voice filtering into the stare down, annoying as ever. We both turn our eyes to him at the same time.
“Aiden was just telling me that he bought this gallery for his wife.”
Our eyes slide back to each other. And we both relax, our mutual hatred of Grant somehow easing the strain between two shady as fuck characters.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I finally say, Aiden’s grin slicing a line across his face, dark humor at the edges of it.
“I was actually telling Grant that I met my wife in an art gallery. It’s a sweet story. Maybe I’ll tell it to you some time.”
Grant clears his throat because he can’t stand not being the center of attention. Our eyes slide back to him.
“I’m sure Adeline would love to hear the story. She’s mentioned how much she likes your wife. Do you come to these events often?”
My brow quirks when I realize that Grant isn’t actually curious about Aiden’s involvement with the gallery. He’s attempting to butter up another potential investor.
“Actually, no. But I have a thing for photography and came to this one.”
“Oh? Are you a photographer?”
Here we go...
Aiden smiles, but I can tell by the honed edge to it that he knows what Grant’s up to.
“I am.”
“I’d love to see your work.”
Another sly grin. “It’s a private collection. Nothing I show the world.”
The only positive of having Grant’s attention on Aiden is that I’m free to ignore the conversation and scan my eyes across the gallery. As usual, they land on Adeline.
Every so often, she glances our direction, her focus more on her husband and Aiden. It amuses me how hard she has to fight to keep from making eye contact with me.
It pisses me off, too. But I’ll get over it. Her fight is only temporary.
Hearing my name draws me back to the conversation.
“Harrison is about to invest in the company. I’ve been chasing him down for weeks, it feels like. Maybe I can take you both out for dinner after the show is over tonight-“
“Not interested,” Aiden says with no apology for cutting him off mid-sentence.
I feel a twinge of jealousy.
Grant clears his throat, clearly put in his place. I turn my head to grin, suddenly liking the asshole beside me more.
My eyes lock on Adeline again, watching her move from one print to the next, discussing them with several women.
“Yes, well, I have a feeling Harrison isn’t as interested in the company as he claims. I think his interest is in other things.”
I would have ignored the comment if not for the warning in his tone. Turning back to him, I meet his stare.
“And what interest would that be?”
The tension between us is climbing to dangerous levels.
Aiden glances between us, grin firmly in place, clearly enjoying the exchange.
Grant cocks a brow, but doesn’t answer. Judging by the look on his face, he wants to say more, but he’s also intelligent enough to know pushing me too far would be a stupid fucking move.
He’s smart to step away. “If you two will excuse me, I think I’ll spend some time with my wife.”
Grant emphasizes the last two words as his eyes lock on me in challenge.
I refuse to respond, remaining silent as he strolls across the room to stand next to Adeline. Hand lifting, he wraps it around the back of her neck, fingers tight against the muscle. I don’t miss how she stiffens at his touch, my jaw ticking with suspicion.
A low voice next to my ear. “I really can’t stand that dumb son of a bitch.”
Turning to meet Aiden’s stare, I say nothing. He only smiles more.
“Would be a shame if something happened to him.”
Ignoring the taunt, I return my attention to Adeline, noticing the distance she attempts to put between her body and Grant’s.
Something’s not right. But from what I’ve seen on his security cameras, he hasn’t done anything to hurt her. Why is she acting like an abused pet?
Aiden follows my line of sight, an odd sound rumbling in his chest, a step taken to stand closer to me as his voice drops to a low whisper.
“Do you want my advice?”
“No,” I answer, refusing to look at him.
He chuckles. “Too bad, I’m giving it to you anyway.” A pause before he says, “Sometimes when you want something bad enough, you just have to take it.”
Annoyed, I bark a response. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Except I know exactly what he’s talking about, and it takes effort to peel my gaze away from