my stepmother is now flirting with a man in a black mask, he lowers his voice. “There’s something I have to tell you. Something you should know. It’s important.”
“I know all I need to know about you.” Tugging my hand free, I square my shoulders and look up so that I’m staring right into his hauntingly beautiful eyes. “I know what you’re doing, and there’s absolutely nothing you can say that I want to hear. Not now. Not ever.”
His eyes narrow at me, and he steps closer. “You know nothing about me.”
“And you know nothing about me,” I reply.
The room disappears around us. The music stops. It’s just Chase and me standing there as he tips my chin up so he can look deep into my eyes. I’ve never felt so exposed. He searches my gaze, looking for answers to questions he doesn’t ask. Suddenly, he steps away. “I know more than you think,” he says, then disappears into the crowd.
3
Neve
I growl in frustration as the cool night air hits my face. I stumble on the concrete patio, and with a few dozen people looking on, I reach down and remove my heels. With sure steps, I find Regina’s driver and request he take me home. Though his forehead wrinkles, he acquiesces. It’s a quick shot back to the city. The entire way, I can’t stop thinking about the man with the green eyes who lit a fire of desire inside me until I remember how he’s trying to buy my father’s company right out from under me. I can’t figure him out.
When we reach the city, I cut right through my building and exit through the back. I pad down the concrete steps into the lush green garden. I exhale a sigh of relief, but the relief itself never comes. Tonight was supposed to be a night of new experiences, and instead it was a reminder that I’ll always be very much alone.
I’d hoped to make friends.
Instead, I received an education on my enemy.
I drop my shoes in the grass that clings to my feet as I walk around in circles. It’s biggest backyard in New York, and my father was proud of it. The hedges are all circular and surrounded with flowers replaced frequently for their seasonal colors. In the center of the circle is the fountain my father had constructed after I was born and my mother passed away. Her name is carved into the stone fashioned to look like an old wishing well complete with water running out of the suspended bucket into the fountain below.
I sit on the ledge and peer into the water, the moon and stars shine above me. “I miss you mom and dad,” I say, spinning the water with my fingers, distorting my reflection.
I spot something shiny on the ledge and reach over to pick it up. It’s a quarter. “Now is as good of a time as any,” I say, tossing it into the well. I close my eyes, then stare into the water, deciding on what my wish should be. For the company? For friends? For—
“I know what I’d wish for,” a deep voice rumbles from behind me.
I turn and am about to fall off the ledge into the water, but strong muscular arms manage to grab me and hold me firm against a hard chest. I look up and find myself looking into the same bright green eyes of the man I was about to wish away from my life.
I push him away. “Maybe you should make a wish for a conscience.”
He smirks and takes a step forward, crowding me against the ledge of the fountain. I reach back and hold onto it with both hands so I don’t go tumbling in. “I only wish for things that are possible.”
“Why are you here?” I ask, not wanting to play at whatever game he’s trying to start. “Why did you follow me?”
“It’s your birthday. I have a gift for you,” he says.
His nearness is rendering me stupid. Again, just like at the ball, my entire body is alive with sensation. He smells like soap and a mild cologne. His jaw has dark stubble, which is in complete contradiction to all the clean-shaven elite like Seth. But then again, Chase may have grown up as one of them, but there’s nothing about him that’s the same. His sleeves are now rolled up, showing off arms lined with colorful tattoos, and there’s an unmistakable gleam in his eye. A dark hint