by Jamie Dallas
He tugged at his jacket and headed down the hall. If he said he was going to be somewhere, he was going to be there. On time.
Music played from her room, and he could hear her moving around.
He knocked.
“Few more minutes,” she called out.
“We’re already late.” He dropped his head against the doorframe. “Don’t make me drag you out.”
“What if I’m naked?”
An image of Hailey naked, her pale skin practically iridescent, filled his mind.
“If you’re naked, I have better ideas than attending a cocktail party.”
“Well, sorry to burst that bubble, but I’m not naked. Give me one more minute…”
The door swung open, and Hailey stepped out.
All thoughts fled his mind the second his eyes landed on her.
Hailey was stunning in a dark green dress. The neckline was modest, but the fabric clung sinfully to every curve. Her red hair was pulled back in a low bun, and a few tendrils escaped, brushing against her cheeks. She peered at him from under her lash-grazing bangs and smiled.
He opened his mouth and uttered the first stupid thing that popped into his mind. “I hate being late.”
She dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand. “Relax. We aren’t hosting. If we show up before dinner, we’re fine.” She disappeared back into her room.
Her dress had a sexy dip in the back, revealing the smooth skin along her neck and shoulder blades. He let his gaze move lower to her legs and bare feet. Something about those pale toes and pink-painted nails got to him. Every inch of her was gorgeous. He wanted to grab her and haul her close. He could almost feel her soft curves pressed hard against him.
He leaned against the doorframe and shoved his hands in his pockets and crossed his ankles. Casual, calm, collected. Everything perfect on the outside while on the inside he felt a ping-pong ball bouncing all over the place.
He needed to get his mind back on track.
Jace ran a hand down his face.
Hailey emerged from her room, a pair of strappy shoes and a purse dangling from one hand. “I’m ready to go.” She shook her head. “I’m probably more nervous than I let on. I want this to go well for you.”
“I’m feeling anxious too.” A weakness he never would have admitted to anyone else. “But let’s focus. We’ve got this.”
Hailey scrunched her nose and tilted her head to the side. Then she placed a hand gently on his arm. It was the first time she’d touched him since the guitar lesson.
“You know, this isn’t life or death. If this doesn’t go well, it doesn’t mean Sun Tech fails.”
He pushed away from the wall, and Hailey’s arm dropped by her side.
“Sun Tech won’t fail because I won’t fail. People don’t care if they walked away from a loser. They always think twice before walking away from a success.”
Hailey’s brows pinched together, and he could see the question forming on her lips.
“Let’s go,” he said before she could ask.
The ride to the party was tense. Hailey alternated between smoothing her hands over her skirt and checking her reflection in the mirror.
He reached over and grabbed her hand, twining his fingers with hers. Pulling her hand close, he kissed the top of her knuckles.
“It’ll be fine,” he repeated. “We’re only here to meet people. I’m sorry for snapping in the condo.”
Hailey didn’t move, but she didn’t pull away either. Instead, she sighed, keeping her fingers tight around his.
“I know. I just want to prove Evan wrong.”
“You will.” He ran his thumb over the top of her knuckles, an absentminded gesture. Energy sizzled through their linked fingers until he reluctantly released her hand.
“You know,” she said after a few minutes, “I haven’t heard from Evan in a while.”
“Me neither,” he admitted. And that worried him. It made his chest tight. Because at the end of the day, he needed Evan more than he cared to admit.
Jace turned onto the block for the hotel hosting the event and pulled his car into the line for valet.
They were here.
In front of them, a woman in gray business attire and her dark hair pulled up in a knot on top of her head, got out of a black sedan.
Jace recognized her immediately. Megan Sharp. She was the head of a small residential design firm that was gaining momentum in the building world.
Hailey didn’t miss who walked inside either.
“Look,” he said, trying to clear the gravel from his voice. “Let’s do our best night. Our goal is to get Sun Tech’s name out there. If we do that, tonight is a success.”
Hailey lifted her chin. “Exactly. Megan Sharp is here. What a great opportunity if Sun Tech could team up with her.”
That was exactly what he wanted to hear. Hailey’s mind was already doing what it did best—making connections happen.
Hailey gracefully got out of the car, head held high, and headed toward the entrance. He followed, very much aware that he was in the wake of a woman who needed to prove herself.
Once inside, Hailey paused long enough to take off her little black shrug and hand it over to coat check.
“There’s a bar on each side of the room. Let’s divide and conquer. I saw Ms. Sharp head that way.” Hailey tilted her head to one side of the room. “You should try to introduce yourself.”
With that, Hailey walked away. Her movements were calm, smooth and graceful, as she wove her way through men in suits and women in muted-colored cocktail dressed. Under that classy exterior of hers, he knew, Hailey was a woman on a networking mission. A mission she was determined to succeed at to prove an ex wrong.
He went to order a drink and fell into a conversation with a well-dressed man named Adam who was standing behind him in line. The man turned out to be the owner of a company that competed against his technology contractor.
As they talked, he spied Megan from the corner of his eye. She was already talking to two suited men, and he noticed Adam nod at her as they headed toward a tall cocktail table.
Jace nudged Adam. “You wouldn’t happen to know Ms. Sharp, would you?”
Adam nodded. “An old acquaintance. Drinks first, then I’ll introduce you.”
That was easy. Too easy. He hoped Hailey was doing as well.
He peered over the crowd and spotted her easily with her red hair. She was deep in conversation with a tall, dark-haired man he didn’t recognize. The man had angled his body to make it impossible for another person to cut into the conversation, and as they spoke, Hailey smiled up at him.
Jealously twisted through him, and he pulled his eyes away.
Hailey was doing her job.
Minutes later, drink in hand, Adam introduced him to Megan. She shook his hand and studied him with dark, assessing eyes.
For a split second, he wished Evan was there. Evan always had an easier time talking with people and making them feel at ease.
For him, networking was not second nature. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and he usually struggled to come up with small talk when he didn’t immediately connect with someone.
Then Megan smiled widely, her teeth flashing against her dusky complexion, setting him more at ease.
“I’ve heard so much about you,” she said as she clasped his hand in both of hers. “I have a friend who lives in a Sun Tech home in LA. She absolutely loves it.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Jace told her. “If you’re interested, our building is about to open, and we could offer you a tour. We’d be happy to provide dinner and a view of our showroom.”
“That sounds great. I know a few others who may be interested as well,” Megan said.
They moved toward a table as the discussion deepened.
“Jace, are you busy in a couple weeks?” Megan asked. “I think we should meet up for coffee. Does that work for you?”
A flash of victory shot through him. A meeting with Megan
Sharp would be perfect.
“Let me check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you.” He fished his wallet out of his pocket to exchange business cards.
He found himself searching for Hailey as he passed his card over. She had moved on from the man that had her cornered and was now deep in discussion with a man he recognized. The older gentleman ran a Houston newspaper that focused on neighborhood issues that typically didn’t make it into the big-name papers. The conversation must have been a good one because Hailey was laughing, her head tilted back, exposing the soft column of her throat. The older gentleman laughed with her as he handed over his business card.
That flash of unfamiliar emotion stirred once again. Hailey looked like she was doing a bang-up job tonight, and he was thrilled. But another nagging feeling pulled at him. He wanted her that comfortable with him. He wanted to be able to make her throw her head back and laugh.
He wanted her.
Megan pointed out someone she recognized across the way.
“She’s a Realtor. If you have a minute, I can introduce you.”
He was definitely interested, and he was about to say so when a familiar flash of blond hair passed by.
Jace blinked.
It couldn’t be. There was no way.
He craned his head to get a better view of the man.
“Jace, is everything okay?”
“Yes, of course,” he said absently as he continued to scan the crowd.
There, heading straight toward Hailey like the world lay at his feet was the man who promised vehemently that he wouldn’t be here.
His gut tightened.
What the hell was Evan doing here?
He couldn’t see Evan’s face, but Jace had a feeling the man looked cocky and confident. He fisted his hands.
A blond woman followed closely behind Evan, her hand wrapped possessively around his arm.
His gaze shifted to Hailey. Her brilliant hair and ivory skin made her a beacon in a sea of dark wool and satin.
Her expression told him immediately that she had made the same discovery he had. She was no longer laughing. Her cheeks, normally flush, where ashen, and her dark eyes were focused entirely on Evan and the woman behind him. Evan’s mere presence seemed to have taken the wind out of her sails.
“Jace?” Megan asked.
“Excuse me,” he muttered to Megan. She stared at him curiously, and he didn’t blame her. “I saw my business partner walk in, and I need to speak with him.”
Yep, this was pretty much a lesson from Bad Business Relationships 101. In any other circumstance, he never would have left Megan, but Hailey looked upset. He couldn’t leave Hailey hanging when she looked so shocked.
He needed to be there for her.
“Let’s catch up after the event. I’d love to see how Sun Tech could combine forces with your company.” He handed Megan a business card and prayed she wouldn’t take offense.
Why Evan was here, he didn’t know. And he wasn’t going to wait around to find out.
*
Cold fingers of dread trickled down Hailey’s spine. Evan’s gazed pinned her in place, like she was a dot on his radar.
Her feet froze in place as Evan and his date glided closer.
Evan hated public theatrics. He liked making connections and putting on a friendly façade. However, something about his icy, unwavering gaze made her want to run straight from this room.
Richard, the newspaper owner she met, leaned down to say something, but his words were drowned out by the roar in her ears. She numbly shook Richard’s hand and took his card before the man parted and Evan stood in his place.
The smile on her ex’s face was stretched wider than a Cheshire cat’s.
“Hailey, it’s good to see you.” Evan’s voice was as smooth as butter as he fixed his sharp eyes on her. He looped his arm around the waist of the blond woman and pulled her tight to him.
“Evan. What a surprise.” She fought to mask the brittleness in her voice.
Evan’s grin cracked even wider, and he pulled the woman even closer. “I couldn’t miss Sun Tech’s first outing in Houston. Isn’t that right, Viv?”
Viv frowned and said nothing as she glanced between Hailey and Evan.
“It sounded fun,” she allowed. She tugged on an earring with polished fingers and glanced around the room.
Hailey pushed her lips together. Did Evan meet Viv before or after their wedding fiasco?
In the end, it was none of her business.
“I hope you enjoy the evening.” She turned away, but Evan was faster. He released Viv from his grasp and grabbed her arm.
“One minute.” His voice was low and commanding as he pulled her closer.
Hailey pulled on her arm, but Evan held his grip. He leaned close, and Hailey caught a whiff of his familiar aftershave mingled with the scent of alcohol. The combination made her stomach churn.
“I’d love to talk with you,” he hissed in her ear.
“Now is not the time or place,” she said. “Let’s not cause a scene.”
She cringed at her own words. Let’s not cause a scene.
That was once one of Evan’s favorite lines during their relationship.
“That’s rich.” Evan’s voice projected over the crowd. “You’re worried about a scene when you stood me up in front of everyone?”
“Now really isn’t the time.” She tried to keep her voice low. People were starting to look in their direction.
“I can’t reach you. You don’t answer your phone. You don’t visit the office. How am I supposed to talk with you when you won’t even give me the time of day?” Evan’s gaze burned through her.
She glanced away. More than anything she wanted to run and hide. Curl up in a hole and never return.
“You owe me an explanation,” Evan demanded pulling her closer.
“Is there a problem here?”
Her breath caught in her lungs.
Jace!
She’d been so focused on her ex, she hadn’t seen Jace arrive.
Relief rushed through her as Evan freed her hand. She pressed her palm against the hammering beat of her heart and backed up until she was next to Jace.
“Are you okay?” Jace placed a possessive hand on the small of her back.
“I’m fine.”
Evan’s eyes darted from her to Jace and back again. “Back off, Jace. This conversation is between Hailey and me.”
“It’s a conversation if she agrees to it.”
The smug smile on Evan’s face faded as he stared first at her, then Jace. If it was any other situation, she would have laughed if she wasn’t fighting the urge to run.
Evan’s face turned an ugly shade of red. “What the hell is going on here? How long have you two been—”
“That’s none of your business,” she interrupted. “If you want to talk, pick another time.”
“After all you’ve put me through, you owe me an explanation. You can’t avoid me forever. I will find out why you ran.” Evan jabbed the air with his finger.
That was it. The urge to run faded, and suddenly she didn’t care about damage control or Sun Tech’s reputation. At this very moment, all she cared about was herself.
“I don’t owe you a damn thing,” she snapped.
Evan’s eyes widened and the conversation around them faded.
“You cheated. Stop acting like a victim. You were the one sleeping with the wedding planner.” She threw her body into each word as she let the accusation fly.
The blood drained from Evan’s face as more people turned to stare at them.
Evan looked around the room, as though seeing the crowd for the first time. Men and women craned their necks and whispered among themselves.
“It was good to see you, Evan. If you want to talk, we can schedule another time,” Hailey said with as much dignity as she could muster.
Evan’s face twisted into a snarl. “Don’t you dare—”
Eager to a quick exit, she nodded at Viv, whos
e eyes were a bit red and bright. A part of her felt terrible for the other woman, but not terrible enough to stick around. She pushed her way through the crowd without a backward glance.
The second she stepped out of the ballroom and into the quiet hall, it felt like she had left a pressure cooker. The tension released from her chest, and she breathed in the conditioned air.
The door opened and closed, and she knew without looking Jace was right next to her.
How many times had he said the night needed to be perfect? That failure wasn’t an option?
She’d gone and made a scene with Evan.
“I’m so sorry.” She didn’t dare look at him. “I know tonight didn’t go as planned.”
“Hailey. Look at me.”
She shook her head.
Jace caught her chin and turned her head so she could see the worry in his gray eyes.
Then he kissed her.
Really kissed her. His tongue traced her bottom lip, and his arm wrapped around her waist. He dipped her back slightly as he teased her mouth open.
And, damn, if she didn’t cling to him with all she had. She needed this. Needed him.
A whimper escaped her as Jace slowly ended the kiss and righted her.
“Everything okay?” His voice was calm and controlled. Like he hadn’t kissed her in the middle of a hotel.
“What the heck was that about?” She hated that she sounded so dazed.
Jace smoothed his hand over his hair once. Twice.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” His hand ran over his head once again.
“By kissing me? Don’t you dare manipulate me. I’ve had enough of that from Evan.”
“You looked shell-shocked, and I couldn’t think of another way to snap you out of it.”
“I don’t need to be saved.” She tried to forget how Evan made her feel frozen in place. Helpless.
“I know you don’t,” Jace growled. “I’m here because I want you to know you’re not alone. If you wanted to talk to Evan, great. But if you need support, and someone there for you, I’m here. I want to be there for you.”
Again, his hand smoothed his hair.
“Evan’s just angry and overreacting. His family drills in appearances, and now I have embarrassed him not once, but twice.”
“He’ll get over it,” Jace said.