“I fucking hate these black-tie events,” I grumbled, tugging at my collar. It was like my bow tie was trying to strangle me.

“Welcome to the lifestyle of the rich and famous,” Deacon muttered as he sidled up to the bar. I ordered a scotch on the rocks while Deac got whatever was on tap. “Speaking of rich, where’s dear old dad?”

I sucked back my drink and motioned for the bartender to pour me another as I rested my elbows on the bar. “I don’t know, but I’ll need at least three more of these before he shows up.”

“Well you might not want to get too drunk,” Deacon said in a tone that piqued my curiosity.

“Yeah? And why’s that?”

“Because that hookup you claim is nuts is currently checking you out. And we both know what an ass you can be when you’re drunk.”

I shot up straight and twirled around, spotting her in an instant. She was by far the most beautiful woman in the room. Her glossy blonde hair fell down her back in soft waves that shone beneath the ballroom lights. One smooth alabaster shoulder was bared by her sinful dress. She was an absolute vision. A picture of pure sex and beauty, unapologetically feminine. She was fucking exquisite.

And she was staring right at me.

The moment our eyes met, I saw her cheeks turn a pink a few shades darker than her dress from all the way across the room. Her chest rose with a deep inhale, her pouty lips puckering into a seductive O as she blew the air out.

Oh yeah, she still wants me.

“Thank god you guys are here. I needed to see a few familiar faces.” I turned my attention from Daphne to Fiona as she made a stop before Deacon and me.

“Fiona,” Deacon greeted in a bland tone. We hadn’t discussed his feelings for her any further after his confession to me a few nights before. I understood his need to keep it to himself, considering she and his brother had been in a serious relationship years before that we all thought was going to eventually lead to marriage. But the fact was it hadn’t worked out between them. Gray had moved on to Lola, and Fiona was fair game. He needed to get his thumb out of his ass and make a move already.

Despite her and Grayson not working out, Fiona had grown up right alongside the three of us and was firmly entrenched in our circle of friends. She’d been working in Paris the last few years but had recently returned after her company transferred her back to the States. I knew there’d been drama with her when Gray took Lola to meet his parents, but I hadn’t gotten the full story. From the jittery look on Fiona’s face, I sensed that whatever had happened between the three of them was still unfinished.

“Hey, Fee. How’s it going?” I opened my arms and pulled her into an embrace. I caught the way Deacon’s jaw ticked at the sight of my hands on her and quickly ended the hug. Christ, he had it bad. He knew damn good and well I wasn’t a threat, but that green-eyed bitch named Jealousy had still reared her ugly head.

“Good. It’s going good.”

My attention skirted to where I’d last seen Daphne, only to discover that she was no longer there. Fiona and Deacon were talking next to me, but I was too busy scanning the faces in the crowd, searching for the one in particular that I wanted to pay attention to what they were saying.

It wasn’t until I spotted a flash of coral in a corner of the huge room that I breathed a sigh of relief. Until I saw who she was talking to.

“Excuse me,” I said in way of an apology before leaving Deacon and Fiona and making a beeline to the woman who had been making me insane for over a freaking month.

The man she was locked in a conversation with reached up to tuck a strand of that blonde hair behind her ear, and I suddenly understood the jealousy that Deacon had been dealing with. I wanted to rip the jackass’s arm off at the shoulder for touching any part of her.

When I finally got close enough to see her expression, the rage boiling inside me dropped to a simmer. Her beautiful face was pinched and white as a sheet as she jerked her head away from his fingertips. She took a step back and jabbed an angry finger into his chest. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t someone Daphne was happy to see, that was for sure.

The guy moved closer, lowering his head in a way that indicated privacy and a hint of intimacy I did not like. He said something that made Daphne throw her hands up and gesture wildly as she spoke.

I picked up the pace, the instinct to protect racing through my blood.

“Baby, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her flush against my side, hoping she could read the message I was trying to communicate with my eyes. Just go with it, they said as I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss against her lips. Her mouth parted in surprise as I pulled away to look at the stranger now glaring at my hand that was resting precariously on her hip.

I didn’t bother with a polite introduction. “And you are?”

That seemed to snap Daphne out of her daze. “Oh, uh… Stefan, this is Caleb. He’s—”

“Her boyfriend,” I piped up. “Nice to meet you.”

I extended my free hand for him to shake. He stood momentarily stunned before returning the gesture. I squeezed the prick’s hand tighter than necessary to relay my point: Hands off, motherfucker.

“So, Steven—”

“It’s Stefan,” he said with a frown.

“Whatever,” I replied with a casual shrug. “How do you know my girl here?”

“I’m—”

“He’s no one,” Daphne interrupted in a clipped voice. She turned hate-filled eyes his way. “And he was just leaving.”

“Ducky, we need—”

She cut him off once again as she looked up at me. “Dinner’s about to be served. We should probably get to our table.”

I nodded, knowing she wanted out of her current situation. With my hand resting firmly on her back, I led her through the throng of partygoers toward our assigned seats.

“You want to tell me what that was all about?” I asked below my breath as we walked.

“Not even a little bit” was her quiet answer. “But I will say thank you for saving me. I can’t believe that asshole showed up here. I really appreciate you swooping in when you did.”

And that was all she said. Once we hit the table, she pulled away and tried her best to avoid me.

Unfortunately for her, I wasn’t going to let that happen.

* * *

Daphne

The evening was turning into a freaking nightmare. After having spent days stressing over how my last conversation with Caleb had ended, I’d finally realized that he’d been right. I’d judged him without really getting to know him. I’d decided to find him during the gala and apologize. I’d hyped myself up to the point that I was searching him out once I got there, but when I saw that stunning redhead come up and hug him, all my courage had fled the building. My throat burned like I’d just swallowed acid at the familiarity of their embrace.

It was obvious by the affection on his face that he knew the woman, but I just didn’t know how well. And I hated how the thought of them having been together made me feel.

I had been making my rounds through the guests, trying to drum up interest in the upcoming auction, but once I’d seen the two of them together, I needed to escape. I’d been on my way to the ladies’ room for a bit of privacy when the last person I ever wanted to lay eyes on cornered me.

I searched for my girls as I rounded the table, needing the support and security I felt whenever I was around them. I spotted Sophia first and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Looks like all is right in paradise,” she whispered. I followed her gaze and smiled at the sight of Lola and Grayson cuddled up together as they headed to our table.

The chair next to mine pulled out, and I didn’t need to look to see who’d just taken a seat beside me. The familiar spice and musk filled my nostrils, and if that hadn’t been enough, my body automatically reacted to his presence before my mind even became aware.

“You know you can’t avoid me forever, right?”

“I can try,” I mumbled into my wineglass, taking a fortifying sip.

He leaned in closer. “There are those goose bumps again.” I looked down and silently cursed the betraying bumps on my arms. “I just saved your ass. I’d think you’d be just a little bit grateful.”

The table filled up around us, but all I could see was Caleb. “I am. I already thanked you for that.”

“Then how about you stop trying to run away from me like I’ve got leprosy?”

I opened my mouth to speak when the servers appeared and started setting out the first course, interrupting the moment. Thankfully, Caleb and I were engaged in conversations with other people throughout dinner. It gave me an excuse for avoiding him without making it too obvious that it was exactly what I was doing.

I watched curiously throughout the meal as Lola and the redhead I’d spotted with Caleb earlier kept leaning in to each other, laughing at whatever they were whispering about. That pang of jealousy was still there at the sight of her, but I was more curious as to who she was at the moment.

I got my answer shortly after the dessert course. Lola found a second to gather Sophia and me and made introductions. “Guys, this is Fiona Prentice.”

My eyes bugged out at her name. Not missing my and Soph’s flabbergasted expressions, Lola quickly prattled on. “Long story short, I had it wrong. She’s not trying to steal Grayson from me. The pictures were totally taken out of context. We had a good talk about it earlier and decided we were going to be friends.”

And that was it. It was just that simple with Lola. She might have liked to act all tough and hard, but at the center of it, she was as soft and forgiving as anyone I’d ever known. If she said Fiona was a friend, then Sophia and I both understood what that meant. Fiona was now a part of our circle. I still felt a twinge whenever I thought about her and Caleb hugging, but Lola had a gift at reading people, and if she thought Fiona was a good person, then I knew I needed to give her a chance.

The four of us chatted for a bit, getting to know the newest member of our circle, and I was remiss to admit that she was actually pretty cool. Lola explained that she was going to have Fiona take her place in the auction since she planned to get up on stage and profess her love to Grayson.

The whole thing was terribly romantic, and despite my aversion to relationships, I was insanely happy that my best friend had found someone who made her smile in a way I’d never seen before. She deserved it.