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“Are you ready? The car will be here in five minutes.” Quinn’s voice through the door startled me from my mirror moment.
“Nearly.”
I tried not to let my nerves get the better of me. Tonight would be fine. It was unlikely anyone would recognize me. Why would they? Loads of girls had light blond hair. I wasn’t especially amazing, even if tonight I felt pretty damn special.
The dress Harley had bought for me fitted perfectly. When he said he had a good eye for a woman’s size, he wasn’t kidding. The corset top pushed up my girls, giving me an impressive cleavage, and the full skirt swirled around my legs, reaching mid-calf. Even the shoes were the right size. A bit high for my liking, but I could cope for a few hours.
My blond hair cascaded over my shoulders in loose waves, nice and shiny thanks to Marie’s deep conditioning treatment, and my makeup was all smoky eyes and glossy pink lips.
I felt like a Disney princess and was half-tempted to send a photo to Tessa, so she could show Savannah. But there wasn’t time. With one last coat of mascara, I pushed a loose curl behind my ear and opened the bedroom door into the living room area. The boys stood waiting and three sets of eyes snapped up when I appeared.
“Wow, you look amazing, Stella!” Harley’s eyes slid down my body, lingering on my boobs barely constrained in the corset. Judging by his heated expression, he was wishing we didn’t have to rush out the door.
“You look pretty hot yourself,” I told him, meaning every word. He looked good enough to eat in his gorgeous green Tom Ford suit, his normally messy blond hair styled into loose waves and held in place with product.
My eyes flicked to Quinn and took in his slim-fitting dark slacks and black shirt appreciatively. The guy would have looked right at home on the cover of a smutty vampire novel. If I wasn’t wearing lipstick, I’d be drooling right now. He winked at me, letting me know he liked what he saw, and my lips quirked upward in a smile.
Then I turned to check out Brax. He stared at me like he couldn’t quite believe it was me, which was a bit irritating.
“Cat got your tongue?” I asked in a snarky voice while openly ogling his tightly fitted white shirt, charcoal slacks, and matching waistcoat. If Harley was an Insta thirst trap and Quinn vampire eye candy, Brax was a mafia don, all dark and dangerous. It was hard to choose which one I wanted more. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to choose.
“Not at all,” Brax threw back at me with a smirk. “I was trying to come up with a suitable descriptor that conveyed how gorgeous you are, but I guess this will have to do.” Before I could catch a breath, he swept forward and kissed me.
For a second, I wondered if this was a dream. Had I accidentally fallen asleep in the tub? Was my overactive libido tormenting me with sexy fantasies of the one boy who stubbornly refused to give in to our mutual attraction?
Then I realized this was actually happening. Brax’s hard body pressed into mine, scrambling every last brain cell I had. The chemistry was explosive. All thoughts of the upcoming gallery opening left the building and suddenly, all I wanted was to take Brax to bed. Or the sofa - I wasn’t fussy.
When we broke apart, both of us were a little breathless. It took me a minute to come back down to earth. Thank fuck my lipstick was kiss-proof. That shit was well worth the extra money. Unfortunately, my panties were now soaked and there was nothing I could do about that.
The smile Brax gave me promised we weren’t done here. Not at all.
I couldn’t fucking wait.
Chapter 87
Stella
Brax’s hand on the small of my back felt comforting as we stepped out of the cab. My feet were already killing me, but thanks to the low-grade anxiety swirling in my belly, I could ignore the pain. Honestly, I was on the verge of a massive panic attack as I stared at the people milling around inside the gallery’s brightly lit interior. The boys were the only thing keeping me grounded.
All three of them surrounded me like a security detail. If I wasn’t so terrified, I’d be swooning. As Brax had reassured us, there were no photographers outside, so we were able to walk in without attracting much attention.
Someone handed me a glass of white wine and I downed it in one. The hit of alcohol helped settle my nerves and I took a moment to check out the artwork. To my surprise, I was impressed. I’d expected to hate whatever Brax’s grandmother deemed worthy of an exhibition, but the colorful landscape paintings adorning the walls were both striking and beautiful. They weren’t realistic interpretations, but there was enough realism that I could tell they were landscapes. Vibrant splashes of color stood out against cerulean and jade greens.
Many of them already had red dots indicating they were sold. I stepped forward to admire one small painting and almost choked when I saw the price tag. “Fuck me,” I muttered.
“Do you like it?” Quinn asked, tucking me under his arm and nuzzling my neck. Brax had disappeared, presumably to find his grandmother, and Harley stood behind us, keeping an eye on the crowd.
“I do, it speaks to me,” I admitted. “The colors remind me of the sea.” Surprisingly, this one hadn’t sold yet. I guessed it was because it was smaller and less ostentatious than the rest. And also cheaper. As Brax had reminded me, most of the people here were looking to invest in art as a tax write-off.
Quinn gazed at the painting with me and nodded his head. “Yeah, I can see that. It’s pretty.”
“Pretty?” mocked a woman’s voice. “Fine art should never be described as pretty.”
All three of us turned to see a tall patrician woman dripping in jewelry. Her sharp cheekbones gave her a rather skeletal look, but it was easy to see she had once been very beautiful. Not so much now, though. An air of disappointment with the world colored any residual beauty she may have had, leaving me with a sense she hated everyone and everything.
The woman was cold as ice. I shivered, moving closer to Quinn, who tightened his grip.
“Lily,” he said in a deceptively polite voice. “How lovely to see you again.”
