by Elena Gray
When I finally stumbled out of the crowd, I smoothed my dress back into a respectful position and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It was in that moment that I realized I was royally screwed.
Chapter 5
With all of the dry humping I’d done with Mr. Smexy, I had somehow lost my phone and my hat. The thought of diving back into the crowd made me want to cry. How was I going to avoid the sex-inducing incense? Could I hold my breath long enough to search for it? Crawling on the floor was out of the question, because believe it or not, I actually had standards.
As I contemplated the best way to search for my phone, a hand shot out and grabbed my arm, jerking me into a dark hallway. I cried out as I was backed into the wall, and the drink in my glass spilled on my top, chilling my boobs. Hands pressed on either side of my head, boxing me in. Emerald green eyes stared at me from behind a metallic mask with raised skulls covering the top. Out of all the costumes I’d seen tonight, this one scared me the most.
“You shouldn’t be here.” His voice was like a warm caress sliding over me. How in the hell could his voice affect me this way? He was probably going to assault me and here I was thinking about how nice he sounded. Did I have a sign on me that said victim? I really hated this party. The games here sucked.
“I have an invitation,” I replied, refusing to let this guy intimidate me. I was getting sick of people treating me like shit.
“It must have been a mistake. You don’t belong here.”
Was this part of the game tonight? Was it some sort of test? I wasn’t going anywhere until I found my phone. I didn’t care about the damn hat anymore, and I definitely wasn’t leaving this place by myself. Even if I had to drag Marco away from Ruby, I would have someone escort me outside.
At this point, Trevor was on my shit list. A little warning about how insane this place was, would have been nice.
Lifting my chin in defiance, I tried to steady my racing pulse so he wouldn’t know how much he affected me. The rapid rise and fall of my chest probably gave me away, though.
“There was no mistake. I was personally invited,” I said, proud that my voice didn’t tremble.
He scanned my face, as though he was deciding what to say next. After a long pause, he grunted. “You have just been officially uninvited.”
My face burned with embarrassment. Was he the host? If so, he had every right to ask me to leave. He probably heard about all of the chaos I’d seemed to attract tonight.
“Is this your house?” I asked.
“No.”
Relief filled me, but the more I thought about his audacious attitude, the more uncooperative I grew. “If you don’t own this house, then you have no say in whether I stay or go.”
I tried to push his arm away, but it was like moving a steel beam. He gave me a dispassionate stare.
“I need to find my friend,” I said. “So, if you don’t mind, please move out of my way.”
Instead of backing off, he did the opposite and leaned closer. His chest nearly pressed to mine. “I can’t do that. I have a duty to make sure that you leave here unharmed.”
Who even talked like that? “Look, I appreciate whatever this is that you’re trying to do, but I don’t need your help. I can take care of myself.”
He flung his hand toward the dance floor. “Based on what I just saw out there, you aren’t doing that great of a job. You are in way over your head.”
“For your information, I was just leaving when you grabbed me.”
He studied me before responding, “Then why did you tell me that you weren’t going anywhere?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I held his gaze as I answered, “Because I don’t like to be ordered around by guys who think that women are the weaker sex.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t need to. Your caveman behavior said it for you.”
His body tensed as he stared at me through his intimidating as hell mask. “Are you really leaving?”
“Why? Am I keeping you from something?”
“As a matter of fact, I am in the middle of something, but I can’t get back to it until I know that you’re safe.”
Rolling my eyes, I let my hands slap against my side. “There’s that word again. Why wouldn’t I be safe here? It’s just a party. Granted, it’s a weird one, but I haven’t felt threatened.”
Unless you counted my run in with a witch, a jackass, and a sex addict. Maybe he had a point.
“Trust me. You don’t want to be here.” His hostile tone shifted to resignation as he took a step back. I could sense the frown on his face, even though it was hidden. For some reason I felt the urge to remove his mask and smooth away his worry. Which was insane, because a minute ago I’d wanted to choke him.
He seemed worried about something. I didn’t think he was intentionally being rude about wanting me to leave. It sounded like he expected something to happen tonight and he didn’t want me to be here when it did.
“Do you have a ride home?” he asked.
“I was hoping to get a ride home with my friend. I guess he changed his mind about coming. I’d call for a ride but I have to find my phone first.”
It could be anywhere, now that I thought about it. I hadn’t checked it since I’d arrived. Hopefully someone would find it and turn it in. I’d only had this one a few months and the thought of spending that much money again had my stomach in knots.
He glanced from right to left, then paused and cocked his head to the side as if listening for something. He still seemed distracted when he returned his attention to me. “I’ll show you a shortcut back to the entrance. This way you don’t have to work your way through the crowd. There’s a girl there taking coats. She can call a cab for you.”
“What about my phone?” I knew he was in a rush to get me out of here, but unlike the wealthy people who owned this house, I couldn’t afford to replace it.
“Can you leave an alternate number with the girl out front? I can make sure your phone is returned.”
I was about to agree when someone rammed into me, knocking the glass in my hand onto the floor.
“Excuse you,” I said as I faced my assailant. I rolled my eyes when I saw it was Ruby. Just when my night couldn’t get any better.
Witchy Ruby fisted her hands on her hips and smirked. “Just so you know, Marco will be going home with me tonight.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “Does Marco know that?”
“Marco and I go way back. So stay the hell away from him.”
She was toxic, and Marco seemed like a nice guy. I found it hard to believe that he’d ever dated her. Then again, who was I to judge a person’s relationship choices? I didn’t seem to have the best taste in men, either. But still, I wasn’t going to let Ruby get away with her shitty attitude without getting a dig in first.
“Strange that Marco never mentioned he had a girlfriend. How do you know he isn’t already going home with me tonight?” I asked, lifting my brows in question.
The masked stranger whipped his head toward me just as Ruby’s mouth snapped shut. She seemed to be contemplating whether I was telling the truth or not. Good. That meant that Marco hadn’t agreed to go with her. What I didn’t have time to analyze was the guy’s reaction to my statement.
Breaking the extended silence, Ruby ground out, “You couldn’t handle Marco.”
“Marco couldn’t handle me.” I could still feel the guy’s attention focused on me. What must he be thinking? I was fighting over a guy that I wasn’t even interested in.
As if she just noticed we weren’t alone, her gaze raked up and down the guy next to me. Raising her eyebrows, she said, “Well you seem to be making the rounds tonight.”
“And you seem to still be a bitch.” Whoa. I was on a roll with the snarky comments, but I may have just pushed too far. I was tired, frustrated, and needed to get out of my drink-coated costume. In its current state it wasn’t leaving much to the imagination. Not that it had covered much before
the spilled drink.
Ruby fisted her hand and took a step toward me. Yup. That was her limit.
The masked guy stepped between us. His voice was cold and hard when he addressed Ruby. “You don’t want to do that.”
“Who the hell are you?” Ruby sneered, squinting at him, as if that would help her see through the mask. She waved her hand over his body. “I sense something about you that I can’t quite put my finger on.”
She whispered something under her breath that I couldn’t understand. The words sounded foreign, but not like any language I had ever heard. When the guy lifted his arm and twisted his hand, Ruby’s eyes widened, the words dying on her lips.
“How did you do that?” she whispered as she stumbled backward.
“You are going to leave this girl alone and go home.” He leaned toward her, his face inches from hers. “You might want to think about who you try to spell in the future.”
Ruby actually looked afraid. She nodded and quickly left the hallway. Great. This guy was probably security for the party. Why else would Ruby run off without a fight?
What did he mean by spell? Was that some kind of slang term for mess with? Or was that meant to coincide with her pretending to be a witch? I was still having a hard time keeping up.
“This is why you need to go home,” the masked stranger said, crossing his arms over his chest. “There is so much going on here that you don’t understand.”
I shrugged. “I seem to be holding my own.”
He released an exasperated breath. Which meant my time was up. “Come on, I’ll walk you to the front.”
I turned to follow him and glass crunched under my shoes. My gaze fell to the crystals that littered the floor. I felt guilty leaving the mess, so I bent to pick up the pieces.
“Leave it. Someone will be by later to clean it,” the man growled.
“I already have most of...” I sucked in a breath when the largest shard sliced my hand.
The masked man crouched in front of me before I could stand. He lifted me up, then turned my hand to inspect the wound. Blood pooled in my palm. I was about to tell him I was fine when he began to pluck the shards of glass from my skin. The way he cradled my hand sent shivers through me.
“I didn’t mean any of what I said to Ruby.” My voice was softer than it had been a moment ago. “Well, at least, I didn’t mean the part about Marco.”
He stopped what he was doing for a moment, then resumed gently removing the glass.
Why had I felt the need to clarify that with him? I didn’t know him and would never see him again. Even if I encountered him again, he wouldn’t be wearing a mask, and I would never know who he was. Why did I care what he thought, anyway? Maybe it was because he was actually being nice to me, now. I never would have expected this gentleness after the way he’d put Ruby in her place.
He cleared his throat but didn’t look up. “So, the part about him not being able to handle you is true?”
“Yes. I mean no. I don’t know.”
He angled my hand closer to his face while he studied my wound. I got the feeling that he was smiling behind his mask. I wished I had a mask so I could hide the blush that I knew stained my cheeks.
“It doesn’t look too deep,” he said. “I doubt you’ll need stitches.”
He whispered something, and my palm grew warm and tingly. The pain from the cut slowly faded. That was weird. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that he used some kind of magic on me. I needed to cut back on the Zombie Destroyers and sexual incense. Obviously, I couldn’t handle what I’d had tonight.
Magic. Next, I would believe that unicorns were real.
The masked man pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to my palm, then folded my hand over it. He continued to hold my hand a little longer than necessary. It should have bothered me, but it didn’t.
He said, “I think it’s finally stopped bleeding. There’s a bathroom down the hall so you can rinse the blood off before you leave.”
I really wanted to see what he looked like under that mask, to see the face that went with those emerald eyes that seemed so full of worry. He was so close. All I had to do was reach out and lift the edge.
I was about to pull my hand out of his grasp when a loud boom shook the house. I let out a startled yelp and the guy wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me tight to his side.
He swore, then turned toward where the explosion had come from.
“Come on,” he said as he released me and clasped my uninjured hand. He dragged me through the crowd of people surging toward the doors leading outside.
“Shouldn’t we be going the opposite way?” I yelled.
He kept a tight hold on my hand while people bumped me from all sides. Sounds of excitement erupted all around us.
“I can’t leave you alone, and I have to check this out,” he said over his shoulder. “You’re safer with me.”
Another boom shook the house. I tried to keep up with him, but the crowd pressed closer, slowing me down. The instant he lost his grip on my hand, the crowd drew him forward. He pushed against the current as he tried to reach me, but there were too many people dragging him farther away.
Just as panic set in, someone else appeared next to me. I didn’t realize it was Trevor until his arm wrapped around my waist. Once he had a secure hold on me, he lifted me off the floor and forced his way to the left. People cursed as he cut them off, shoving them aside. As soon as we reached the wall away from everyone, he set me down.
“You found me,” I said, unable to keep the smile off my face.
Even though we were safe against the wall, he didn’t release me. If anything, he tightened his hold. The entire house could crash around us, but I didn’t care. I was with Trevor, safe and sound.
At least, my brain told me I was safe. My gut said otherwise.
Chapter 6
My heart still raced from the chaos flooding around me, but the gray eyes staring into mine left me feeling secure. For all I knew, the mansion could fall to the ground any second and bury me alive. At this point, I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was finding Trevor. I had been looking for him all night, and now that he was in front of me, I was a mess of nerves. Why couldn’t I think of anything to say?
He gestured toward the french doors that most of the people had exited. “Do you want to see the fireworks?”
I repeated his question in my mind as my face began heating. I was such an idiot. Of course the loud noise hadn’t been a bomb. Trevor had told me they would have fireworks. I’d just assumed the worst because the other guy had been so on edge. If he was security, shouldn’t he have known what was happening?
“I think I’ll pass on the fireworks.” To be honest, I didn’t care what I did now that we were together. Then I remembered promising the other guy I would leave.
Trevor’s lips lifted into a slow smile. “Good. Let’s go someplace quieter.”
I opened my mouth to tell him about the security guy insisting I go home, but I didn’t get the chance. Trevor was already guiding me across the room, my arm now locked inside his. He led me through the entryway, down another hallway, before finally stopping at a closed door.
Once he opened the door and ushered me inside, I glanced at the walls. Books lined shelves on both sides of the room. Wall to wall windows were across from me. There was a fire burning in the fireplace to the right, with a leather couch facing it and two matching chairs flanking both sides.
It was a beautiful study. The familiar scent of leather and old paper reminded me of walking into a used bookstore—one of my favorite pastimes.
When Trevor eased onto the couch, I followed and sat next to him.
“I didn’t think you would come.” He rested his hand beside mine on the cushion.
Shrugging, I played with the seam in the leather. “That makes two of us. I don’t usually go to parties alone. When I arrived and I saw the size of this house, I considered going back home.”
“What made you stay?”
“I never do anything spontaneous.” I debated on how much I should reveal, but since it was a night for firsts, I figured what the hell did I have to lose? “Have you ever been in love?”
“No.” A half-hearted laugh passed over his lips.
“Me either. I thought I was, and because of my naivety, I wasted the last year of my life making excuses for a man who I thought loved me.”
Afraid that my emotions would betray me in front of him, I got up from the couch and walked to the window. I didn’t want his pity any more than I wanted him to see me cry. Enough of my tears had been wasted on Mike already. He didn’t deserve any more, yet I couldn’t stop them from falling anyway.
Perhaps it was the combination of nerves and confrontations tonight that had my emotions rippling just under the surface.
Pulling the curtain aside, I caught the edge of the fireworks sparkling in the night sky. Each burst cast a rainbow glow in the room. It was the distraction I needed to prevent me from facing Trevor.
“I get it if you don’t want to talk about it,” Trevor said. “You seemed pretty upset earlier. I thought maybe coming to the party might be what you needed.”
“It’s helped more than you know. Over the past year, I spent too much time pretending I was someone else.” The way my voice shook had me taking a deep breath before I continued, “You wouldn’t believe how many times I covered for my ex-boyfriend. I made my friends think everything was okay because I wanted it to be okay. I lied to myself, hoping things would get better.”
Why was I still dwelling on my mistakes? What was important now was that I learn from them and move forward. Tonight, I’d proven I was strong enough to take risks, even if the evening hadn’t turned out the way I had planned.
“I know what it’s like to pretend to be someone you’re not.” The sadness in his voice tore at my heart. “You keep up the charade for fear that others might reject the real you.”
