“Are you ready for tonight?” he purrs into my neck.
Tonight is the masquerade ball and our first date.
“More than ready. I went shopping yesterday and—” I turn in his arms and open my desk drawer. “—I got these.” Pulling the box from the drawer, I set it on top of my desk and lift the lid, revealing the matching masquerade masks I picked up at a boutique in Pelican Square. My mask is rose gold and rhinestone metal filigree, and Levi’s is black, trimmed in rose gold.
“What do you think?” I hold the mask to my face.
“I think we’re going to have a lot of fun with those masks long after the party.” He smirks. Gah, that smirk makes me want to devour his mouth. “I hope you were able to find a dress. I know I didn’t give you much time.”
“Oh, I got a dress.”
It’s one of the sexiest I’ve ever seen. It’s called a split dress, strapless and sheer with a nude underlay. One side is decorated in black beading, and the other has perfectly placed black rose appliqués that run up and around the neckline. It’s risqué but elegant at the same time. And it definitely falls under the ‘forbidden’ theme.
I let out a squeak, gripping his biceps as he dips me backward and covers my mouth with his in a deep, passionate, Hollywood-style kiss. Swoon.
“I can’t wait for tonight. I’ll be counting down the hours.” He grins.
I press a kiss to his jaw. “Do you need me to make your order?”
“Starr’s got it.” He drops another kiss to my lips. “I’ll text you later.”
He brings me upright and I’m dizzy, not from the dip but from the kiss. “Okay,” I say breathlessly.
Sigh.
Levi
* * *
“You have a date for tonight?” Jay asks around the straw stuck in her protein smoothie.
“Yep.” I nod once. “I’m taking Hazel as my date.”
Jay slaps a hand over her heart. “I always thought you guys would make a cute couple.”
“She’s been hot for him since day one,” Troy interjects.
I jerk my gaze to him. “How do you know?”
Troy huffs out a single laugh and shakes his head. “Man, you are clueless when it comes to women.”
I shrug. It’s true. High school girlfriends don’t count.
“Do you have a date, Troy?” Jay asks him.
Troy nods before taking a sip of his coffee. “I’m taking my wife.”
Jay frowns, clearly confused, as do I. The fuck? “You have a wife?” I ask incredulously, obviously stealing the words right out of Jay’s mouth. “Since when? And why have you never mentioned her?” I set my coffee down on the counter.
“Ten years.” Troy shrugs as if it’s no big deal that we’ve been working together for over two years and he never mentioned a wife. “This is work.”
Jay scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest. She always does that when she’s gearing up for an argument. It’s funny when she gets all worked up, as long as it’s not aimed at me. “I take offense to that. You know everything about me, from my shoe size to the color coordination of my underwear drawer.”
Troy shrugs again. “It’s my job to know.”
Jay quirks a brow. “Why didn’t you bring her to the wedding?”
“I was working.”
“So?” She tilts her head. “Levi brought his sister.”
Troy stares at her with a blank expression. “Do you want to meet her?”
She drops her arms to her sides, shoulders sagging. “I’d really like that, Troy. I consider you part of my family, so your family is my family. I swear to God, if you tell me you have a kid or kids, I will kick your balls into your throat,” she deadpans.
“Babe, why are you threatening Troy’s balls?” Zach asks as he saunters into the kitchen and reaches for his smoothie.
“Did you know Troy is married?” She gestures to Troy. “For ten years, Z,” she adds.
Zach furrows his brows. “Seriously?”
Troy chuckles. “I’ll introduce you to the wife.” He pauses and covers his junk. “And to my little Ts.”
I throw my head back and laugh. What a dick.
Jay’s face falls, her bottom lip quivering. She looks like someone just smashed her favorite guitar. “You have kids?” Her voice cracks on the word “kids.”
I shoot Zach a questioning look. What is happening right now?
“Babe, why are you crying?” Zach asks.
She swipes at her cheeks. “I don’t know,” she whines. “I’m just feeling… really emotional.” Her head swivels between the three of us, and then her face twists into an angry scowl. “Stop looking at me like that.” She throws her hands in the air, then turns on her heels and storms from the kitchen and out the back door.
Zach looks over at me wide-eyed, most likely mirroring my expression. We turn our gazes to Troy to see him grinning. “Welcome to the roller coaster known as pregnancy.” He chuckles. “Strap yourself in, boys. It’s going to be a wild ride.”
I want to laugh because Jay used those exact same words on Troy and me after her marriage to Zach was discovered.
Then Troy turns to follow Jay.
Zach blows out a breath. “I’ll be back.”
“Good luck with that,” I call to his retreating form.
He flips me off as he slips through the back door.
7
Levi
* * *
My phone buzzes with a text from Zeke, a guy from my security team, informing me that he’s outside. Tucking my phone into the inside pocket of my tuxedo jacket, I grab my wallet and keys off the side table and open my apartment door.
An uneasy feeling comes over me as I turn and shove my key into the lock. I quickly glance over my shoulder, expecting to find Christy lingering in her doorway. I haven’t seen her since that morning in the hallway. Which is odd, considering I ran into her every day for two weeks straight. That should’ve been the first red flag that something wasn’t right with that girl. I forgot to ask my uncle Jason to run a check on her, and I make a mental note to call him tomorrow.
When I step into the late October night, the air has a slight chill to it. Zeke waves from the driver seat of his SUV idling at the curb.
As I slide into the back seat, I can’t shake the eerie feeling that someone is watching me. I turn my head to look at my building. My gaze drifts to the front window of Christy’s apartment. The lights are off, and I wonder if she’s there, lurking in the dark. Watching me.
Zeke pulls away from the curb, and as we turn the corner, I crane my neck around just in time to see a light click on inside Christy’s apartment.
Okay, that’s not creepy as hell.
“I’ll only be a minute,” I say as I climb out of the car and shut the door. I jog up the stairs to Hazel’s apartment, which is above her café. Hanging on her door is a large wreath decorated in colorful ribbons, a witch hat, a broom, and legs dangling at the bottom, and a small sign in the middle that reads ‘I Put A Spell On You.’