Chapter 10
“You ever consider modeling, Aden?”
You ever consider a better pick-up line, Frederick?
The backs of his fingers brush my chest as he runs them down the lapel of my tux jacket. He repeats the pattern on the other side, making it clear he’s already addicted to touching me.
Now I understand why Celeste made such a big deal about this gala.
Two hours in, and there’s not a person I’ve encountered who wouldn’t follow me into a bedroom. This one wouldn’t even require a bedroom, and based on Celeste’s hints, he’s my project for tonight.
I swipe a champagne glass from a passing waitress.
With Celeste back in town, Gabi and I have been forced to maintain our distance. It’s a painful adjustment, but necessary.
My experiment with Cian was both a raging success and a catastrophic failure.
Success, because in addition to enjoying a beautifully erotic moment with Gabi, I learned what I need to know about our strong connection.
Failure, because that same information confirmed my fear that our connection is too strong for her. When she almost passed out from my touch, I had no choice but to break contact.
Intimacy with a human is a delicate balance between danger and ecstasy, and I’ve never felt a bond like I have with Gabi. I can’t entertain the truth of what she means to me. Our circumstances forbid it for many reasons.
One of them is now just a few feet away, watching my every move. Celeste Wells isn’t keeping me around to fuck her daughter. I’m here to look pretty and help her manipulate her high-powered acquaintances.
That wasn’t a secret when we initiated this arrangement, and it wasn’t a problem until Gabi rewired everything I believed and understood about my heart and my connections with humans.
Indistinct conversation and the sotto voce melody of the string quartet echo around us. Celeste spared no expense to transform the Marquis Ballroom into a mythological paradise.
Bouquets of laurel hang from the ceiling, while swaths of silk twine around the marble columns.
Soft lighting lends a seductive air that seems to lower inhibitions as much as the free-flowing alcohol. It’s definitely been keeping my gaze magnetized to Gabi tonight, even if my brain knows she’s off-limits.
Once again it finds her across the room amid the fountains and laurel. She looks like a fantasy in a low-cut sapphire gown I’d love to see crumpled on the floor of my bedroom.
I’m trying to pay attention to what Frederick is saying, but all my mind can process is the beautiful girl gracefully moving from guest to guest like straight-up royalty.
Her medium-length brown hair cascades over her exposed shoulders in soft twists that I’m certain would feel amazing in my fingers. Her makeup is more pronounced than usual and exudes sophistication. A delicate diamond necklace completes the chic look, and I know from our brief ride in the limo that her scent is downright intoxicating.
Her long, thick lashes blink over another scalding stare she aims at me.
She’s a fucking goddess tonight, and she’s playing the part of a Wells heiress to perfection. Talk about pretenders. She’s the biggest actor of us all, and it’s been a constant fight to stay on task. All I want to do is go to her.
“Aden? Did I lose you? Have you thought about modeling?”
I clear my throat and force my attention back to Frederick.
“Modeling? Not really. There’s a lot more involved with that than looking pretty, no?”
“Yes, but it can be learned.” Frederick’s intense look tells me he’d like to be the one to teach me.
“What’s the allure?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
I step closer to enjoy the spike of tension in his body. “Why get into modeling? What’s in it for me?”
“Money.”
“Already have that.”
Sort of. I might not have a fat bank account, but I have no problem getting what I want when I want it.
“Fame,” he says.
Strike two. The less people know about me, the better.
“Not interested.”
Frederick creases his brow as his gaze sinks to my lips. “The gift of sharing your beauty with the world.”
I stifle a laugh. Even I’m not vain enough to let flattery sway me into extra work.
“Are you a photographer, Frederick? Is this a formal pitch?”
The man smiles. “Just a patron of the arts and appreciator of beauty.”
I nod and take a sip of my drink.
“Well, I appreciate the compliment, but I’m not in the market for a new career at the moment.”
“Ah, right. Of course you’re not.” His jealous gaze crosses to Celeste, who’s currently wrapped up in a conversation with a colleague named Rob Carnegie, and Jefferson Brookes, the mayor of Slate City. He’s also Frederick’s partner.
Celeste passes a quick scan over us and shoots me an approving look. Guess I’m on the right track, although I still don’t know why she chose this particular mark or how far I’m supposed to go with him.
What I do know is that if Celeste is targeting such a high-profile politician, I might be close to making progress on my own investigation.
Thus far, my search for information has been fruitless. I am aware her connections to The Shadow extend beyond owning the warehouse, but I can’t figure out the how.
There are suspicions the mayor is just as corrupt as many other prominent figures in Slate City, so slipping into his inner circle could be a valuable win for my mission as well.
If I’m right, the stakes have jumped. I can’t afford to make an enemy of the mayor, which means I need to pay attention to the nuances of this encounter. For example, how “available” is the man currently trying to get in my pants?
A flash of a sparkling blue gown catches my eye, and I force away the guilty twinge that I’m pursuing someone else. I can’t think about Gabi right now.
“She’s really something, isn’t she?” Frederick says. “How long have you been together?”
I return my attention to my companion, concerned I was caught, then realize he’s talking about Celeste. I slip back into character with a flirtatious smile.
“Not long. And we’re not exactly together. We have… an understanding.”
His eyes light up, and when he steps closer, I can practically taste the lust.
“Your jacket,” he whispers, running his hand along my bicep. “What, uh, material is this?”
His fingers coil around my arm, as the seductive scent of expensive cologne makes my body tense with the primal urge to conquer and possess. It is reassuring to see the bond with Gabi hasn’t totally wrecked me.
Maybe Frederick will offer a mild salve for the constant fire raging inside me. A playboy has been the perfect cover for getting close to these people—and feeding my constant need for sex in order to survive.
No one said I can’t have a little fun while I’m on the hunt for my enemies.
“Velvet,” I lie, just to see if he’s paying attention.
He’s not. He nods with hooded, lust-glazed eyes. His expression only cares about one thing and that thing is me naked.
“Aden?” he asks, breathless.
“Yeah?”
“Do you maybe want to take a walk?—”
He doesn’t get to finish when Celeste and the mayor approach. Rob watches from a few feet away with a slight scowl aimed at me. Envy or disgust? I’ve never gotten a good read on the guy. The few times we’ve interacted haven’t exactly been pleasant. Maybe he has a thing for Celeste? He blows up her phone with “urgent business” often enough.
Frederick drops my arm, just as Celeste takes my other one.
“You two seem to be getting along,” she says. “Frederick, always great to see you.”
“You as well,” he returns with a tight smile.
“Having a good time, sweetie?” she asks me.
Sweetie?
There’s a distinct glint in her eyes that has me raising my brows. Guess this game is officially in play.
Frederick’s disappointment oozes from him as I press a kiss to Celeste’s cheek. “Another incredible event, babe,” I say.
I sense more than Frederick’s jealousy, however, and my stomach drops when I catch Gabi’s narrowed eyes and knitted brow from several tables away.
I don’t acknowledge her and cement my attention on Celeste. The stakes are too high for me to get derailed by the one person I can’t be with.
“Celeste was kind enough to invite me to the mezzanine for drinks with her colleague. Would you mind?” the mayor asks his partner.
Frederick’s eyes dart to me before returning to Mayor Brookes. “Sounds wonderful. You should definitely go. I was just telling Aden how intrigued I am to learn more about his exquisite tailor.”
Frederick grips the lapels of my tuxedo and attacks my mouth with unexpected aggression as he crowds me against the wall in an alcove.
“Finally,” he breathes out, and I suppress a smirk.
Wow. He’s wasting no time. We slipped away to “inspect the silent auction items” and barely made it a hundred yards before Frederick shoved me out of sight.
Our hips grind together as he presses close.
“Fuck, yes. That’s it,” he groans while rubbing his hard length against me.
I grip his neck in return, enjoying the sweet burn of energy flowing through my body. Each suck of our lips and volley of our tongues is another burst of life through my veins. I feel myself getting stronger, even if it’s just a fraction of what I feel with Gabi.
I push away her image. I can’t afford to be guilty. It’s not like I have a choice when my survival depends on intimacy with humans. Lately, I haven’t gotten nearly enough to sustain my starving body. My time with Cian, while fun, wasn’t helpful since he’s not human either. And the little I took from Gabi… Well, that’s a whole other landmine.
Frederick claws at my shoulders as he deepens the kiss, then slides his hands down my back to grip the dense muscle of my ass.
For a few seconds, it feels good to unleash again. To take without worrying I’m taking too much. But when he reaches for the button on my pants, another trickle of unease spreads through me. I try to ignore it.
Frederick’s hand slips past the zipper, and…
Gabi’s face invades my mind again.
Fuck. All I can see is her delicious smile when she realized she owned me in that dress tonight… The longing looks and silent confessions we shared in the limo… The unconscious search for each other throughout the evening… The hurt, the jealousy, the betrayal…
I push him away. “Hang on.”
“What’s wrong? You want to go somewhere else?”
“No. It’s not that. This isn’t going to work for me.”
He gapes at me before barking a laugh. “Are you fucking serious? We’ve been playing this game all night.”
He comes at me again, and I duck away with a hard look.
“This isn’t a game. It’s supposed to be a tour.”
“You know it was supposed to be more than that.”
“Was it? Okay look, let’s just take a step?—”
He yanks me around and shoves me into the wall. When his lips come down on my neck, I push him away with a glare.
“What’s your problem?” he growls. “Are you worried about Jefferson? He doesn’t have to know.”
And there’s my out.
“Yeah, like I said, that doesn’t work for me.”
“I thought you and Celeste have an understanding.”
“We do, but you and Jefferson don’t, apparently, and I’m not into that.”
I push at his shoulder, but he traps me against the wall with a forearm on my neck. I stare at him in disbelief. He steps into me and forces his knee between my legs, wedging me against the wall. I seriously consider the fact that I’ll have to punch this guy to get him the fuck away from me.
“Who do you think you are?” he hisses, centimeters from my face. “You think you can reject me after teasing me all night?”
“Get the fuck off me. I wasn’t teasing you.”
This time when I push him away, he steps back with an icy look. I’m done with this.
I start toward the exit, stunned when he blocks my retreat again.
He leans close, his hot breath singeing my skin.
“You’re nothing but a pretty dick and a pretty face. Nothing, and you just messed with the wrong person.”
He shoves me hard before storming into the hall.
I stare after him, debating what to do. He’s not the only one who will be pissed. In less than a minute, Celeste will be livid that I’ve ruined her chance at the favor she was after.
“Shit,” I mumble as I drop to a bench and run my hands over my face. Time and again humans prove how barbaric they can be.
The cold trickle of old memories seeps from the shadows. Harsh realities I’ve spent months trying to forget. Faces and hands I thought I’d buried in nightmares.
“We’ll take care of you.”
Fresh nausea churns through my stomach as I force the images away.
Not now. Not fucking now!
“You okay?”
I glance up to see Gabi hovering in the archway. Her gaze sifts over me, and I swallow the gnawing ache in the pit of my stomach.
“I heard what that jackass said to you,” she continues as she moves into the alcove.
I lean my head against the wall. “Not the first time I’ve heard shit like that.”
“Doesn’t make it right.”
“Isn’t that part of the gig?”
A smile twists her pretty lips. “It doesn’t have to be.”
Her eyes scour my face, wide and searching for something. What, I don’t know, but we’re tiptoeing into perilous territory again.
Nothing makes sense when it comes to her. All the rules for survival I’ve spent months working out fall away. Typically, I feel almost nothing when I’m intimate with these humans, but her touch is volcanic. Deadly.
I’m still haunted by how quickly our contact the other night sent her spiraling toward the dangerous void. I’ve never seen a human drain as quickly as she did, so willing and open. It scared the shit out of me. All I could think to do was grab Cian and get us away from her without causing alarm.
She might be the only person on this planet I can’t have and not for the reason she thinks. Celeste isn’t the obstacle between us; my secrets are.
Gabi takes several steps until she’s standing in front of me. “Your music alone is proof that you’re special. From the first few notes, I knew you weren’t what you project. But it’s more than the piano. I’ve seen glimpses of the true you, and it’s so beautiful, Aden. Why do you insist on hiding?”
“You make it sound so simple, and it’s not. I have to do this. Please stop asking. Just trust me, okay?” The pleading is back in my voice, which angers me more. I don’t beg.
I don’t feel period. My survival depends on remaining detached.
I never should have spent that incredible day with her. I definitely shouldn’t have tempted fate with a threesome.
Ignoring the knot in my chest, I push up from the bench. “I should go. I’m sure Frederick is skewering me right now. Time to face the wrath.”
She grabs my wrist, triggering another violent shockwave. Warm. Electric. I know she feels it too. Her eyes go wide and her fingers tighten as if seeking more.
There’s a hint of severity in her gaze as it bores into me. “Just to be clear, none of that bullshit with Frederick is your fault. That asshole came onto you, you said no, and he acted like a pig. That’s what happened.”
I swallow hard, once again stunned by the expression on her face. It’s almost… I don’t know, compassion: I’ve never encountered it before.
She leans close, and the scent of lilac fills my senses, causing my lungs to expand as I inhale deeply. It’s soothing and arousing at the same time.
“Also, just to be clear. If you don’t want to be my mother’s mindless pawn, you don’t have to be. You can leave. Now.”
She releases my arm, her warning look mixing with something else. Sadness, I think. “Please leave,” she whispers, searching my eyes. “Please, Aden. It’s only going to get worse.”
“You’re obviously not happy. Why don’t you leave?”
A shadow passes over her face as she casts a quick glance toward the hall. “I can’t. And soon you won’t be able to either.”
“You can’t? What does that mean?”
Her teeth sink into her lip as she shifts uncomfortably.
“I—”
She stops cold, and I follow her gaze to the irate silhouette in the entryway.
Aw hell. Here we go.
With a deep breath, I brace for war.