“No, you don’t. Come on in.” Adair was at the door and in front of us before Alara could answer me. I gasped at him. He was gorgeous and breathtaking no matter what he wore. He’d unraveled his tie from the school party and lost the jacket. There was just him in a button-up shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, and his dark pants that fit him like a glove. Even his hair was disheveled as though it had also relaxed for the night.
“Thanks. This place is incredible.”
He chuckled. “It’s just a house. Don’t let the outside perfection fool you.”
That sentence struck me for some reason. A sadness pierced my heart and cracked open my chest. He was not happy here. For all the wealth and the power he and Nissa both had, they were clearly miserable.
What a shame for him to suffer any kind of misery.
“I’m gonna go mingle and check out the hotties. You two have fun. Endy, you have my number.” Alara left me there, and in mere minutes, she was grinding against a guy who was making her laugh and who had handed her a drink.
“I’m glad you came. Would you like a tour of the house?” That twinkle was back in his eyes. He had other things on his mind.
“A tour like showing me the kitchen, or a tour like accidentally locking us in a bedroom?”
“Gods, just a regular tour. What kind of guy do you think I am?” He laughed and took my hand in his. There were whispers and stares from some of the people near the entrance, but as he whisked me away to the other more private places in the house, all was quiet, and we were finally alone.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said, and the words pulsed against me. It seemed like a compliment he didn’t give out often. Something about his tone and the way he hesitated. Those weren’t words he took lightly and neither did I.
“Thank you. You look pretty damned handsome yourself.”
I sucked in a breath as he put his hand on the wall above my head and leaned in. “You’re with Bain and Zephyr, right?”
My stomach fluttered. He knew. Either he’d been talking about me with someone else, or he’d been spying on me. The latter notion made my core pull taut and my thighs catch on fire.
“I am.”
“Hmmm…” He leaned forward even more and linked his other hand with mine. His lips grazed the side of my neck as he spoke in a hushed tone. “Does that mean there’s no room for me?”
I swallowed and let my eyes close. “I want there to be room for you.”
He chuckled low and deep, and it did things to me. I swore I was on the edge of orgasm just from his voice. “I want that, too.”
“And what about your fiancée? Betrothed?”
He pulled back with a hiss. His lips were but a breath away as his sapphire eyes searched mine. “I’m breaking it off tonight.”
I hunched down and broke free from where he had me pinned against the granite countertop. “Let me know when that happens, okay?”
He slapped his hand against the wall. “What? You don’t believe me?”
Facing him, I took two long breaths. “I believe you, but in the meantime, that means you’re off-limits. I’m no one’s side piece, Adair.”
I began to walk out of the room, disappointed he hadn’t already ended it with Nissa and equally disappointed that he hadn’t given me the full tour. I was sure to be lost in seconds. This place was a maze of wood and marble and glass.
“Fine!”
I heard his words but kept walking. I wanted him, yes, but Nissa thought they were still together. No matter how much of a bitch she was, she didn’t deserve to be cheated on. No one did.
I’d meandered through the hallways and doors when a hand jutted out of nowhere and grabbed my arm. “Endymion, you have to get your ass in here. Shit is going down!”
Alara dragged me into the main room. A grand living room with cream suede furniture and a blazing fireplace. The chandelier hanging from the ceiling made the flames seem like they were dancing within the glass pieces. Adair and Nissa were in the center of the room, like we held tickets to a circus, and they were the main act. Everyone congregated around them in a circle, and Alara brought me to the front. The music had stopped. The yelling had stopped. No one moved.
Nissa’s face was bright red, and Adair was aloof like he was simply checking ground meat off of his grocery list.
“Wait until our parents hear this,” she seethed and postured.
He inhaled and rolled his eyes. “Go ahead and tell them.”