Chapter 28
“Holy hell, this is incredible.”
I stared up the ceiling as I walked, my neck aching as I twisted my head to keep my eyes trained upwards.
The ceiling of the grand ballroom was breathtaking, one giant dome with each panel covered in pastel shades of stained glass in geometric patterns.
Lights shone up at it and down through it from the outside, sparking an incredible light show with the ways the light bounced off the glass. It was a work of art.
“You’re going to have to look at something other than the ceiling at some point tonight, Princess,” Sinclair said from my side.
Ignoring him, I continued to stare upwards, mesmerized by the sight. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s stunning,” I said, awed.
“So are you.”
That was enough to tear my gaze from the ceiling to lock eyes with Sin. He always made my heart pound, but the sight of him standing in front of me in an all-black suit and shirt combo was almost enough to make a girl swoon.
“Sinclair Aston, that was both the cheesiest and the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”
He smirked, stepping in closer as he went to move around me.
“Don’t get used to it,” he murmured in my ear as he passed. “I’ll be ordering you onto your knees later.”
My eyes widened, excited at the prospect, and I had to fight the urge to watch him go. The ballroom was packed; I couldn’t be caught out ogling my step-brother with obvious need.
Dacre and Presley approached, Dacre handing me a glass of champagne. I thanked him, eyeing the glass in Presley’s hand.
He clinked it with mine. “It’s sparkling water, don’t worry, Sass.”
“I guess we better get this over with,” Dacre said, downing half his drink and tugging his masquerade mask from his head over his face.
It was a shade of navy so dark it almost looked black, with a shimmer to it when he tilted a certain way in the light.
It perfectly matched his navy three-piece suit.
There was something about a man in a three-piece that did all kinds of things to me.
“Keep looking at me like that and this night will be over right now,” Dacre murmured.
Fighting a smile, I looked away.
Presley rushed to pull his own mask on, a gold one that brightened his brown eyes, making him look more mischievous than usual.
His suit was a deep burgundy that fit him like a second skin.
He looked like a professional NFL player striding into a game that was a guaranteed win.
The best thing Presley wore was his confidence.
“I want you to look at me like that so I can promise to do really naughty things to you later too,” Pres said with a grin.
“It’s a date,” I called over my shoulder as I reluctantly moved away from them.
We usually made the effort not to spend too much time together at these events. It was inevitable that any talk between us would turn into innuendo, and I didn’t have the self-control to only talk dirty to any of them and not drag them into the coat closet to follow through.
Distance was the safest choice. Especially when they were all looking like walking, talking snacks.
An hour into the event, I was growing bored of the same inane conversations with the same vacuous people who attended every other Cape Canyon event.
Most of them wanted to talk about Byron or my mother, two of my least favorite subjects.
I was standing at the edge of the dancefloor, a glass of champagne dangling from my fingers and contemplating which of my step-brothers would be most likely to take me up on an offer of bathroom sex to break up this monotony, when someone appeared at my side.
“May I have the next dance?” the masked stranger asked.
I blanched in surprise at being asked to dance by anyone other than my stepbrothers.
The stranger’s broad shoulders were covered in a crisp, white button-down shirt that was rolled to his elbows, paired with black suit pants and black fitted vest buttoned over his torso.
His shoes were black polished leather, which matched the black leather of his mask that covered three-quarters of his face.
The twist in my stomach relaxed. “Hi Boston,” I said quietly.
He offered me his hand and I took it, letting him lead me to the dance floor.
“What gave it away?” he asked, keeping his voice low and just for me as we took our place among the other couples. He kept hold of my hand, his other coming to rest on my waist. I held onto his shoulder, and he moved us around the floor.
“You’re built like a tank. You’re impossible to miss.” I grinned at him.
It was true. Even now when he had me in his arms, many of the women in the room—and some of the men too—had turned to stare at Boston.
A weird sense of pride flickered inside me at people ogling my husband. I probably didn’t deserve to feel so much ownership, given all the ways I’d fought against our marriage. But then again… he did legally belong to me.
“You seemed to be able to ignore me pretty easily when I first came to Cape Canyon.”
My gaze cut back to his, surprised that he was bringing up the way things started out between us. “It wasn’t easy at all.”
He didn’t respond, just watched me.
“I was afraid of who I thought you were.”
“And things are different now?”
His tone was casual, but the question was loaded with the emotion behind it.
I held onto him tightly as we moved around the floor. I dropped my cheek to his chest and his hand at my waist adjusted to bring me closer.
“So different.”
He moved to glance down at me, and when I lifted my head, his gaze instantly dropped to my mouth. My tongue peeked out to lick my bottom lip. His eyes tracked the motion, his head dipping towards me.
I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine right now.
He stopped himself, blinking once, then letting go of me entirely.
He reached for my hand, and without a word led me off the dancefloor, cutting across the ballroom towards one of the exits.
“Where are you two going in such a damn hurry?” Presley asked as he came through the door we were exiting. There was only a slight bite to his tone this time, not the same level of disdain for Boston that had been there in the past.
Boston pulled us up short, stopping in front of him but never letting go of my hand.
“We’re going into the empty event room across the hall. Give me five minutes, then follow if you want.”
Pres blinked, looking momentarily surprised at the invitation. Then he nodded once, quirking a brow at me when Boston towed me out the door.
We moved quickly, stopping at a set of doors just beyond the party. Boston held the door open, leading me inside.
It was a much smaller space than the domed ballroom, likely used for more intimate events.
The room was dark, the only light coming from the street via the rows of windows along the top of the wall on the right-hand side of the room.
Round tables were set up or standing on their sides against the wall, and the small stage at the end had one lone mic stand on it.
The door closed behind us, taking the noise of the event with it, plunging us into silence.
“Why did you ask Presley to wait five minutes?”
Boston closed the space between us, and without a word, slid the mask from my face and tossed it on the table beside us, doing the same with his own.
“So we could be alone for this…”
He cupped my jaw with one hand, the other sliding over my hip to move my body against his. Then his mouth was on mine, his entire being consuming me in an instant.
He was all heat, and power, and possession—with his mouth, with his hands. With him.
My body reacted on its own, pushing up onto my tiptoes, my hands threading through his hair. However close we were, it wasn’t close enough. I needed more.
So much more.
As far as first kisses went, this was one I’d never recover from. This one kiss was all I needed to confirm that this attraction between us ran deep, even if I didn’t understand it.
His large hand moved to cup my ass as he kissed me, his fingers fisting the fabric of my dress when he realized I had nothing on underneath it. A growl sounded against my mouth and my body ignited at the feral possession of it.
Then in an instant Boston was gone, letting me go and stepping back.
“Fuck, that was…” he trailed off, running a thumb back and forth over his bottom lip.
“That was fucking hot,” Presley said, moving into the room.
I spun around to face him, guilt flooding me. He must have seen the look on my face, because he came towards me, his hand cupping my cheek, and his mouth dropped to mine.
His kiss was nothing like Boston’s, but my body lit up all the same. Where Boston had been pure intensity, Presley kissed with a sultry playfulness that was just so… him.
My body wanted both of them. No, it wanted all of them.
When Presley and I broke apart, a silent conversation took place between us.
I wanted him. Right now. But I wanted Boston too.
Pres nodded once, the corner of his mouth pulling up in a smile.
“Presley’s going to fuck me now,” I said, turning back to Boston.
His eyebrows rose in surprise.
“But I want you too.”
He moved towards me, and I took his hand, pulling him close.
I reached a hand out to slide around his neck, claiming his mouth.
The second our lips met I wanted to groan in ecstasy.
His large hands landed on my hips to steady me.
Presley closed in behind me, the sound of his zipper going down filling the quiet room.
“Let me guess, Sass… you’re ready to go?” Presley teased from behind me.
I broke away from Boston, my gaze never leaving him as I spoke to Pres. “Why don’t you lift up my dress and find out?”
It was all the invitation Pres needed. He slid my tight green dress up my thighs, and then over my hips, exposing my bare pussy.
Boston’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as he stared down at me. Presley’s hand brushed over my bare ass, his fingers gliding between my legs and sliding straight in.
He groaned at the contact. “Fuck, you’ve never been so ready.”