Chapter 9
Chapter nine
Damien
The ballroom pulses with wealth and ostentation.
Crystal chandeliers cast their glow over Denver’s elite, all dressed in their finest, champagne flutes in hand, checkbooks at the ready.
I keep a possessive hand at the small of Luna’s back as we move through the crowd, the silk of her dress warm beneath my palm.
Every eye in the room turns to her. I can’t blame them.
She’s stunning tonight. The deep emerald dress hugs her curves like it was made for her body alone, her blonde hair cascading in loose waves over her shoulders.
She doesn’t realize how she outshines every woman here, her beauty unadorned by the calculated artifice that plagues these events.
“The turnout is incredible.” Luna’s wide eyes survey the room. “You must be pleased.”
I force a smile, the muscles in my jaw tightening. “Numbers mean donations. Donations mean more animals we can help.”
“But you hate this part, don’t you?” Her voice is low, meant only for me. “The schmoozing?”
I look at her, surprised by her perception. Most women I’ve brought to these events are too dazzled by the glamor to notice my discomfort.
“Is it that obvious?”
She smiles, and I can’t look away. “Only to someone who’s paying attention.”
The thought of her watching me and studying me sends a primitive satisfaction through my gut before panic follows in its wake. Does she see the truth lurking beneath this facade?
“Damien! There you are.”
I turn to see Cade approaching, champagne in hand, his tuxedo as impeccable as mine.
“Cade.” I shake his hand, though I don’t know why. We saw each other four hours ago. “I’d like you to meet Dr. Luna Foster. Luna, this is Cade Crawford, my COO and the man who actually runs my companies while I pretend to work.”
Cade’s lips pull tight at the corners, the closest his face gets to a genuine smile. But his eyes are busy, scanning from me to Luna with the kind of scrutiny that misses nothing.
“Dr. Foster, it’s a pleasure.” He takes her hand, and his expression softens a fraction despite whatever reservations are churning behind his eyes. “Damien speaks of little else these days.”
Subtle, Cade. Real fucking subtle.
“I hope he’s been editing the embarrassing parts. Like my being a Peeping Tom.” Luna’s smile is warm and confident as she glances between us. “And please call me Luna. ‘Doctor’ makes me feel like I should be wearing scrubs instead of this dress.”
“You look beautiful in anything.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve told her tonight, but somehow the words feel inadequate each time.
She’s stunning in a way that scatters my senses and makes me want to abandon this entire event and take her somewhere private.
Somewhere I can taste every inch of her warm, silken skin.
Luna blushes, and Cade raises an eyebrow at me. I’m never this open or unguarded. Especially not at events like this, where every word might be overheard, analyzed, and reported in tomorrow’s society pages.
“I’ve heard about your wildlife sanctuary.” Cade pivots, guiding us away from the awkward tension my compliment created. “Damien tells me you’ve revolutionized rehabilitation techniques for injured animals.”
“That’s an exaggeration,” Luna says, though she stands a little straighter.
“But we’ve had some success with methods that minimize human imprinting during treatment.
The goal is always to return them to the wild as true wild animals, not creatures dependent on humans.
I don’t always succeed at that, though.”
Her face lights up as she speaks, and I’m transfixed. This is the same passion I see in her eyes when I’m with her in the dark, when she arches against me, when she begs for release. But this… this is different, too. Pure. Untainted by the deception I’ve woven between us.
“Cade, would you mind getting Luna a drink? I need to speak to the mayor about something.” I spot the politician across the room, then turn back to Luna. “I’ll introduce you to him later, but I need to speak about some business now, and I don’t want to bore you.”
“Of course.” Cade nods, understanding the subtext. This is my way of giving him a chance to spend time with Luna without me hovering like a possessive bastard. He holds out his arm to her. “Shall we?”
“Lead the way.”
I catch his eye and hold it for a beat longer than necessary.
You better fucking watch your step, Cade.
His mouth quirks upward, that rare, but familiar smirk that tells me he’s received the warning loud and clear.
My chest tightens with conflicting emotions as he leads her toward the bar. Part of me hates to see her walk away with another man, even Cade.
Though I trust Luna, and nothing he says will change my mind about her, I still need his opinion. No one reads people better than he does, and his investigative instincts are unparalleled.