Page 127 of Stolen Fate

I groaned internally and, bending down, I spoke quietly so only she heard. “Are you sure you don’t want to change into something… I don’t know, less revealing?”

She shot me a look of admonishment, and I knew she wouldn’t change no matter what. Standing up on her tiptoes, she took my earlobe in her mouth and nibbled gently on it. I felt that straight down to my cock.

“No, I think I look very pretty. Don’t you think so?”

“Baby, you looking pretty is not the problem.”

She let out a soft laugh, and my shoulders relaxed a bit. I wanted to spend the rest of my life listening to her laugh. “Don’t worry. People can look all they want, but I’ll be going home with you at the end of the night.”

“I sure as hell hope so, considering we live in the same house.”

Again, she laughed, and I knew I wouldn’t bring up her outfit again. It was as she said, she did look really pretty in it.

No, more than pretty.

She looked beautiful.

She looked like…

She was mine.

* * *

We walkedthrough the door of a new club that had just opened a few months ago.

It was supposed to be the new “it” place and, looking at it from a business perspective, it seemed that might be true. I knew the club was bringing in a lot of revenue and it hadn’t even hit the one-year mark. I also knew this wasn’t the owner’s only business.

A man in my position, doing what I did, it was smart to take note of any new businesses opening, especially successful ones in New York.

But I wasn’t here on the job. I wasn’t supposed to be looking at this from a business standpoint, but a consumer one. But the strobing bright light, the loud music and sweaty bodies grinding against each other were making me feel a bit uncomfortable.

I pulled Evelyn closer to me as I led us through the crowd and to the VIP area that I had reserved, hoping it would be less crowded.

At thirty-four, I was getting too old for this shit.

And taking note of Jensen’s glare when another man accidentally bumped into Emilia, I knew he was thinking the same thing, but the girls seemed to be having a good time. Emilia actually looked excited, and I knew a lot of it had to do with her age.

I could remember when I was her age, out partying most of the weekends away, still going to school and work the day after, and having some energy leftover for any… ah, shall we say, extracurricular activities with a woman or two?

And if remembering those times made them feel like that happened a long time ago, it was because they had. I was older than Emilia by a decade. Jensen would most definitely have his hands full if he decided to get into anything with Emilia, that was for sure.

I focused my attention back on Evelyn and watched as she smiled at me, her eyes lighting up with excitement. I knew she was looking forward to this, not because, like Emilia, she was young and looking for a night of debauchery. Though not even thirty, Evelyn was still young—with an old soul that had a lot to do with shouldering the care of her family at such a young age. I knew she was so busy taking care of everyone else that she forgot to just pause and enjoy life. That was why she was excited about this. She had never had the opportunity to do it when she was in her early twenties.

I wanted to give her a reason to enjoy life.

I wanted to be there for her as she figured out her footing and realized that she didn’t have to take on the burden of other people’s problems. Not anymore, and if I had my say, not ever.

I moved over to her and sat down close enough that our thighs touched, wrapping my arms around her shoulders, bringing her in closer to me. She laid her head on my chest and we watched the dance floor.

Thankfully, the VIP area was quieter, and we were the only ones here.

It didn’t take long before an attractive waitress around Emilia’s age showed up with a bright smile on her face. I watched as her eyes assessed us, the smile on her face only wavering a bit when looking at Emilia.

Curious, I looked over to find Emilia glaring at the woman, and I wondered briefly if she knew her from somewhere, but quickly put the thought away when Jensen put in his order.

His eyes briefly met mine, and he smirked. “Eight shots of Four Horsemen.”

I knew he was thinking about our college days, but we didn’t have someone as precious—and very possibly, new to alcohol—like Evelyn. Hell, she had been a little tipsy after I gave her a shot of scotch a few nights ago. I groaned and Evelyn turned toward me. “Are you okay?”

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