Page 15 of Moonlit Colorado

“Okay. An hour.”

“That’ll do. For a start.” I clinked my drink glass against hers.

FIVE

Grace

“What’s your name?”he asked.

My fingertip traced the rim of my wine glass. “I’m not ready to tell you that yet.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Another laugh snuck out of me. “My gosh, you don’t let up.”

“I’m taking that as a no. I’m not seeing anyone either, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t.”

He smirked like he knew that wasn’t true.

I’d never been around a man with such an intense presence. From the moment I’d heard him speak tonight and seen those broad shoulders, the thick, dark hair, I’d known it was him. The man I’d spilled coffee on yesterday. Who now wanted to “spend the evening with me.”

Who even said things like that in real life?

Yet here I was, standing beside him at the bar instead of finding Piper. I’d texted where I was, but that I was okay for now. She and Hanson were dancing in some other room.

This night really was surreal. Like something out of a dream.

“How about you call me Lois,” he said. “I’ll call you Clark. Or Superman. Whichever.”

I barked a laugh.Thatwas why I’d stayed. He kept disarming me with his sense of humor. And the way he looked at me…like I was some work of art that he wanted to study and understand and protect.

It was concerning how much I liked that. But we were just talking. No harm in that.

“I’m not calling you Lois,” I said. And I certainly wasn’t going to call him Mr. Hunky McHandsome, as Piper had called him yesterday. “You be Mr. Black, since you’re in all black.” His tux, his shirt, bowtie, and mask were all silky and dark as midnight. “I’ll be…” I thought of the woman in the bathroom. “Ms. Red.”

“Intriguing. And fitting. I like it.”

I played with the stem of my wine glass. “I don’t know the name of the woman who gave me this mask. In my head, I called her Ms. Scarlet because she had bright red hair. She said her date stood her up, but I wonder if it was that guy in the blue mask. Maybe she wanted to get away from him.”

If so, I couldn’t blame her. No wonder she’d said I was doing her a favor. I didn’t look much like her, but the mask plus the shades of red in my hair had been enough to distract her creep of a date so she could make her getaway. I was a touch annoyed that she hadn’t told me her plan. She might’ve thought I’d refuse.

Whatever that had been about, I hoped her night had improved.

Mr. Black frowned. “If you’re concerned, I can let security know to keep an eye out for her. And blue mask guy. He shouldn’t have touched you the way he did. I could have him thrown out.”

I shook my head. “Ms. Scarlet left, and I doubt the blue mask man will bother me again. You make it sound like you’re important around here.”

“Kind of.” He smirked again, but didn’t elaborate.

He was probably one of the VIPs who flew in just for this party. As I’d suspected earlier. That would explain his confidence. My first impression of him yesterday,rich tourist, hadn’t been wrong. He wore that tux like he was born in it.

Maybe he even knew Dane Knightly.

He finished off the liquor in his glass and lifted his finger at the bartender for another. “I hate these kinds of events. I’d rather be analyzing financials. Or reading a book.” He aimed his crooked grin at me. “Or chatting with a friend in a coffee shop.”

“I thought you didn’t have any friends in town.”

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