by Carrie Elks
“I don’t think I can afford the matchsticks,” Daniel said dryly.
“Well, I need to go get ready. I’m going to the Richardson’s for cocktails.” Eliana shot them a smile. “I’m so glad you’re both here. I’ll see you at the Jackson-Carter house at seven.”
“You’re not coming in the car with us?” Daniel asked.
“No, darling. I’ll send the driver back once I’m at the Richardson’s, they have a space for me in their car. You two will make a better entrance without me there.”
Becca looked from Eliana to Daniel, her expression neutral. He wondered how she felt about making an impression.
“It was funny, because I saw Janet Sutherland at the salon. She asked me about your new girlfriend.” Eliana’s brows knitted together. “I fudged an answer, but I’m not sure she bought it.”
Becca kicked him softly under the table with her bare foot. A teasing smile played around her lips.
“We’re friends,” she told Eliana. Another shot of warmth rushed through him.
“Okay. I guess that works.” She patted her hair again, walking over to kiss Daniel on the cheek. “Don’t forget to shave, darling.”
“Thanks, Mom. I don’t know how I’d adult without you.” His voice was deadpan.
Eliana rolled her eyes, looking over at Becca. “I hope he’s nicer to you than he is to his mother.”
Becca kicked him again. But he was ready for her this time. He caught her by the ankle, circling her soft skin with his fingers. Her eyes flashed as she tried to tug her leg back, to no avail.
Eliana raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
“No, I’m pretty sure he’s horrible to everybody,” Becca said with a grin.
“Be nice,” Eliana said, patting Daniel’s face again. She looked so happy to have him home. “Or Becca won’t come again.”
“Maybe that’s what he’s aiming for,” Becca said. She’d given up struggling, letting him take the weight of her leg in his palm. He rubbed the pad of his thumb on the sole of her foot. Her lips parted at the touch, and he remembered how they tasted.
“Not at all,” he said softly.
Eliana gave him a sideways glance, then smiled at Becca. “I’ll see you both later.”
“Yes, you will.” Daniel watched as she gracefully walked to the door, giving them both a warm smile before she left the room.
“One more hand?” he asked Becca, releasing her foot.
“Go for it. It’s your funeral.”
Yes it was. But what a good way to go.
Chapter Nineteen
Becca took a deep breath and stared at her reflection. She looked like a fairytale version of herself. Her hair fell in perfect waves past her shoulders, the tips barely touching the decolletage of the gown Mia had loaned her.
It was beautiful. The bodice was made of mesh, the transparent fabric covered with thousands of tiny pearls that caught the light as she moved around the room. It was tight on the chest, giving her the kind of cleavage she’d always dreamed of, then nipped in at the waist. The skirt was draped with layered champagne tulle, flowing to the ground in a cascade of fabric. And around her neck were her mother’s pearls. She touched them carefully, hoping they gave her strength.
A gentle knock at the door alerted her to Daniel’s presence. She walked across the carpeted floor in her bare feet – the shoes Mia had given her were perilously high. She’d only put them on when she had to.
Her heart did a flip as soon as she opened the door. She’d always found tuxedos a little comical before. Grown men wearing little bow ties that made them look like the mouse from Tom and Jerry, tied up and presented like a Christmas gift. But now she understood the hype. Because Daniel Carter was as far from a cartoon as it was possible to be.
He was breathtaking.
Becca reached out and touched his sleeve. The fabric was thickly expensive. “Tailor made?” she asked.
It took her a moment to realize he was silent. She looked up to see him staring at her, his neck undulating as he swallowed hard.
“You’re beautiful.”
Becca blinked, hoping her cheeks weren’t too red. “Thank you. I just need to put those on,” she said, pointing at the shoes. “Then I’ll be beautiful and dangerous, because I’ll probably be falling all over the place.”
“I’ll catch you.”
“Why are you being so sweet?” A little thrill rushed through her at his words.
“Because my mother brought me up to treat my dates well.” He bent down and picked up her shoes. “Not glass,” he murmured, before standing. “Did you want to bring a spare set? In case these ones really do kill you?” The ankle straps dangled from his fingers.
“It’s fine, I’ll get used to them. Plus, I have you as a human walking stick.” She looked at him through her mascaraed lashes. “I’ll have to ask your mother why she didn’t teach you to be sweet at work, too.”
“That’s all my father’s doing,” he said lightly. “The car’s waiting outside if you’re ready.”
“I’ll just grab my purse.” She picked up the matching champagne clutch, sliding her phone and a lipstick inside. Daniel held his arm out, and she curled her hand around his bicep, enjoying the steel-hard feel of him against her palm.
The Jackson-Carter house was on the outskirts of Charleston, the white stuccoed building towering high against the backdrop of the Allegheny Mountains, its expanse framed by verdant sycamore maples.
At the front was a huge portico, held up proudly by tall Grecian columns. They joined the row of cars lined along the drive, waiting for each to pull up to the sweeping stairs where their passengers would alight. Becca shifted in her seat and glanced at Daniel.
“Are you okay?” he asked. He was sitting completely upright.
She smiled softly at him. “I’m fine.”
When they reached the front of what felt like the world’s longest kiss-and-ride line, Daniel opened the door and climbed out, turning to offer Becca his hand. Behind him, she could see elegant couples lingering on the steps as they waited to walk inside. The sound of a band playing echoed in the air.
As they walked up the steps, Daniel slid his hand around her, pulling her close so she could feel the warmth of him through his tuxedo. The evening air was cool, making her shiver, so he pulled her even closer. She breathed in, inhaling the deep musk of his cologne.
“Daniel.” Lawrence held his hand out to his brother as they reached the door. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
Daniel’s fingers twitched on her back. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Becca bit down a smile at the dryness of his voice.
“And Becca. We’re delighted to have you here.” Melissa smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Has Daniel told you the history of this house?”
“No he hasn’t.” Becca’s smile was perfectly polite. “We were a little… busy this afternoon.”
Daniel chuckled at her insinuation. Even if it was a complete lie.
Melissa’s poise slipped. Only for a moment. “Maybe you can come see us another time and I’ll arrange for a tour.” Her eyes flickered to Daniel’s. “We’d love to host the two of you.”
“That’s a very kind offer. Thank you.” Becca had no plans of coming back. She was already feeling like she had insects crawling on her skin.
“We’ll see you later,” Daniel murmured, steering her away from his brother.
“Make sure you save me a dance,” Melissa called after him. Lawrence murmured something to her, and she whispered furiously back at him.
“I guess all is not well in the Jackson-Carter house,” Daniel said, picking up a glass of champagne from a tray and handing it to Becca. His other arm was still wrapped around her. She liked it. Maybe too much.
As they made their way to the ballroom, people greeted Daniel like he was their long lost friend, asking about Scotland, about Nathan, and the distillery. “So much for having no friends,” Becca said pointedly, as they approached his mothe
r’s table.
“They’re acquaintances at best,” Daniel told her. “The problem with Charleston is that everybody has a great memory. Some of them stretch back about three hundred years.”
Eliana rose to greet them, hugging first Becca, then Daniel. Then she introduced them to the other guests at the table. Of course they all knew Daniel, and Becca marveled again at how pleased they seemed to see him.
So he really was just an angry man at work, then. Interesting.
“Oh good, you’re sitting next to me,” a smiling woman said as Becca took her seat. “I’m Julia. Usually, I get the old leeches who pat my thigh about a hundred times before I threaten to kick them in the nuts.”
Becca grinned. “Well you do have nice thighs.”
Julia filled both of their wine glasses up. “So I see you’re with Daniel. Have you two been dating for long.”
Becca looked at Daniel. He just shrugged. Thanks for your help. “We work together,” Becca said, turning back to Julia. Maybe if she answered every awkward question with a change of subject she’d survive the night. It felt better than lying, anyway.
“It’s nice to see him with somebody so smiley for a change.” Julia said. “Which brings me to my next question. Have you met Melissa yet?”
“Yes she has,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes at Becca. “And it’s always a delight to sit with you, Julia.” He lifted a brow. “Becca, this is Julia Raymond. Charleston’s finest gossip queen. And my mother’s best friend, which is something I’ve never been able to work out.”
Julia laughed. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”
“Be careful what you say to her. She has a mind like an Excel spreadsheet. She knows the names of who’s slept with who in Charleston for the last four centuries.” He lifted his glass to his lips, his warm eyes belying his fondness for her.
“People just seem to confide in me.” Julia shrugged. “I can’t help it if I have one of those faces.”
As Daniel had promised, the guests barely touched the food, though the wine flowed like water, bottles constantly being replaced by the wait staff. By the time coffee was served, the buzz in the room had reached a crescendo, edged with the tinkling of laughter and the occasional shout.
“And now it’s time for the whole of Charleston society to get their dicks out and wave them around.” Daniel leaned over to whisper in her ear.
“The auction?”
“Yes. By tomorrow morning half these people will be fighting headaches and trying to get through to their bank manager to ask for a loan to cover the jet ski or the Bahamas vacation they bid on. It’ll probably take them an hour to remember it’s a Sunday.”
“Will you be getting your dick out?” She tilted her head, amused.
“Are we talking literally or metaphorically?”
She shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”
Daniel’s eyes caught hers. For a moment it was only the two of them. Everything else faded away. “I’ll bid on something appropriately expensive and completely useless,” he murmured, his gaze unwavering. “And probably never actually use whatever it is.”
“How boring.”
“It really is. Shall we go home and play more poker instead?”
Becca grinned. “I think you’ll save money by staying.”
His eyes crinkled. He leaned to brush his lips against her shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. “Touché.”
As soon as the auction was over, Becca excused herself to go to the bathroom. Daniel watched as she walked across the ballroom, admiring the proud way she held her shoulders, her dark hair tumbling around her creamy skin. Her dress looked almost luminescent – the bodice would be scandalous if it wasn’t for the hundreds of pearls stitched in patterns across the mesh, but every now and then the pattern allowed for a bare patch that revealed her body beneath.
She was beautiful. He ran his finger around the rim of his glass, exhaling slowly through his nose. He’d had to curl his hands into fists on the drive over to stop himself from touching her. In a few minutes they’d be dancing, and he’d have no choice.
He feared for both of their sanities.
“She’s delicious,” Julia said, leaning in with a smile. “I love her.”
“I thought you might.” He bit down a smile.
“Did you see the way people looked at her as she walked past. The whole room is buzzing. They want to know who this woman is that captured the ice king’s heart.”
“No they don’t,” he said softly. “They all know I don’t have a heart.”
Julia sighed. “They might think that, but I know better. I once saw you hold a bird with a broken wing for hours, tears in your eyes.”
“I was seven years old. I was probably crying because I wanted to play on my Gameboy.”
She tipped her head to the side, giving him a speculative look. “You don’t like being vulnerable, do you?”
He turned to give her his full attention. Julia had been a part of his life since he was a baby, thanks to her friendship with his mother. And like Eliana, she was predisposed to think the best of him.
“I find that people like to project their feelings onto me. You want me to be kind, so I’m kind. You want me to love animals, so you remember that bird I nursed, rather than the fact I just ate a chicken breast, which also comes from a bird.”
“To be fair, you didn’t eat it.” Julia smiled. “None of us did.”
“A good point. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
“Maybe I just want you to be happy. The way your mother does.” Julia shot a look at Eliana, who was talking with the Richardsons.
“And you think I can only be happy if I throw myself at Becca’s feet?”
Julia poured herself a glass of wine, lifting it to her lips. “I think she’s the first woman I’ve ever seen who gives you as good as she gets.”
“So I can only be happy if I date somebody who’s as much of an asshole as me?”
Julia laughed. “Maybe.”
Daniel leaned toward her. “Well unfortunately, Becca’s not an asshole. She’s a good person. Wants to make everybody happy, even when it’s to her own detriment. So your hypothesis fails.”
“Maybe she makes you happy by challenging you.”
Daniel blinked. For a moment he couldn’t think of anything to say. Could Julia be right?
“You look horrified,” Julia pointed out. “Is it so bad if she wants to make you happy? Isn’t that what happens in relationships. You make each other happy, become a team. You against the world.”
“You’ve been watching too many Hallmark Movies,” Daniel said playfully.
“And you’re still a cynic.”
“Can you blame me?”
Julia sighed, putting her glass on the table. “No, but maybe this time it will be different.”
“As I said, Hallmark.” He smirked.
The band started up again, drowning out her response. Chairs scraped against the floor as guests stood and made their way to the dance floor, more than one of them stumbling on their heels thanks to the copious amounts of wine they’d consumed.
Daniel stood, unable to sit and wait for Becca any longer. “Excuse me,” he murmured, leaning down to give Julia a kiss on her cheek. “I’m going to find my date.
“Make sure you save me a dance,” Julia said. “If you can spare one.”
“For you, anything.”
Chapter Twenty
“Becca.” The soft voice came from the hallway as she walked out of the bathroom. Becca looked over to see Melissa, her dark hair pulled back from her delicate face and wound into a plaited bun, a polite smile painted on her lips. She was wearing a navy dress that suited her peach complexion. Right now, she was glowing.
“Hello.” Becca forced a smile onto her lips. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine.” Melissa slid her arm through Becca’s. “I just wanted to thank you for coming tonight. I know it must be hard trying to fit in, and Daniel isn’t exactly the most h
elpful guy I’ve ever met. If you’re feeling lonely or ignored, come find me. I know a lot of interesting people.” She took a step forward, leading Becca through a door. The room behind it was cool, the walls lined with old paintings and antique mirrors, the floor filled with furniture that looked like it could have been purchased hundreds of years ago.
“I’m not bored.” Becca’s cheeks were starting to ache from holding the smile. “How could I be?”
Melissa’s eyes crinkled. “The offer stands. I don’t know if Daniel’s told you, but we used to be a couple. I know what he’s like. He promises to be somewhere and never turns up. He takes you out for a date and spends all evening on his phone trying to sort out a production problem. And then there’s his moods. The black ones. They can last for days.” Melissa squeezed Becca’s arms. “We girls have to stick together. So if you need to talk, let me know.”
“Thank you,” Becca murmured. She had no intention of ever confiding in Melissa. It would be like a fly confiding to a spider that it needed a rest. “But Daniel isn’t like that with me. He’s kind and funny and has a lot of time. Sometimes I have to remind him he still has a job.”
The smile on Melissa’s face wavered for a moment, before she remembered to tense her cheek muscles. “I guess these are still the early days. How long have you two been seeing each other?”
Becca couldn’t remember what they’d said at the restaurant. Had they even said anything at all about that? “A while.”
“Well it can’t be too long, since he’s only been back home for a few weeks. Seriously, call me in a few months. Unlike him, I always pick up my phone.”
The door opened, light spilling in from the hallway. Daniel stepped inside, his eyes darker than dark. “Am I interrupting something?”
Becca let out a lungful of air. Just being close to him made her body tense. It was strange how contradictory her reactions to him were. A little bolt of fear rushed through her, because he held an air of menace, and then warmth because somehow his mere presence made her feel safe.