a pure soul, Penelope.”
I sat up, turning to face him square on. “Hey. I don’t even know who my father was. For all I know, he was a junkie or a pimp or a dealer. My mother can’t remember.” An ironic laugh grated my throat. “She probably can’t even remember having me.”
Blake removed his mask. A sheen of pity darkened his eyes.
“Once, I found her slouched on the couch with a needle stuck in her vein. I couldn’t tell if she was dead or alive.” My voice trembled.
“I want to help,” said Blake.
I removed my mask to wipe my eyes. The room and its splendor, which earlier had warmed my spirit now reminded me of the stark contrast between Blake and me.
“So now that you know all about my crappy past, surely yours can’t be worse. I feel naked, while you hide yourself in those expensive designer suits.”
“Penelope, it’s not a competition on who’s had the most fucked-up life, because if it were, I’d win hands down.” He combed back his hair, and boy, I craved him more. The darker he became, the more my body seethed with desire.
“That wasn’t what I meant. I know it’s not a fucking competition. Hell, Blake. Don’t you get it?” I stood up. “I need some air.”
He followed me out. Frustration with Blake’s inability to let me in fueled me along. I couldn’t stop thinking of that man who’d cornered Blake. His rigid, unsettling body language pestered me like a thorn digging into my skin.
33
* * *
BLAKE
I’D BEEN ATTENDING THE masked ball at Annerley Castle for eight years, and I’d never seen Dylan Fox there before. Even with the passing of time, those beady, perpetually sniggering eyes still made my skin crawl.
Penelope was right: one couldn’t escape one’s past. The fact that her mother was a junkie hadn’t changed the way I felt for Penelope. In many ways, Penelope’s shame kept my shame company. And the more naked her soul, the more attached I became.
I followed Penelope out, and seeing her clutching her arms, I removed my jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
“Penelope, let’s do this some other time. You’ll be the first to know.”
She turned around, and her eyes looked so large under the moonlight that I knew I couldn’t hide anything from her. “The first to know about your past?” Her lips parted. “Is this real?”
I took her into my arms and drew energy from her heartbeat against my ribcage. “It’s real for me.”
“And it’s real for me. I’m in love with you, Blake.” Her trembling voice echoed through my body.
An aching pause followed. I’d never uttered that foreign word to anyone. Ever. And no one, not even my mother, had ever said that word to me. I couldn’t hold that against her though—my mother was that riddled with emotional pain—her heart was probably buried in ice.
Penelope left my arms and stared up at me.
Expectation pierced the air.
If aching for her was love, then I loved her, all right. I grappled with that, wondering if it was my cock, my heart, or even my soul that ached for her.
Maybe all three.
“Have I frightened you?” she asked.
I shook my head and held her close. I kissed her tenderly. Her lips, cool from the night air, tasted like pure honey. It was a new flavor. Normally, her lips were musky like her cunt after I’d ravaged her.
“Why don’t we go inside?” I asked with the brightest smile I’d worn all night. For some reason, I felt light. I’d almost forgotten about Dylan Fox.
Penelope agreed and took my hand. “Can you at least call me Penny?”
I turned to look at her. “I love the way ‘Penelope’ dances on my tongue. But Penny it is.” I brushed her cheek.
She smiled gently.
“I wonder what happened to Lilly and James?”
“Knowing James, they’re in the Dark Room.”
“Is he sleazy?”
I chose my words carefully. “James likes experimenting. But he’s honest and a good person, I believe. He wouldn’t force her to do something she didn’t want to do.”
“Lilly’s impressionable. I hope he’s not into orgies,” she said.
“They’re both grown-ups, Penny.”
We were just about to enter the ball when she said, “I think I prefer Penelope.” She stopped walking. “But only from you.”
“Good. I prefer it too.”
We shared a smile, and spying a passing waiter, I grabbed two glasses of champagne.
As bubbles chased away the bitterness of seeing Dylan Fox earlier, he entered my space again. Before I could even process his ugly presence, a girl came over and hugged