Chapter 30 Jade
The red silk of my gown shines under the lamplight as I walk up the steps into the hotel, careful to hold up the full skirt of my dress so I don’t trip. The bodice is tight, with a strapless, low sweeping neckline and a dangerously high slit going up the thigh on the voluminous skirt.
Aanya kept saying I was going to send everyone into cardiac arrest with the way my tits looked, Lottie vehemently nodding her agreement as we all got ready at my flat earlier. I never had real friends and was quickly learning that with the right ones, it was easy to get attached.
The gala tonight is one all Rugby Union teams are invited to, rivalries aside.
Tieran told me it’s the one night a year each club puts their grievances on hold to come out and support because it benefits Kingdoms for Kids, a charity with an emphasis on placing kids in loving foster homes.
The money made tonight will help fund the organization for the next year, providing meals and allowances for the children and their foster families.
Long story short, everyone behaves for the sake of the kids.
The hotel boasts an old world sort of charm, with warm lighting, chestnut wall paneling and floors, large, filigreed silk rugs, and ornate chandeliers hanging in every room.
The extravagance is multiplied tenfold as I waltz into the grand ballroom behind a group of men dressed in tuxedos, beautiful women draped on their arms. It’s hard to keep my jaw from dropping when the crowd clears and I take in the whole room.
The rustic wood has been replaced with marble columns, gilded accents everywhere, and renaissance murals displayed on the ceilings.
Crystal chandeliers line the vast room, hanging upwards of fifty feet high.
Music trills through the air, winding around couples swaying on the expansive dance floor while others amble around, sipping champagne.
I’m struck speechless, taking in the grandeur of the room, when someone sidles up next to me. “Evening, Miss McKallen.”
Cavan Darcey stands tall next to me, as handsome as he is severe.
When I asked him during our one on one meeting what his goals were, his answer was painfully simple: to win. We haven’t spoken much since that day, but I know he knows about me and his best friend.
“Thank you,” I feel the need to say. “For your…discretion,” I add on, not sure if he heard me.
“We all have our secrets, Miss McKallen.” I follow his dark eyes across the room to where they’re settled on a beautiful woman with pastel pink hair wearing a dress that looks like liquid silver is pouring down her body.
The expression on his face is one of tortured awe as he admires my friend.
He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, almost as if he’s trying to will the image of Lottie away, before he slowly turns his gaze to me.
“Plus, you make him happy—happier than I’ve ever seen him. That’s all I care about.”
A lump the size of a boulder lodges itself in my throat. “I feel the same about him.”
Cavan’s lips curl at the corners ever so slightly, barely noticeable. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some things to check on. Enjoy your evening.”
No sooner has he gone than I feel a pair of eyes heating me from head to toe. I find him within seconds, a crowd of people around him, talking and laughing, trying to get his attention but failing, because all his focus is on me.
His gaze rakes down my body like a phantom caress, and I suppress a shiver at the intensity of his stare. I step further inside the ballroom, my heels clicking against the floor as he tracks every move, hands tucked into the pockets of his dress pants.
He looks devastatingly handsome in his tux. The white of his button up is a stark contrast to his midnight black jacket and tanned skin. The only tattoo on display is the one inked on his neck.
Ephemeral, it reads.
I asked him about it one lazy morning as we lay in bed, Pebble between us at the foot of the mattress.
“It’s not important,” his voice is husky, still groggy from misuse, as he strokes my bare hip softly.
“Mmmm,” I hum lazily, still tired from sleep. “Why?”
“I don’t think it’s true for me anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, eyes closed, foot grazing the dog shaped hippo at my ankles.
“Ephemeral means lasting for a very short time.” He leans forward, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “But you feel everlasting,” he whispers against my skin.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes even now, and I feel a stab of pain that I can’t just walk up to him and kiss him how I’m aching to. He must see my face shift, because he takes an involuntary step toward me. Are you okay? he mouths.
Before I can answer, Finn is at my side, sweeping me onto the dance floor, shocking a bark of laughter out of me.
For the next twenty minutes, I’m passed around on a rotation of handsome rugby players, all fighting for a turn to spin me around. I can’t say I’m mad at the development; if anything, it drums up a warm buzzing in my chest.
I’m rolling my eyes at something Connor just said when a deep rumble sounds from behind me. “I’ll take it from here, Davies.”
I don’t know what look is on Tieran’s face behind me, but for once, Connor doesn’t argue. He just nods and bows out, mumbling something about wanting to hit the free bar.
Tieran comes to stand in front of me, and I’m almost knocked on my ass at the intense look on his handsome face. His blue eyes blaze bright as he takes me in up close for the first time all night.
“Torture,” he whispers.
“What?”
“Absolute bloody torture to be this close to you when you look like everything I’ve ever wanted, and I can’t hold you properly.” He extends his hand to me. “But I’ll settle for a dance.”
I hesitate for a second, wondering if it’s wise, but then I decide I don’t care so much in this moment. Hopefully, the fact that I’ve danced with pretty much the entire team at this point will work in our favor and not draw attention.
When my palm settles into his, warm and calloused, it feels like I’ve come home.
Something restless settles within me after running in circles in the desert.
I’ve been coasting on auto pilot for so long, it never registered that I was burnt out and so lonely, using self-isolation as a defense mechanism.
I learned to handle everything on my own because no one was going to come rescue me.
They didn’t have to, not when I learned to shoulder every burden on my own.
But Tieran barreled into my life, blindsiding me completely, and forced me to slow down—and for the first time, in my life I felt safe.
He gave me a soft place to land after running never-ending marathons with no support, no one to cheer me on or tell me things will be okay when they’re hard.
That feeling of security is almost terrifying in its reality.
He sweeps me into a slow dance, one hand holding mine and the other settled on my waist, pulling me into him. The band softly plays an instrumental version of Sweet Nothings as we sway, bodies close but not touching.
“I missed you today,” he says, low enough that no one but me can hear.
I smile up at him coquettishly. “Why are you so obsessed with me?”
I mean it as a joke, but his expression morphs, serious as a statue. “I am—”
“I was joking,” I laugh him off.
“I’m not. Jade, I—” He takes a second to gather himself, his head shaking a little. “I stopped breathing when you walked in. You’re—fuck, you’re breathtaking.”
My heart stops cold in my chest at the declaration, and for the first time, I feel everything he says I am. Powerful. Beautiful. Strong.
“Might have to have that checked out, it could affect your playing.”
His head falls back on a laugh that’s far too loud for the gentle song floating around the room. We dance until the final chord progression, reluctant to let go of each other at the end but knowing we have to. “Let's get a drink,” Tieran says.
He ushers me toward the back wall, where the open bar is set up. We’re waiting at the back of the queue when the couple at the front turns around, and my heart drops.
Standing before me is Oliver Hughes and Tieran’s ex-girlfriend, Olivia. She’s insanely beautiful in a fitted blue dress, with a plunging neckline showing off her ample bosom.
“Oh my God!” Her voice is like nails on chalk boards, but I don’t know if that’s because I hate her by default or because her voice naturally sounds like cats being dragged in cheesecloth down a cobbled alley.
“Babe, look who it is!” Oliver grunts an acknowledgment, smug arrogance written all over his face.
Tieran’s face is unreadable, but he acknowledges her with a curt, “Olivia.”
“Isn’t this funny,” her voice chimes. She hasn’t even acknowledged that I’m here. “Last time I was at this gala was with you, T, and now I’m here with Ollie.”
Rage courses through my body as she talks about the choices she made as if we’re talking about the weather patterns for the next week. I want to pop her pretty, platinum blonde head right off her neck.
“Praise the lord for small mercies,” Tieran says sardonically, forcing a very unattractive chortle from my throat.
Olivia’s eyes pinch a little, and then she finally looks over at me, and her eyes go round as saucers.
“Oh my God!” she parrots again. “You’re Jade McKallen!
Holy fuck, I’ve been following you for years.
This is insane. God, you're even more gorgeous in person. Can I get a selfie? My girlfriends will never believe me if I don’t. ”
“Can we go?” Oliver complains. Olivia ignores him, waiting for me to respond as she holds her phone out expectantly.
“Sorry, no. Tonight’s about the kids. I’d prefer to fly under the radar.”
“Christ, that’s cool. Isn’t she cool, babe?” Oliver’s gaze lands hard on me, heating as he takes in my dress, sweeping down over my bare thigh.