So…fate had smiled on us—or at least it had decided not to shit on me.

I’d been hard pressed not to grab Nicky’s hand when he jubilantly shot up in the air, waving his hand when LeVan asked for a volunteer. If he saw us now…

But it hadn’t happened.

Those bright lights on stage probably made it hard for him to see too much of anything. When it swung our way as LeVan gestured toward Nicky, I held up my hand, blocking the light—but blocking me from him, too. We were close enough that if he’d been looking, he might’ve recognized me and I didn’t want to blindside him like that while he was performing.

How in the world he’d chosen Nicky out of that entire theatre, I had no idea.

But I went unnoticed.

That was right up until the show ended and a uniformed security guard appeared at the end of the aisle.

He held out two plastic corded tags. “Backstage passes for the meet and greet, ma’am. Courtesy of the Knights.”

I blinked at the sight of them. “Excuse me?”

“Everyone who gets called up on stage gets passes for him and his party—or hers.” He flashed me a smile. “You’re a party of two, right?”

He glanced at Nicky as he asked.

“Yes, we are,” I responded, not even thinking.

He turned one of the plastic tags over to me, then the other to Nicky. “Hold tight onto that,” he advised Nicky. “It’s going to get you backstage to meet the Knights.”

“The Knights…” Nicky blinked, processing this. “You mean all the magic guys who were on stage? I get to meet them all? Not just LeVan?”

“You sure do.” The man’s smile widened a fraction and he clapped Nicky on the shoulder. “It’s going to make your night. Now…if you two will follow me?”

Nicky grabbed my hand and started to tug me along behind him while I was still in that processing stage.

I was going to see LeVan.

After too many years, I was going to see LeVan.

After I went and cut him off without a word, after I went and cut him off and sent Naomi to him with a letter and a bit of hope that he’d wait, I was going to see LeVan. Naomi was such a trooper for indulging me. She’d be my closest friend for years to come, I was sure.

But LeVan.

Christ, was I being completely naïve about the plan I’d hatched?

Oh shit.

* * *

It was just as much my fault as Nicky’s.

I was nervous as hell and while Nicky would never be able to understand algebra, he was a genius at human nature—he understood emotion and fear, and he, somehow, understood that I was nervous about seeing LeVan.

“Why are you nervous?”

But he didn’t understand the why.

“I’m not,” I lied after he’d pushed me for an answer a second time.

We’d been offered cocktails, but I’d declined, asking for water for both of us. The last thing I needed was alcohol lubricating me when nerves were already taking care of the job.

“But you are,” Nicky said. “You keep doing that funny thing with your hand you always do when you’re nervous.”

That funny thing was a bad habit—making a fist with my left hand over and over again. Flex, release, flex, release. I realized I was doing it even as I thought about it and made myself stop.

“I’m fine, Nick—”

“There he is!” Nicky said, nudging me. “Look, Thea.”

I had to force air into my lungs.

It wasn’t working.

I felt like I just might pass out.

I tried again.

“Thea!” Nicky grabbed my arm and shook me like he used to do when we were kids and he wanted my attention.

Pulling free, I held up a hand. “Just give me a second, Nicky.” I’d turn around in a second. I really would.

“But he’s going to—” Nicky, his own nerves feeding off mine, started to shift from one foot to the other, and he flung out one hand, gesturing to LeVan.

Or tried to.

What he ended up doing was bumping into the woman who came striding through the crowd carrying a drink. His hand bumped hers and some of the cocktail splashed out.

“Damn it,” she snapped, looking down at her dress, then at Nicky. “Can’t you be more careful?”

“I…I’m sorry,” Nicky mumbled. He looked at the napkin he still held from the water he’d guzzled almost immediately. “You want my napkin?”

He shoved it out and ended up smacking his hand against hers as she went to wave down one of the servers.

“You stupid boy!” She huffed out a breath.

Red exploded in front of my eyes, nerves gone, any lingering hesitation gone.

She had not just—

“And you…if you can’t control him better, why do you even take him anywhere?”

Gently, I nudged Nicky aside, putting myself in front of him while he started to mumble under his breath. “Excuse me, did you just say control him? He’s a person, thank you very much.”

“He acts like a fucking animal! He ran right into me! Look at my dress! It’s ruined!” The petite blonde gestured to her dress.

Automatically, I looked.

I saw nothing but a couple of splotches that might’ve been from her drink. Behind me, Nicky’s mutters were getting louder. “It’s okay, Nicky,” I said softly, reaching back to catch his hand. I was going to have to get him out of here.

So much for finding LeVan.

I couldn’t do it now.

And even though I knew I had to focus on my brother, that obnoxious twit continued to flail her empty hand and finally, I saw a couple of drops of red wine dotting the deep rose material. “Do you see? This dress is Armani. Do you even know who Armani is? He’s a Roman designer.”

“Actually, yes, I know who Giorgio Armani is—I’ve met him. Personally—and he’s Italian.” Sniffing, I eyed her up and down. “Your shoes are Armani, sweetheart, but that dress is straight off the rack. You didn’t even bother to get it fitted right. And it’s not ruined. If you don’t know how to get red wine out of a dress, then you’re not mature enough to be drinking it.”

She sucked in a breath, her eyes widening.

I ignored her. Turning to Nicky, I tried to catch his eyes. “Look at me, honey. Calm down.”

He was beating at his thigh, a precursor to what might come if I didn’t calm him down. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go—”

“You nasty—”

“Don’t even think about it.”

That voice.

Deep, rich, smooth as molasses and just as sweet, it rippled and poured all over me and I had to suppress a shiver. It was hard to believe, but LeVan Vanderbilt’s voice had gotten even better with age. From the corner of my eye, I saw him glide in front of me—and I saw his hand come up just as Rose Dress went to throw her red wine in my face—and while I might not have been wearing Armani anything, I was wearing a pair of Louboutins and a dress of my own design.

“Security is going to escort you out,” LeVan said, standing slightly at an angle to me as he spoke. “If you behave, you can stay in the hotel. If not…well, David can decide if he wants to join you or not. He’s welcome to remain at the party, but you just had your ticket revoked.”

He’d cut his hair. I’d noticed it earlier and wondered when he’d done it. All the promo material around the hotel still showed him with the long, heavy dreadlocks, but now his hair was cut short, close to scalp. It didn’t matter. He was still as beautiful as an angel, carved by the hand of a master.

“Thea. It’s the Magic Man.” Miraculously, Nicky had calmed down almost completely, now twirling an overlong lock of hair instead of smacking his fist against his thigh—or his head.

“I know, buddy. Are you good?” The question came out of habit more than anything. My gaze was still on LeVan, the air in my lungs shrinking away to nothing.

LeVan turned then, the movement almost obscenely slow. I squeezed my eyes shut and sucked in a breath before looking back at him.

He’d started growing at thirteen and hadn’t stopped until nineteen, topping out at a lean and sexy six foot three. Not petite by any stretch of the imagination, I stood five eight in my bare feet and I’d deliberately picked a pair of heels that would give me another two inches, but he still had five of them on me.

“Hi, LeVan,” I said, ignoring the chaos coming from behind us as security escorted Rose Dress away.

LeVan just stared.

Then he moved.

A second later, his mouth was on mine and I wrapped my arms around his, leaning into him like nothing and no one else in the world existed.

Dimly, I heard a couple of people whistle, maybe even a whoop or two.

But nothing mattered but the feel of his mouth on mine and the hand that had arrowed into my hair.

He held on like he’d never, ever let go.

And I was just fine with that.

* * *

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

This was always the hardest part.

Leaving Nicky at the center wasn’t the same thing that our mother had done and I knew it. They were preparing him to be independent and inside, he already had his own apartment. Come morning, his counselor would join him and together they’d go to the communal kitchen where Nicky would prepare his own breakfast.

He was going to be able to take care of himself, like I’d always hoped—like my father would’ve wanted.

But that meant I had to stay out of the picture a lot of the time. The daily visits were fine, but I couldn’t be there twenty-four seven, or even twelve-seven.

Tonight, though, knowing that LeVan would be coming over in a very short period of time, it felt even more like I was becoming my mother, dumping my special needs brother on someone else so I could live my life.

But you’re not, I reminded myself. You’re doing this for him, not you.

Nicky hugged me enthusiastically, laughing as he said, “I can’t wait to tell Marcus that the Magic Man kissed you. You know him.”

“You do, too, Nicky. You’ve known him a long time.” We’d watched some of his shows together on TV, hoping that would help smooth things over when LeVan reentered Nicky’s life—or, hopefully reentered Nicky’s life. Change wasn’t something he handled well. He was still asking about Melody and if we were certain she was really dead and if he’d ever go back to Sunny Vista. “You remember him, right?”

“Yeah.” Nicky nodded, but he didn’t care about TV shows or even the fact that LeVan used to show him magic tricks when we were younger. He cared about here and now, like always. Evidence of that was given by the way he turned to meet Marcus, his evening shift counselor.

A moment later, he was striding inside, talking animatedly about the show and how I’d been kissed in front of a whole, big room.

Yes. I’d been kissed in front of a whole big room…one full of people, and I hadn’t cared in the slightest.

Even now my mouth buzzed and as I walked to the car, I reached up to touch my lips, remembering how he’d done the same when he pulled away, tracing the bow of my upper lip before cradling my face to kiss me once more, slower, softer.

“I’ve been waiting to do that for years, pretty lady.”

My throat ached, the burn of tears I’d held back for so long threatening to rise up.

“Not now,” I told myself.

I’d refused to cry when my mother had made her threats, when I’d had to choose between my brother and my lover, during all the nights when I’d longed for LeVan. I wasn’t going to cry now that we finally had our chance.

You will never be with him, Dorothea. Not as long as I’m alive. Not if you want your brother to have care with any standard of decency.

“You lost, you old hag,” I said sourly as I slammed the door shut with a lot more force than needed. With a savage wrench of my wrist, I started the car and I pulled out of the drive.

I was going to go home. I was going to shower. I was going to get myself all prettied up for my magic man and then I was going to spend the rest of the night and maybe even most of tomorrow in his arms.

I sure as hell wasn’t going to waste any more time brooding over my monster of a mother.

* * *

I told myself I wasn’t going to brood, but I did.

By the time I got to my condo, I was steaming and part of me wished I had an hour, two hours before LeVan would be here so I could get on the treadmill and run, pound out my frustrations as I tried to outrun the demons that had separated me from the man I’d loved since I was a small girl.

But I had only had thirty minutes, barely enough time to shower and clean up.

I’d make the most of it.

Hurrying up the hall, keys in hand, I debated between the two pieces I’d designed with this night in mind. I should’ve just made one. Then there would be no debate.

Would he like the red silk better? His dark-gold hands, gliding over the ruby color, my skin shuddering underneath. My nipples tightened in response and I pressed my lips together to keep from moaning.

Or would he want the pale gray?

He loved me in that soft, misty silver because it matched my eyes. I’d wear the silver.

The red could wait for another day.

Or maybe nothing.

I had a feeling if I was wearing anything more than a robe when he knocked…

Laughing, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Then, my breath catching in my throat, I froze.

Apparently, I wasn’t going to have time to shower or change before he got here.

LeVan leaned against the block of wood topped with Italian marble that served as a kitchen island. Candles dotted flat surfaces, their flickering lights dancing back and forth as we stared at each other.

He’d changed from the t-shirt and jeans he’d been wearing backstage to a sleek suit of all black. It made his skin gleam like gold-stroked satin and his eyes, in this light, looked impossibly beautiful, the tiger-stripe gaze watching me closely.

A span of years separated us—a gulf of memory and time and longing that couldn’t be broken down into mere time.

So many things I could’ve said.

But what came blurting out?

“You broke into my home!”

LeVan took one slow step toward me. “Guilty.” He passed a hand in front of his face, then did it again. On the second pass, there was a pair of handcuffs. “Want to arrest me?”

A smile twitched at my lips, but I refused to let it loose. I felt like I had to keep myself contained or I’d come flying apart.

“You’re still as arrogant as always,” I said with a sniff as I put my keys and purse on the table by the door.

When I turned to lock it, he moved, coming up behind silent as the night and just as mysterious. His hands gripped my hips, then skimmed up over my back before he grasped my shoulders. I shivered as he kissed my nape. “And you…I’d say you’re still as beautiful, but you’re even more so.”

He began to drag the hem of my skirt up, baring my thighs.

“You look gorgeous in this dress, pretty lady,” he said against my skin. “I almost hate what I’m about to do…”

“LeVan, don’t you—”

The dare left my lips a little too late as the dress fell from my shoulders.

He spun me around then, boosted me up.

Our eyes met and locked as he tore my panties away.

“Unzip me,” he said, voice tight now, not even remotely contained.

“LeVan…”

“Unzip me or before I lose all control, woman. Waiting this long…then touching you after all this time…”

Shaking at the stark desire in his voice, I reached down and freed him from his trousers. I went to touch him, but LeVan pulled back, grabbing both my wrists and pinning them over my head in one hand. “Not this time,” he said with a groan. His eyes pierced mine and he ordered, “Put your legs around me.”

As I followed his command, he rotated his hips, moving back then pressing his cock against my heat.

“You’re so wet for me, baby doll. So fucking wet,” he said in a raw voice.

“I’ve been like that since you kissed me. LeVan, please…”

He didn’t enter me right away. God, did he ever know how to stretch out a moment. LeVan continued to stroke his length between my folds, relishing our contact, and I shivered, arching my hips in an effort to take him inside. “Please!”

He slammed his mouth down on mine instead, kissing me like he was ready to devour me. “Mine,” he muttered when he paused, once, to let me breathe.

When our mouths met again, he thrust inside me.

I came instantly, tightening around him and arching into his thrust as I tensed up so much that it almost hurt.

He snarled against my mouth, letting go of my hands to grip my hips, tilting me up and in so that each thrust had him riding me harder, deeper, his pelvis grinding against my clit. I whimpered, still riding the waves of my orgasm, but already feeling the build of another as he used his body to tease the most sensitive parts of me.

“Wait,” I said on a whimper when he stroked one finger down the seam of my ass. “Just…LeVan, wait…”

“No,” he growled. With his free hand, he covered my throat, using one thumb to tilt my chin up, bettering the angle for another deep, consuming kiss.

And the other hand continued to stroke me, his fingers toying with the seam of my ass. I shrieked when he pushed the tip of one, wet from me, inside my bottom, past the tight ring of muscle.

Quivering, I came a second time while he continued to ride me, his movements getting rougher, harder. “I remember…every dirty little thing…” His words were broken, spoken in ragged pants. “The way you moaned and begged for more. I’m going to hear that again, pretty lady. Starting tonight.”

I had no doubt.

He twisted his wrist, screwing his finger more completely into my ass just as my climax started to wane.

At the same time, he came.

I locked down around him in one final, breathless eruption that had the darkness dancing in my vision and all the strength draining out me.

“I love you,” he muttered against my neck as I fought to stay conscious. “Fuck it, girl. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Umm…”

It was all I could get out.

He utterly owned me in that moment.