A Reckless Note

Chapter Twenty-One

The spell between Kace and I is broken when the auction of the Stradivarius is announced, sold by an anonymous seller, an instrument the auctioneer claims to once have been long lost. More like an imitation of an instrument long lost, I think, which of course, Gio would have figured out as well—if he'd seen it. But Mark didn't even allow Kace an early viewing. Gio couldn't have seen it. Maybe he had a tip that it was fake?

The auctioneer continues his chatter, diving into a lengthy history of the violin that is not true since it's a fake. On and on and on he continues, hyping the audience for what will likely be a ten-million-dollar-plus final bid. That's big money and I wonder if Mark really will take my warnings about the violin's authenticity to heart. With the bidding quickly approaching, I wonder if Kace truly will as well. Kissing me doesn't equal knowing me. Neither Kace nor Mark understand my exceptional credentials, and how could they? I am a ghost hiding behind another identity.

I inhale and my gaze lands on Kace's hand on my leg, the hand of a gifted man. The hand of a man who has touched the violins made by my ancestor, that I myself, have not touched since I was a young child. The hand of a man who has stormed into my life with his presence and stirred forbidden desires in all kinds of ways. My hand settles on his, a desperate attempt to control him, to control me, but it doesn't work. Now, I'm touching him, and he's touching me, and his presence is fluttering through me in all kinds of ways.

My eyes lift and I'm pinned by Kace's blue-eyed stare, lost in a sea of passion and the forbidden, drowning in a man I barely know but cannot help but want to know. The bid on the violin starts at one hundred thousand dollars. Bids are placed rapid-fire, and at five hundred thousand dollars, I can't see who is bidding, not at all. Kace arches a brow, a silent question: do I want to bid? I shake my head, a no to any idea I might do so, to the idea that he should do so.

His response is to lean in close, his lips at my ear, his breath warm on my neck, his hand on my jaw as he murmurs, "Let's get out of here."

My initial thought is no. I can't. But that doesn't last long. My brother isn't here and suddenly I'm suffocating in that reality. That violin is not the answer to any question he or I would ask. I don't believe Sofia is here, either. I have no reason to be here now but him, and when he eases back to study me, I don't make him wait, I don't make him push. My hand settles on his hand where it still touches my face, and I whisper, "Yes."

His eyes heat with approval, and he eases forward around me, speaking to Chris, I believe, though I can't hear what is said. A moment later, he stands and takes me with him. Adrenaline surges through me as I'm being led toward the side of the stage by Kace August and there is no way that goes unnoticed. Meanwhile, the bids for the violin continue to charge to a higher price tag, now at three million. Kace opens the exit door and we step into the hallway. The instant the door shuts behind us, Kace drags me close, the hard wall of his body absorbing mine.

"What are you doing to me, woman?" he demands, and then his fingers have spiked into my hair, his mouth slanting over my mouth, his tongue stroking deep. And then I'm drowning in this man, bright lights exploding in a sea of what has been so much darkness, so much loneliness. And I have been lonely. I've hidden from it. I've denied it. I've convinced myself that I didn't need certain things, but right here, right now, I need him. I need this.

And when he tears his mouth from mine, and says, "Come home with me," it's all I can to do find solid ground, to remember who I am, who he is, to remember how dangerous that connection might become.

"Kace, I—"

"Don't say no." He presses his lips to my ear and whispers. "I never take women home with me. Ever. But I'm asking you to come home with me now."

"Never?"

He pulls back, his warm breath leaving a trail of goosebumps on my neck as he meets my stare. "Never," he confirms.

I'm not sure what to feel, what to think. "Why me?"

"Because I can't help myself with you, Aria. And that doesn't happen. Not to me. Come home with me."

My hand lands on the solid wall of his chest, his heart thundering beneath my palm, his body telling me that his words aren't just words—he means his words. I should say no. I know I should say no but it's just one night. It's always one night with a man like Kace August. And before I can stop myself, I say exactly what he wants me to say, what I want to say, "Yes."

His mouth closes over mine again, the taste of him hungry, wicked, addictive, and gone too soon. "Let's get out of here before someone slows us down," he murmurs, and when I mouth "yes," he waits for nothing more. He catches my hand and leads me down a hallway to yet another hallway and then an exit where a tall, bald, muscular man in a tuxedo, awaits.

"Mr. August," he greets and then inclines his chin at me, a hint of a tattoo peeking from beneath his collar. "Ma'am."

"Hey, Leo," Kace replies. "We're out of here for the night."

"Understood," Leo confirms before he knocks on the door and someone opens it from the other side. Cold air gusts through the door and I shiver and turn to Kace. "My coat." Kace instantly shrugs out of his, wrapping the soft leather that was just next to his body around mine, using the lapels to step me into him. "Better?"

"Yes," I say, no longer cold despite the still open door, but decidedly warm and swoony "But I should go upfront and grab my own coat."

"Not without walking through the auction room and the front doors are locked for VIP events. Do you have a ticket?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." I reach in my purse and hand it to him.

"We'll have it delivered to my place." He is about to step away when Leo holds up a hand. "I'll handle it."

Kace arches a brow. "You can blow up buildings and bad guys and retrieve coats?"

"Walker Security is nothing if not versatile, and as part of your security team, I'd prefer your address to stay with us. I got this." He eyes me. "You'll have your coat before the evening ends."

"Thank you, Leo," I say.

Leo offers me a tiny nod. "My absolute pleasure."

Kace shakes his hand and then he's whisking me into the night air and a private alleyway with his car parked to our right. We head that way and a valet opens the passenger door for me. Kace's hand strokes my hair and he's right there with me as I climb inside, but he doesn't linger. I'm quickly enclosed inside the Roadster with the seductive scent of man and leather now all around me. Kace joins me almost immediately, claiming the driver's seat and cranking the engine.

His eyes meet mine and I don't know how it happens or why, but we both start smiling. And with that shared smile, I am lost in this night and this man, into the escape I never allow myself. The rest of the world fades, my fears and worries with it. At least for now.