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Once we’re alone, he takes the lead again and guides me into an immense glass conservatory that offers a view of the brightly lit, manicured gardens beyond.
Music fills the room along with the soft chatter and laughter of the guests.
“This is beautiful,” I tell Damien as my gaze takes in the spacious room. I can imagine it would look even more spectacular in the daytime with the sun streaming through the glass.
“Thank you,” Damien responds as our drinks arrive. He grabs both glasses, excusing the waitress before handing me my wine. I accept it gratefully and take a long sip. The chilled liquid offers a short reprieve from the warm evening. “It’s actually my father’s house, but I grew up here. I love New Orleans. I doubt I could ever live anywhere else,” he muses as he sips on his amber drink.
“How do you know Thane?” I ask, peeking up at him through my lashes as I try to gauge who this man is. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties, which makes him quite a bit younger than Thane.
“My father’s company sold him the house he bought down here. Over the years, the two of us got to know each other, and we continue to meet up every now and then.”
“Have you ever seen him with a woman?” I ask.
I may be pushing my luck with this question, and I hope he doesn’t think I’m interested in Thane in any romantic way, but I want to know if Tarian’s mother has been down here.
Damien narrows his eyes, regarding me with curiosity.
“I thought you’d be more interested in the younger Calvert,” he remarks.
“Tarian and I are friends.”
Damien laughs, and the sound is low, gravelly, yet smooth like the whiskey he’s drinking.
“Friends. I’ve heard that so many times over the years.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can tell Tarian’s not the sort who has female friends, darling,” Damien tells me. “He’s more of a one-night-only kind of guy. If you’ve been with him for a while, I would call you something very different.”
“Oh?” I arch a brow while sipping my drink.
Damien glances over my shoulder, then leaning in close to me, his lips flutter along my neck before he whispers in my ear, “Tarian’s currently burning a hole through me with those baby blues. I would hazard a guess he’s jealous.”
“He’s not jealous,” I argue, but deep down, my heart leaps into my throat with excitement at the thought.
“Would you like to make a wager on that?” The challenge in Damien’s words has me nodding. His arm immediately wraps around my waist, and he pulls me against him. The heat of him engulfs me for a moment before he leans in and presses a friendly kiss to my cheek. It’s an innocent gesture, but from afar, it might appear more intimate than it actually is. “Five, four, three, two…” Damien starts to count down.
Suddenly, I’m being pulled backward, which causes me to stumble. I shut my eyes, expecting to hit the floor, but then I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around me.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Tarian’s urgent voice rumbles though me.
His body is pressed against my back as his arms hold me up, and the chuckle coming from Damien is evidence enough to know I’ve lost the bet.
“The damsel and I made a wager, and I’ve just won,” Damien informs Tarian, who’s practically vibrating with rage.
Shoving Tarian away from me, I spin on my heel and pin him with a glare. Then pushing past him, I make my way out of the conservatory and back through the house.
It doesn’t take me long to find a bathroom. Once the door is shut, I grip the cool marble of the vanity in an attempt to extinguish the fiery turmoil that’s been ignited by Tarian’s actions.
A battle rages inside me. He may say he doesn’t want me, but it’s clear he is jealous, and it’s burning him from the inside out. Damien Thorne may be a sinful temptation, but Tarian’s the one I want and always will. Sadly, no matter how hard I try to move on, I know he’ll be etched into my soul forever.
If only Tarian would admit that the moment we shared on the plane, when we nearly kissed, meant something to him.
CHAPTER 15
TARIAN
I shove open the bathroom door to find Grecia staring at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks look flushed while her lips are pouty and tempting. I step inside and lock us both in.
