Been There Done That (Leffersbee #1) - Hope Ellis Page 0,101

course, clearly preoccupied with wrangling her date.

Jackson James.

I’d forced myself to relax, to unclench my fists, as I watched Jackson James shamelessly flirt with a waiter. With Zora less than was three feet away.

Synchrony, indeed.

Of all the fuckery.

I’d known Leffersbee Financial would have a presence at the ACS gala. I also had an inkling it wouldn’t be prudent to mention my recent invitation, especially after learning Zora would be presenting a donation on the bank’s behalf.

We hadn’t spoken since the truth came out in her kitchen over a week ago. Instinct told me to leave it, to give her space, but I had to come tonight. As a business entity intent on investing in the community, I needed to have a presence.

And I wanted to see Zora in action.

When she and Tavia were ten, her father decided it would be “cute” for them to star in a print campaign advertising the bank’s free checking accounts.

It hadn’t gone as planned. In the end, only Tavia was the star of the campaign. Zora and I still laughed over the rejected proofs with both twins. Zora laughed, but I knew better. Deep down, she’d always craved her father’s approval. Ezra’s initial insistence that she participate showed he lacked insight about his quieter, introspective daughter. The ordeal hadn’t improved their relationship, to say the least. And there was only so much Ellie could fix.

But Zora was no longer that little girl. She was a badass. Smart as hell. Sexy. I wanted to see Researcher Zora in action, in this setting.

I wanted to learn her.

Consume her.

But my money was on her escaping first, before she had to play the public game. My gaze tracked her as she finally decided on a course of escape. Light reflected off the gold of her dress, giving her the appearance of a tongue of fire as she moved toward the door. Everything in me strained to follow the enticing twitch of her hips. To find her. To beg for another beginning.

It was fucking impossible to breathe without her.

But I needed to wait.

So I fielded additional conversations, most layered with pointed references to the need for financial support. Then I gave up on being patient.

I needed to see her.

I’d nearly made it to the doorway of the ballroom when a hand closed around my arm, halting my progress.

I came way too close to knocking that toothy grin off Jackson James’s goddamn face.

“Nick! Funny seeing you here.”

The band switched to a new number, one I recognized as a favorite of Zora’s dad. “Tears of a Clown” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

I regarded him silently. I had no small talk for him, and I was about five seconds away from losing my patience.

“You know, the tabloids ran a story not too ago about that woman you’re dating now. What’s her name? The one with the red hair, starred in that horror movie with the haunted house?” A hint of the devilment I remembered entered into his expression. “Tell me, just between us guys. Is her hair red all over, or—”

“What do you want, Jackson?”

His eyebrows shot up. “We didn’t get a chance to talk much in the bakery, what with your bear of a dog crop-dusting the place.”

I made to move past him and felt his hand reattach itself to my arm. “What are you doing here, Nick?”

I fought the urge to restore appropriate distance between us, with whatever degree of force was necessary.

I’d grown, too. I wasn’t that same kid swinging a bat into the motorcycles of my mother’s dealers. I was in control of myself.

Besides, there were too many witnesses.

“Listen to me.” I took a deep breath. Calm. I would stay calm. “The only reason why I haven’t pulled you aside is out of respect for your father, and that uniform. But if you don’t get your hand off my arm, that’s going to change.”

He drew himself up to his full height. “I don’t need my badge to promise I’ll make your life a living hell if you even think of causing Zora any trouble.”

“Because you love her so much, right?”

He didn’t hesitate. Huh. “That’s right.”

“And that’s why you’ve had your head down the tits of every woman you’ve come across tonight?”

He stiffened.

“Spare me, Jackson. You were a slick little runt back then and you’re not much better now. Now, are you gonna get outta my way or I am gonna have to help you?”

His hand tightened reflexively, then fell away again. “You haven’t changed either, Nick. Only this