Page 155 of Glutton for Punishment

Maddox barely acknowledges anyone else. His attention stays locked on me as he steps closer.

“You’ve been staring at my chest for a full ten seconds,” he murmurs. “I’m starting to think I spilled something.”

I jerk my gaze upward. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

A slow grin pulls at his mouth as heat floods my face. His eyes soften as they move over me again. Then he leans down near my ear, voice low enough that only I can hear it.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me right now? That dress looks so good, I’m going to have to fight anyone who stares at you too long.”

“There are plenty of pretty dresses here.” I say, looking around and trying to hide how red my face is.

“There isn’t a single person in this room worth looking at over you.”

Chapter 47

Alexi

The music pounds through the ballroom, rattling my glass on the table. I lean back in my chair with one arm draped across the velvet booth, letting some brunette from Lust trace lazy fingers over the collar of my suit while another girl laughs too loudly at something Ryker says beside me.

Normally, this part is simple.

Smile. Flirt. Touch.

Perform.

People want beautiful distractions, and I’ve spent years perfecting how to become one. To enjoy it even. But tonight feels different.

Because the second Arwen walks in, the entire room shifts around her. I notice it immediately. Conversation stutters. Eyes drift. Attention bends toward her like gravity itself decided she was suddenly the center of the damn universe.

The green dress fits her body like a second skin, cascading down her legs as if the fabric had been poured from a vase. Her hair falls over her bare shoulder in loose waves, and she’s smiling as her friends crowd around her near the entrance.

Maddox appears at her side moments later, and the look on his face when he sees her nearly makes me sick. Like he’s already built a throne for her in his head and would happily burn the world to keep her sitting on it.

“Damn,” one girl beside me mutters. “West looks obsessed. I’ve never even seen him show up to one of these events.”

I knock back the rest of my drink.

Maddox guides Arwen toward the dance floor as the music shifts into something darker and louder, heavy bass vibrating beneath our feet.

Protective even while dancing. His hands never leave her for long. His eyes scan the room between glances at her, like he’s already calculating how many bodies he’d need to bury if someone touched her wrong.

My fist tightens on my empty glass.

Across the ballroom, another movement catches my attention.

Of course. Her other bond, Atticus. He stands in the middle of his Pride posse, looking miserable beside some blonde girl draped in silver. She’s talking nonstop while touching his arm every few seconds, and every single time she does, Atticus subtly pulls away like the physical contact burns him.

But his attention? It’s completely on Arwen.

Always Arwen. Obviously Arwen. How no one else sees it is beyond me.

His expression hardens as Maddox spins her beneath the floating lantern light. Jealousy looks ugly on most people. On Atticus, it somehow looks elegant.

A loud screeching laugh draws my attention back to Ryker, who has a girl on each knee. He reaches for the bottle sitting at the center of the table.

“What’s with the mood?” He asks. “You look homicidal.”

“I’m considering it if the one on your left doesn’t stop sounding like a banshee.”