potentially dangerous, my hormones raged on nevertheless, inflaming me with desire.
I flicked a strand of hair back over my shoulder and made my way back to the party. On the way, I caught Cassie coming toward me. She looked beautiful in a blue gown that hugged her lissome tall frame like magic.
“You look like you’ve stepped out of a fairy tale in that pink dress,” she said, taking me by the arm.
I swished the silk skirt. “I feel like I’m in Swan Lake. If I have enough champagne, I may even jeté across the room.” I laughed.
“I’d join you, but this little frock’s a bit tight,” she said with a giggle. “Hey, have you seen Mr. Dark and Dangerous in that tux?”
“Mm… yeah, he’s pretty hard to miss.” I looked around, but I couldn’t see him.
“He’s got Candy going all gaga, that’s for sure. Here he comes. Or I should say, swaggers. Ah… he’s heading over to us.”
“Don’t make it obvious, Cas. I’m going to get a drink.”
She chuckled. “I knew it. He’s got you all hot and bothered. And he keeps looking at you again, like at Marcus’s party.”
I rolled my eyes in response, which was a ruse because I liked knowing that.
After filling my glass with bubbly from the champagne fountain, I headed out for a little air. On my way out, a lovely little cupcake caught my eye, so I grabbed one.
It was a balmy, perfect night. There was no wind. Warm air caressed my flesh as I rested on a white iron bench.
Biting into the fluffy, sugary treat, I sighed as it melted in my mouth.
“That good?” A husky voice resonated nearby.
I turned and saw Bronson with an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. My eyes landed on them, lingering for what seemed an inappropriate length of time.
“Um…” While I searched for a response, a little bit of saliva mixed with cake escaped my lips and slid down my chin, making me want to crawl under a hole and die.
While wiping it off with a napkin, I noticed Bronson’s attention on my lips while I licked them clean. I said, “The cakes are delicious.” I spoke in a hurried tone, which emulated my racing heart. “I have no control when it comes to sweet things.”
His lips twitched into a half smile and then straightened quickly. Something told me Bronson didn’t smile much.
“Is that the only thing you have no control over?” he asked. Lighting his cigarette, he moved away so that the smoke wouldn’t annoy me.
“I suppose it is. Sugar’s always been a weakness of mine. I’m pretty boring in many ways. I don’t have any bad habits other than that.”
He studied me as he sucked on his cigarette. Even the act of smoking seemed carnal on those lips.
“It depends on how one defines bad.” His eyes remained on my face.
“All the unhealthy things, I suppose. But then, Aggie, that’s the woman…”
“You work for,” he interjected.
“Oh, you remember?”
“I remember everything.”
“That’s useful if one’s studying for exams, I suppose,” I said, setting my plate down on a ledge by my side.
I waited for a response, but he remained quietly absorbed in my face. His eyes scorched my flesh again. “I was saying that Aggie wears her bad habits like a badge of honor. But then, she is 82. I suppose she can get away with her at-times-inappropriate take on life.”
His black, perfectly arched eyebrows contracted slightly. “Inappropriate?”
“Well, let’s put it this way. She has a salacious tongue and a dark wit about her.”
“Salacious tongue?” He tilted his head with a glimmer of a smile.
“That means… dirty-mouthed…”
“I know what it means,” he said, standing closer and making me gulp down my champagne. “I am educated.”
“I’m sure you are.”
He raked his fingers through his hair, making it sit perfectly as if placed there with product. His unshifting gaze unnerved me. I had to look away even though I wanted to keep staring.
“So, Aggie has a dirty tongue, then,” he continued with a hint of a smile.
Noticing his emphasis on the word “tongue” I felt I had to clarify my comment. “I meant when she speaks.”
“I’m playing with you, Ava.”
“Oh… you’ve remembered my name,” I said, sounding more ridiculous by the minute.
His playful grin faded. “I remember everything about you.”
As he stepped closer, Bronson ran his tongue over his full lips.
I parted my mouth and lowered my eyes.
When a voice from behind said, “There you are,” I jumped.
I turned, and Justin stood before me. Bronson looked away. The tension between