Chapter 8
ALEX
What I need tonight is a woman in my arm; someone I can talk to while enduring dinner with a bunch of stuck up suits I’ve just met. I can’t believe June threw me into, not just one, but two charity dinners within the same week. Five in two weeks. Fuck, she’s pushing me too hard.
I’ve been nice to her. I agreed to be Sterling’s best man, which makes no sense because he has Weston, his brother.
She’s just torturing me. Is it the pregnancy hormones?
Seriously, I wouldn’t have minded writing a check for the charity. Any other night, I’d own the room. There’re plenty of gorgeous women everywhere.
Why not? I ask myself. The night can be mine.
It’s time to shake off the rust and get back on the horse. This month I have been focusing too much on my family and my business.
Normally, I’d go to the bar and order myself a single malt.
Right now, I need to work fast. Find someone to keep my mind busy before I leave and drive to Hannah’s place.
Fuck, I’m still fucking mad at her. Bile bubbles from my stomach.
The way we left things wasn’t what I had planned for that evening.
I never have a plan, but I’m always hopeful to spend the evening with her.
Does it matter? She’s moving on.
When a waiter passes by holding a tray with flutes, I grab a couple. Champagne is sexy. Women think it’s sophisticated and classy. Not all of them, but most of them. Hannah would be ordering a shot of tequila or a glass of their best cabernet.
Stop thinking about Hannah.
Walking around the ballroom, I try to assess the guests, separate those who seem to be available from those who are married or on a date.
This is going to be easy, I think.
Except, I suddenly don’t feel like staying here. Not when I spot her, Samantha.
She smiles at me, sending me that sexy glance from across the room that used to mean something. It’s been years since we spoke. It was the day she yelled in my lawyer’s office. At least I deserve some restitution for being with you for so long, she yelled.
Turning around, I walk in the opposite direction and drink both glasses of champagne. It’s not like I’m upset with her, but why cross paths with someone you don’t want to see ever again? Once a person is out of my life, it’s forever. There’s no room for second chances.
I don’t get too far before I’m ambushed by a couple of friends I haven’t seen since the accident. Small talk is sometimes more painful than a broken leg. Believe me when I say it, I lived through a broken spine.
“Having a bad night?” The question doesn’t matter; it’s the melodic voice that makes my entire body vibrate.
I turn around, and it’s her. Hannah. Just as breathtakingly beautiful—as ever. Her hair is cascading down her bare shoulders. Though what makes my heart stop is her smile.
“Hi...” gorgeous girl, I say stupidly. Stopping myself from dragging her close to me and kissing her.
“Hannah,” she says mockingly. “Hannah Hades-Bell, your sister’s neighbor.”
I clear my throat. “Like I can forget you or your name,” I whisper close to her ear as I feel her shiver. “Why are you here?”
She shrugs, taking a step back, and smiles. “It’s not my favorite place, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices.”
Hannah looks edible in a long sequin dress that fits her mouthwatering curves.
I look at her exposed arms and smile. Her tattoos are visible.
I’ve never seen her dressed like this. It’s usually jeans, t-shirts, or sweatshirts.
I love her yoga pants, too. This version of her is as good as any other.
The thumping of my heart is just as intense as it was when I first saw her.
“You look stunning,” I whisper.
“You clean up well,” she says.
Looking at me, her lips part as she reaches for my tie to adjust it. “Better.”
Jesus Christ. Her voice is enchanting, like a siren.
“Alex,” Samantha says my name, and her voice sounds off, distorted. Like a squeak. I flinch at the sound. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Her suggestive tone makes me want to run away, which I can’t. June insisted this was important. Only three times a year. It’s not about selling myself; it’s about being there for what matters most – the children.
“Hannah, babe, meet Samantha,” I introduce them, hoping she doesn’t run away. “Samantha, this is Hannah.”
“Samantha Mahler,” she adds her last name, as if dropping her last name makes her more important than Hannah.
You know what’s hotter than the open leg dress Hannah’s wearing? The way she stamps a smile on her face and grabs my hand as if claiming me. It is so hot and electrifying. Sparks crackle between us when her skin touches mine.
I’m so distracted by what’s happening between us, and as Hannah becomes absurdly appealing, her full, red lips are all I want to taste. Leaning toward her would be so easy. I stop when I see a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Fuck, what is she up to?
Please, don’t throw me to the wolves, I plea inside my head.
Chin up and shoulders back, filling the entire room with her presence, she smiles. “Samantha Maher?”
“Mahler,” Samantha protests.
Hannah rolls her eyes and looks at me. “How about that dance, babe?”
“That was hot,” I tell her, once we’re on the dance floor.
She smiles and shivers as my hands run down her bare back. “Keep your hands to yourself.”
“You didn’t have to come and save me, but again, that was hot.”
“From where I stood, you seemed pretty miserable.”
Was I? Honest to God, I can’t remember. All I can focus on is her fantastic curves and the feel of her body against mine as we sway on the dance floor.
“What happened to your hot glasses?” I ask, staring at her pouty mouth and wondering if I have to ask for permission or if I can just steal a kiss.
“Alex, do us a favor and stop hitting on me,” she stops me, her whiskey color eyes are serious.
I’m about to tell her I miss her when we get interrupted.
“Babe.” A guy, almost as tall as me, wearing a tux jacket and jeans, comes close to us. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him. “The jet is ready for us.”
A twinge of jealousy makes me pull her closer to me. Who the fuck is this guy? Her boyfriend? No wonder she pushed me away.
Hannah nods and looks up at me. “I hope the rest of your night gets better.”
The other guy takes her hand, pulling her away from me.
“Can I come by later tonight?” I ask, not giving a fuck about the guy who’s taking her away from me.
“I won’t be home,” she states.
Is that it, that I never took her home with me and he is?
The man next to her glares at me. She whispers something in his ear, and he rolls his eyes. I relax when I study them closer. It’s the way he hugs her, familiar, brotherly, that tells me they’re not a couple. He looks at her the same way I do my sisters.
“Serendipity, Hannah.”
She walks away laughing. That’s when I notice three other guys, almost as tall as the one who grabbed her out of my arms, join her. Who are they?