Page 266 of Chandelier Sin
Rylee patted my knee to comfort me. “How do you feel about Jewel grabbing control?”
“Predictable,” I said.
“Evil is relentless.”
“Speaking of evil, how have you been?”
“Lance is dead,” she said harshly. “Can’t you all forget that?”
“I, for one, clock every one of your mistakes, Rylee. Consider me the ‘fuck up’ taker for Jake.”
“You need to eat.”
She might be right, but she was still a bitch.
The fine hairs on my nape prickled.
I turned to look toward the door, drawing in a sharp breath at the stunning vision of Eve in a red gown, the light above framing her with a vibrant bright white halo.
Our eyes met.
My ridiculous smile fell when she didn’t smile back. She broke my gaze, seemingly disinterested, as though she didn’t recognize me.
I turned away, cringing at my boyish smirk at seeing her again after all this time.
Fuck.
She’d reduced me tothis.
Turning to face the bar, I focused on the empty tumbler before me and the melting ice at the bottom.
“Do me a favor,” I told Rylee. “Fuck off.”
“What about my drink?”
“There’s booze in every room.”
“What’s wrong with you?” Then she saw Eve. “Alrighty then.”
She slipped off the barstool with a sulky attitude and walked away.
Hopefully she resisted the urge to gossip about us.
I felt Eve close to me. A waft of her delicate perfume enveloped me, a tantalizing blend of jasmine and vanilla. She was simply intoxicating.
She sat where Rylee had seconds before, beside me. Close but not close enough. Her natural scent wrapped around me like a loving embrace, awakening dormant memories, stirring precious emotions.
Finally, I can breathe.
In the long mirror behind the bar, I took her in. Her beauty eclipsed this space, this hall, this world.
“Atticus,” she said, her voice comforting to hear.
“Eve.” I gestured to the barman. “Bellini, for the lady.”
She scoffed. “I’ve much more sophisticated tastes.”
“Champagne, then?”
