his lie long before his mouth produces it.
“Why would you do that?” And why did I stupidly fall for your trick? “You were hard.” I thrust my hand at the crotch of his pants. “You still are.”
Grayson’s laughter is nipped in the bud when two suffocating auras steal the air from his lungs. I don’t know who the man in the crisp black tuxedo is, but even in a room full of wealthy aristocrats, a man with a presence like Henry Gottle stands out.
When Brandon steps in front of me, butting his shoulder with Grayson’s, I’m tempted to slap him out of my way before charging across the room. I’ve barely been at the gala for forty minutes, yet I already want to leave. Can you blame me? I returned the kiss of my first love because I thought he couldn’t hold himself back for another second.
How foolish am I?
And let’s not get me started on the guilt creeping through my veins. I only agreed to attend this stupid fundraiser because it was a great campaign starter for Julian’s push for office, and what do I do within the first hour of arriving? Kiss another man in front of witnesses.
God, I’m not cut out for this life.
When Henry and the unknown gray-eyed man disappear under the hotel’s awning, Grayson’s naturally ingrained investigative instincts kick in. He moves to the far corner of the room to survey them from a close yet innocuous distance.
Brandon appears just as desperate to snoop, but since the sexual chemistry that forever crackles between us is quickly switching to unease, he maintains his command as my bodyguard, breaking my heart further.
“Why would you do that? Why kiss me to hide me?” My words are barely whispers since I had to force them through the pain clutching my throat, but I’m praying they’ll reach Fetu’s ears. If he realizes Brandon’s kiss was a ploy to keep me safe, he may grant my plea for me to tell Julian about my stupidity before him. Julian should hear it from me since I’m the one who fucked up. “Despite his… title, Henry Gottle isn’t a threat to me.”
I’m not lying. Henry is a cruel, vindictive, cold-hearted murderer, but even those who want to take him down know his crimes are never undertaken on the innocent. Unlike the men who hope one day to be him, he’s never been charged with rape, child molestation, sex trafficking, or any of those other horrendous crimes you usually associate with members of the cartel. If you were only to judge him by the stacks of papers in his file, some may say he’s no different than my father. He protects the innocent by slaying the men hurting them. There are better ways he could go about it, but at the end of the day, not everyone can rely on the justice system.
My parents couldn’t.
The tightness in Brandon’s shoulders doubles when I demand him to answer my question by saying his name in a low, gravelly tone. I still loathe my developing voice, but I hate it even more when its pitched with sadness.
After a quick scan of the room, Brandon shifts on his feet to face me. “I’m not protecting you from Henry. I’m protecting you from the people who will hurt him by hurting you.”
“What?” I’m wholly and truly lost. “Why would Henry be hurt if I were hurt? That doesn’t make any sense…” My words clog in my throat when my run-in with Henry last month filters into my head. His eyes were more empathetic than you’d expect most mob bosses to have, particularly when he was cupping my cheeks in a loving, possessive way.
They had the same spark they have now when he spots me across the room. He’s finished his chat with his friend, who’s making his way back to the main section of the gala. He looks like he wants to approach me, but the fast fanning of Brandon’s tuxedo jacket stops him. He’s carrying, and the expression on his face assures Henry he’ll have no hesitation using his weapon if it keeps him away from me.
Realizing I’m not worth a bullet wound, Henry dips his chin in farewell before he once again vanishes into the darkness of the night. I want to demand for Grayson to leave him alone when he’s quick to follow Henry’s retreat, but I lose the chance when Brandon pivots around to face me. He cups my cheeks as he did earlier, except