
I needed to get Maddie away from Slade before she could hear anything more.
But before I could figure out how to drag her away, Drake cleared his throat loudly and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about Ian’s past indiscretions in front of his fiancée .” His tone was calm but pointed as his gaze flicked to Maddie.
Slade’s grin dissolved instantly with Drake’s words, his eyes going wide as he looked between Maddie and me.
“Oh crap,” he said, clearly flustered. “I didn’t realize. I thought she was just your assistant or…you know, your usual arm candy for the night. I didn’t know you were engaged.”
“Well, I am,” I said, forcing a tight smile, every muscle in my body wound tight with frustration. “I’ve been more discreet—and hopefully matured—since we last saw each other.”
I prayed that would finally shut him up, but Slade, true to form, wasn’t done yet. He let out an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his neck. “Man, that actually surprises me. You were the last guy I thought would ever settle down.”
My gaze darted to Maddie whose smile had grown brittle, and it looked like she wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.
Slade, finally seeming to notice the discomfort he was causing, tried to backpedal. “Oh, but I’m sure he’s been great with you. You seem like a nice girl. I mean, unless he got you knocked up and that’s why all this is happening.” He chuckled and shook his head as he looked back to me and Drake. “Yikes, can you imagine getting baby-trapped? What a nightmare.”
“That’s enough,” I said, my voice sharp and cutting. “Really, Slade. Sometimes it’s better to just shut your mouth.”
Slade’s eyes widened, clearly taken aback, but I didn’t care. My focus was already on Maddie. She inhaled sharply, her expression paling as her crystal-blue eyes filled with a raw pain that twisted my stomach into knots.
Because even though Slade didn’t know Maddie’s history, he’d somehow managed to hit the exact nerve that would cut her the deepest.
“Hey,” I said softly, leaning closer to her. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”
She nodded, her movements stiff and automatic. “Okay.”
I placed a hand on her back to guide her through the crowd. But as we stepped into the hallway, I thought I heard Slade mutter to Drake. “What crawled up Ian’s butt?” he asked. “Is she actually pregnant or something? Is that why he’s marrying her?”
I clenched my jaw, every muscle in my body going rigid. And when I glanced at Maddie, her lips were pressed together, her eyes closing briefly as she swallowed hard.
Yep. She’d heard it, too.
What a disaster.
Maddie and I didn’t speak as we walked back toward the elevators, but the silence between us was thick. Every few seconds, I glanced her way, hoping to catch a glimpse of what she was feeling, but her face was unreadable, her expression carved from stone and carefully guarded.
When we reached our floor, I expected her to follow me into my suite as she had the last two nights. But instead of heading toward my room, she paused at the door to her suite instead, pulling out her keycard with trembling hands.
“Maddie,” I said, my chest tightening as she swiped her card and pushed the door open. “I’m so sorry Slade was such an idiot down there. Please forgive me for ever being connected to someone like him.”
“It’s okay,” she said softly, her gaze meeting mine.
And for a fleeting moment, I thought she might let me in. But then I saw it—the moisture gathering in the corners of her blue eyes, the slight tremble of her lips.
And I knew that it wasn’t actually okay. None of it was.
She was barely holding it together and seeing her in so much pain broke something inside me.
“Hey,” I tried again, stepping closer to the doorway. “Can we talk? Please. I—I hate what just happened down there. I hate that you had to hear it.”
But she just shook her head, her eyes downcast. “Maybe some other time. I-I’m really tired, Ian. I think I’ll just head to bed.”
I wanted to argue, to say something that would make her stay and let me fix this. But the exhaustion in her voice left no room for debate. So I quietly said, “Okay,” before stepping back so she could disappear into her room.
The door clicked shut, the sound far too final. I stood there for a long moment, staring at the closed door, frustration clawing at me.
Slade and his big, stupid mouth.
Why hadn’t I stopped him sooner? Why hadn’t I been more careful in my past? My careless, reckless choices, always chasing the next thrill, had come back to haunt me.
And now, Maddie was on the other side of that door, hurting.
Because of me.
I went to my own suite, frustration simmering under my skin. Tossing my tie onto the dresser, I sank onto the edge of the bed, running a hand through my hair.
Had I just lost any chance I had at starting something real with Maddie?