She stared at me through her mirror, her puckered lips frowning. "Does it fit okay? I was sure I'd gotten the right size."
"It fits fine. I'm just… " I didn't want to say it. Didn't want to confess my feelings for the tall, dark and sexy billionaire Harley rider.
"Nervous?" She blew me a kiss. "Don't be. You'll have whichever Davenport you choose eating out of your hands by the evening's end. But I suspect only one has a chance with you."
I stood, adjusting my dress one last time as Mrs. Beaumont called us down. "Neither has any chance with me. I'm not interested. Besides, once he finds out I'm Cat, any interest he might have will vanish."
She shrugged. "Then don't tell him. Stop taking his calls, or get a new identity and a new fake name and let him think Cat is gone forever. Then make your move as Catelyn and let the past be the past."
"And build a relationship with him on a lie?"
"All relationships are built on lies. They're built on what we think the other person wants to see in us, and what we want to see in them, and how we each interpret the subjective symbols of communication. Too much truth would spoil it."
"You're such a romantic," I told her as we walked down the staircase. Several guests had already arrived and were handing over winter coats to the butler and accepting glasses of wine and champagne. A handsome blond man with chiseled features looked up as we descended and smiled at us both with something of a leer that made me uncomfortable. Bridgette smiled at him. "That's Bradley!"
Ah, so I'd finally get to meet her new man. After shoving his tongue down Bridgette's throat, he turned to me, kissing my hand with wet lips that stayed too long. I pulled back, resisting the urge to wipe his kiss off on my dress. "Nice to finally put a face to the name."
"Bridgette never told me you were as stunning as she. A guy could do worse than the two of you in his bed."
I shot a look at Brig, who laughed like this was normal, so I turned my attention back to the sneering asshole. "That guy would probably be kneed in his groin if he tried that, so I wouldn't envy him too much." I walked away with a scowl on my face.
I didn't walk right into Ash, though I could have given my mood and lack of focus. Instead, he came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder, to which I responded by elbowing him in the stomach.
Not on purpose. But after everything that happened recently, I was a bit on edge, and he startled me.
He groaned, and I turned around ready to apologize, but he was grinning. "You sure know how to spread the holiday cheer."
"I didn't know it was you."
"Who'd you think it would be? Because I feel bad for that guy."
"You just took me by surprise."
Something about this man always grated my nerves when we were together, but on the phone or in my thoughts he was much more enjoyable. Looking at him, I couldn't help but admire the way his tux showed off his muscles. It had clearly been tailored just for him. Tonight his hair was pulled back into a rubber band at the base of his neck, the black locks held in place by sheer force of will. It brought out his high cheekbones, sculpted jaw and seductive bedroom eyes.
He took a step closer to me, resting a hand on my arm. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I should have remembered about your apartment. It's no wonder you're on edge."
This close I could smell his cologne, and something else. I smiled. "Cuban cigars again?"
"How'd you know I smoke Cubans? Maybe you're the one stalking me."
I realized that I didn't know. Cat knew. I had to be more careful about keeping my two relationships with Ash separate in my mind. "You look the type to enjoy something benignly illegal, and I can smell the cigar smoke on you."
"If a career in law fails you, you might want to consider the other side of the justice system," he said through a smile.
"The other side? Like being a criminal?"
His smile turned to a laugh. "Like being a detective. You're more observant than the average girl."
"What about the average guy?"
"What about him?"
"Am I more observant than the average guy? Being compared only to other girls eliminates fifty percent of the competition."
He dropped his hand, and my skin tingled where he'd touched me. "You're more observant than the average person—unless that's too limiting because it doesn't includeother sentient species that might have observational powers. And you're far more irritating than most of them, too, but I find myself entirely charmed by you nonetheless."
"I think there's a compliment in there somewhere," I said, smirking.
"There is. There always is."
Jon joined us, just as dashing as his brother but with a very different look: the tidy, boy-next-door look. "Is Ash irritating you? Because I can play the prince and rescue you." He said this with a smile and a friendly attitude.