Page 24 of Exposed

“I’m trying to before he gets us all killed. And for the record,” he said, as he pointed two fingers loosely at Ashley, the glass hovering close to his lips, “I don’t even like my sister, and if he fucked her, I would kill him.”

“You’re such an ass,” she breathed. “Nate—”

He held out his hand. “Enough. Ashley, I appreciate your concern, but I’m drawing the line here. My personal life is no longer open for discussion. Got it?” He jabbed his index finger in the air at Dylan and he raised his hands in surrender.

“Ashley, let’s head down.” He extended his elbow to her and she circled her arm through his. “Dylan, get in and out of their suite as quick as possible. Got your earpiece?”

“Yeah, dude.” He stretched his arm out, picked the earpiece off the table, and pressed it into his ear. “Let me know when you see them at dinner, and I’ll let myself into their suite. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes.”

“Good.” He turned and led Ashley to the door and they stepped into the hall.

Silence fell between them as they moved down the hall to the elevator. Most guests would already be enjoying cocktails in the formal dining room, which left the hall deserted. Ashley pressed the button and the elevator hummed. The doors parted and they stepped inside, and he jabbed the main floor button.

“I know you said not to talk about it, but—”

He closed his eyes against the throb at his temples. “Please, Ashley. Do you honestly think I haven’t spent enough time thinking about this? Aside from my friendship with Ethan, Maddie is trouble. She’s hard-headed, infuriating, reckless…”

“And you’re crazy about her.”

He snapped his teeth together and the force jarred his cheekbones. Goddammit. It didn’t matter that he was crazy about her, didn’t matter that one part of him wanted to tame her wild ass and the another wanted to ride it. He had no control where Maddie was concerned. Not over himself or the repercussions of her careless behavior. But for the love of God, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

“Drop it,” he ground out. Her lips pressed together in a thin, sad smile and the elevator dinged. They stepped into the hall and wound their way over the slickly-polished floors. They followed the sound of laughter. The soft melody from a piano carried through the halls. Large, walnut-stained double wooden doors stood open. A huge floral wreath stood near the entrance with the name “Avalon of the Sea” scrawled on a smooth canvas. Large white flowers took precedence at the center of every table, and on tall pillars throughout the room.

Ashley sucked in her breath beside him. “Wow, they really went all out.”

Nate grunted. Women in full-length gowns moved gracefully around the floor, tall flutes of champagne in their hands. Men in stupid, penguin-looking tuxedos like his loitered comfortably. The corner of his lip curled. This wasn’t his scene.

Ashley’s hand dropped from his arm and she stepped over to a large chart near the wreath.

“We’re at the table closest to the stage.” She smiled and threaded her arm back through his. “Perks of the presidential suites.”

“Let’s find our seats.”

Ashley nodded and led him through the tight clusters of people. “We’ll find out where we’re sitting, but we need to mingle.” Her voice was low, but carried over the soft tinkling of the piano. The tie at his throat tightened with every step. Mingle? His cheek jumped with the effort it took not to groan. He scanned the room. Maddie was here somewhere.

He moved his attention to the back of Ashley’s head. She held her spine straight, her shoulders back, completely at ease in the soft flowing sapphire dress. She was pretty and funny, but didn’t pique his interest the slightest.

And why? Because, for god’s sake, she wasn’t Maddie.

Dylan on the other hand… Nate had caught some of his lingering stares and light flirting. After Dylan’s finger pointing upstairs, he would be sure to confront him about his attraction to Ashley.

They stepped beneath the brightly lit chandelier; it cast soft mosaic shapes over the floor and walls. Light reflected off something and shone in his face, making him squint. The object moved and his heartrate roared. The twinkling lights from the chandelier caught her dress, making the material glitter. His insides twisted and his arm tightened on Ashley’s. He stopped in his tracks, bringing her to a halt. She turned to face him, her brows pinched together over her eyes, and then her gaze followed his.

“Oh, of course,” she muttered.

Tension burned the muscles in his face, but he couldn’t tear his gaze from Maddie. Ashley tugged on his arm and directedhim to their table. Maddie stood in the center of the room, her arm looped through Carlos’s, and a glass of champagne in her free hand. Someone said something and her head dropped back, her soft laugh carrying to his ears. His Adam’s apple bobbed at the familiar sound.

She moved again to shake someone’s hand and the light caught her gold sequined gown. The back of her dress dipped dangerously low, scooping at the bottom just above her ass, revealing tiny dimples on either side of the base of her spine. Her skin glowed from the sun she’d gotten today, and her hair was wound tightly in a knot at the base of her neck, accentuating the smooth curve of her back.

His throat constricted and blood throbbed in his eye sockets. Ashley pulled out a chair and sat, but there was no way he could sit still.

“I’ll get us some champagne,” he ground out through tight lips. A waiter with a full tray weaved through the crowd, passing out glasses only feet away from Maddie. His fingers flexed at his sides as he strode around the tables and lifted his hand to the waiter.

Maddie turned, and the sight of her hit him like a drop kick to the chest. His hand froze for a beat mid-air before he forced it to his side.

Her eyes locked on his, dragged down his penguin adorned body, and back up. The corner of her mouth hitched up and her eyes sparked with mischief. The front of her dress left even less to the imagination than the back. Thin straps tapered down and widened to cover her breasts, and met below her sternum. Her full, golden breasts stood pert and free beneath the material. Desire raged through him, and his blood burned a path all the way to his dick. He moved his tongue along the inside of his bottom lip.

Maybe Ashley was right… he was fighting a battle that was inevitable for him to lose.

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