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If I ruined my brand-new Stella Alonso dress over this, I’d kill him, bring him back to clean up the mess, then kill him again.
“Technically, you are an intruder, but a very beautiful one. If you wanted to join me in bed, you only had to say so. No need to go to all this trouble.”
“That’s quite a threat,” he drawled. “Every party and woman? You must really like me.”
“Don’t worry, Luna,” he said, catching my scrutiny with a small grin. “I won’t tell your other clients I’m your favorite.”
“Since you’re so forthcoming, I will be too. I want a vacation.” “You’re already on vacation.”
“Not me. You.”
“I’ll attend the gala if you promise to join me on vacation after. Three weeks in Spain. No work, just play.”
That was the worst part about Xavier. He was smart, but he applied it to all the wrong things. “Don’t look at me like I killed your pet fish,” he drawled. “I’m taking you on vacation. It’ll be fun. Trust me.” His smile widened at my icy stare.
Objectively, Sloane was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever met. Blue eyes, long legs, symmetrical face…Michelangelo himself couldn’t have sculpted a better female form.
“There’s alcohol, food, and a gorgeous woman by my side. Of course I want to be here,”
On anyone else, her simple black gown would’ve been boring, but Sloane could wear a grocery bag and still blow everyone else out of the water.
She’d obviously dressed with the intention of blending in, but she could no more blend into a crowd than a jewel could blend into mud.
The reminder of her and where she was right now—probably on some date with some asshole—darkened my already-thunderous mood.
“Gross. Soon I’ll be old like you—ah!” Pen erupted into hysterical giggles when I tickled her side. “Stop! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She gasped. “You’re not that old.” “That’s what you get for insulting me,” I quipped,
“I made something for you.” Pen sounded out of breath, but my concern ebbed when she walked to the coffee table and returned without missing a beat. A knot formed in my throat. It was a good day; she deserved a good day on her birthday. “It’s a friendship bracelet.” She placed the jewelry carefully in my palm. “I have a matching one. See?”
I looked down, my pulse spiked with worry. Pale face, glazed eyes—she was about to crash. “I’m okay,” she said when I called for Rhea. The older woman rushed into the room, her face wreathed with concern. “Stay.” Pen clutched my sleeve with her little hand. “I never get to see you.”
“We’ll see each other again soon,” I said fiercely. “I promise.” I wished we had more time together, but Pen’s health came before anything else.
The women fluttering around him must’ve picked up on my intent to kill because they scattered faster than falling leaves on a gusty day.
“First Mykonos, now this.” A slow smile spread across his face. “You stalking me, Luna?” “If I were, you make it easy.”
A strange glow of satisfaction settled in his eyes. “Did it interrupt your evening?” he asked silkily. “My bad.”
“Relax, Luna. It’s Friday night. Take the stick out of your ass and have a little fun.”
“Can’t get up unless you let me go, sweetheart.”
“Just shut up and follow me,” I snapped, wishing I had a wittier reply. “Yes, ma’am.” His cheeks dimpled. “I love a woman in charge.”
“Nice try. For someone who’s stalking me, you don’t seem to like my company much.” He placed a hand on his chest with a mock-wounded look. “It hurts my soul. Truly.”
“I see.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I never took you for a liar, Sloane. Our trip hasn’t even started, and you’re already going back on your word.”
“You promised me a vacation,” Xavier said when I stared at him. “Time to put your money where your mouth is.”
“Relax, Luna.” Xavier laughed as we wound through the near-empty streets at a breakneck pace. “You’re officially off the clock for the next week. Enjoy it.”
“Impressive.” I couldn’t resist commenting. I leaned against the doorframe and pushed a hand into the pocket of my sweatpants. “But you know the point of yoga is to relax, right?” Sloane’s eyes popped open again. Her head swiveled so she could glare at me. “How long have you been standing there?” she demanded. Ah, there’s that comforting irritation. Let’s see if we can notch it higher, shall we?
“The book you were reading on the plane?” I asked in disbelief. “25 Principles of Crisis Communications? That book?” Pink colored her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. “It’s the latest edition.”
“Ouch. Treat a girl to a luxury spa and get verbally attacked in return. Decorum doesn’t exist anymore.”
“I didn’t realize you paid that much attention to who flirted with me.” “I’m your publicist. It’s my job to pay attention to everything about you.” My smile melted into something slower, more languid. “Everything, huh?”
I looked at her and couldn’t breathe.
If I stood, it would take five steps to reach her. If I lifted my hand, it would take two seconds to touch her.
it’s a gift from your mystery lover, you might have to upgrade. Find someone who can buy you real jewelry.” “It’s the thought that counts, not the carats.”
“Who did you really go see?” I asked softly. Sloane’s face darkened. I didn’t get a reply, nor had I expected one, but I could guess. There was only one topic that made her shut down: her family.
Little did she know, there was nothing she could do that I’d mistake for weakness. She was one of the strongest people I knew, and only a fool would think otherwise.
Come on, Luna. Give me something.
“Sloane.” “There’s nothing heavy enough to break the door unless I push you through it.” Tempting. He sighed. “Sloane, there’s—”
“We could hope someone finds us when the next appointment shows up, but who knows when that’ll be? The spa is fully booked, but that doesn’t mean—” “Sloane!” Xavier grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. “There’s an emergency button for these situations.”
“We survived death. It can only go uphill from here.” I pushed him into a nearby bush.
There’d been a moment, just one, when I looked at Xavier and my heart skipped a beat. Who did you really go see?
There’d also been a moment, just one, when I almost answered truthfully.
“So,” he said, “you think I’m pretty.”
“So you like to be needed.” I turned my head before my therapist could stop me. Xavier met my gaze with a knowing one of his own, and…there it was again. A little skip in my chest, followed by the unnerving sense that he could see right past the shields I’d painstakingly built over the years.
“Don’t you get bored of doing nothing?”
“Sometimes,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically subdued. “But I’m good at doing nothing, so I stick to it. It’s better than fucking things up.”
I’m good at doing nothing, so I stick to it. It’s better than fucking things up. Xavier was unmotivated, but he wasn’t dumb. If he tried, he could probably run circles around the people sitting in the Castillo Group’s boardroom.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Luna. I honestly forgot that…”
“In return, I promise not to throw another party for the next month unless you’ve approved it.” “That’s not a good deal,”
“Two months.” “No.” “Three months. Come on,”
