Page 106 of Tail, Dark and Handsome: Celestial Mates
“I did not do this.” Another wave and he ran his hands through his hair. “Tell me what she said. Exactly.”
“That Mr. Cayne ordered this gown for me to wear to the party.” And she heard it the moment she said it. “Chase.”
“Chase,” Winter agreed.
“But why?”
Winter sat at the edge of the bed, creasing his trousers. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and his hands dangling between. “That dress…Rebel wore that the night of the accident.”
And tonight was the eight-year anniversary.
That monster.
“Okay, get it off me.” Mari turned her back to Winter and lifted her hair. “Just shred it. I’m not going to give that jerk the satisfaction.”
Winter’s hand brushed the fabric, then the thin straps broke. Fabric ripped under his claws. “You should call him an asshole when he’s being an asshole.”
“Tempting. He wants to upset us and get us off-kilter before the party. I refuse to play his games.”
“Yes, this is his game.” The gown fell to the floor in a puddle of shimmering gold. Such a waste of a beautiful gown. “What am I going to wear? It’s formal dress.”
“The dress you wore to dinner last week? But I am partial to this look.” Winter pulled her forward until she stood between his legs and expressed his appreciation by running his hands over her hips and thighs.
The yellow dress was pretty, but she didn’t think it would do. “It’s a shame your suit jackets are too large for me. But Zero’s might do. Our torsos are the same length. Go grab some from him. It’ll be tight but could look tailored. Hopefully. Black, I think. It’s classic.”
In short order, she wore a fitted black jacket with a white shawl collar that didn’t quite close in the front. Fortunately, the jacket looked deliberate and elegant over a vivid pink camisole and slim-fitting black trousers.
“Acceptable?” She kept touching the crystal pendant, unsure if it was good enough for the party. She had no other jewelry so it was that or nothing.
“My lovely mate,” Winter purred, nuzzled his cheek against hers. His tail curled around her calf. “Do not worry. We uncovered his plan and triumphed.”
“Thank you for telling me what was wrong.” They veered dangerously close to falling into their bad habit of misunderstanding and explaining nothing, but they navigated the issues like adults. “I should have recognized it when I put it on. Her photo wearing the gown is all over the media today.”
He stilled. The tail pulled away. “You researched this?”
“Not deliberately. My newsfeed delivered all those articles today. I just skimmed.” She refrained from adding that she had already read up on the accident when they first met. Long ago, she admitted that she read up on him and he said he researched her. They knew this. There was no point in rehashing the details.
“I suppose it is unavoidable today,” he said.
Her uneasiness only increased as they approached Chase’s home. Lit aggressively like a beacon against the gray sky, Chase’s house hummed with activity. People poured into the building, and the sounds of music and laughter overflowed into the quiet night.
Harvest decorations, lights, and garlands overwhelmed her senses the moment Mari stepped through the door. She could only imagine how the light affected Winter, wearing both his lenses and frames, and gave his hand a supportive squeeze. She had never imagined someone could use decor so passive-aggressively.
He squeezed back, as if in agreement.
Musicians played an instrumental version of a well known pop song. Mari leaned closer to Winter, recognizing the song.
Then Mari heard it, one voice rising above the crowd. A voice she knew well. One she once loved.
Tomas.
Chapter 24
Winter’s Fury! Heir to tech fortune, Winter Cayne, was captured on film destroying the camera and recording equipment of journalists outside his home. Cayne, well known for his short temper and mercurial mood…
-Tal Tattler
Marigold
