I leaned against the bar and tapped my fingers along the white marble as I waited impatiently to place my drink order. Leave it to my brother to skip one or two important details before sending me here.
“That doesn’t automatically make him bad,” I whispered, thinking back to my own rather cavalier ideas about relationships and sex. I liked having zero commitment. And as far as family not always sticking to the right side of the law, I wasn’t one to judge. Not all of our family was on the right side of the bars.
“What’s his name, anyway?” I asked casually, pretending to play the part my brother assigned.
Ginger’s loose blonde curls bounced along her shoulders as she broke into laughter.
“Drake Volkov. But I’m telling you, if you knew even half of his issues, you’d stay far away.” She continued to shake her head. “Just trust me. You don’t want a thing to do with that man or his family.” Her eyes narrowed on me as she took a sip of her drink and I ordered mine.
“I mean it,” she continued. “Steer clear. The entire family should be locked up.”
Obviously, Ginger didn’t know me that well, or she’d understand that the moment someone told me not to do something was the exact moment I wanted to do it.
It was a sick trait, but I couldn’t help it.
I glanced behind me to where Drake had been standing, but he was nowhere to be seen. I’d found him and already managed to let him slip away. This kind of work really was exhausting.
I reached for my glass of champagne and took a sip. By the looks of the place, I’d need several glasses to survive the night.
I slid my finger along my hair and readjusted the mask around my eyes. Gold glitter floated through the air, and I held in a groan of frustration.
My brother owed me big time.
“There are two very good-looking men over by the sign-in table, and they’re looking our way,” Ginger hummed, setting her empty glass on a table.
I followed her gaze and saw two decent-looking guys watching us as they drank beer. Granted, they were wearing masks, so who knew, but neither did a thing for me.
In fact, the red velvet curtains behind them looked far more appealing—especially from an artist’s point of view—but I knew I had to tread lightly with Ginger. After a two-year court battle, her divorce was finalized one month ago, and she hasn’t wasted a moment since.
Not to mention, we were two nights away from my big night, the opening of my exhibit at her gallery. She held the key to my entrance into the New York art scene, and if it meant some harmless flirting, so be it.
One of the guys held up his beer toward us, which was exactly the opening Ginger had been waiting for. She let out an excited chirp, and I held my glass tighter, praying it would shatter in my fingertips and buy me a bloody ticket out of here.
“You know you don’t want to bother with either of those men,” Drake said in a hushed tone. His voice made my skin sizzle with excitement. “They won’t interest you in the least bit.”
Ginger snapped her head to look at the man standing behind me. Her gaze hardened on him, and I realized in that moment that there might be more than one reason Drake was off-limits. I turned around to see him but took a step back.
“And you will?” I asked, folding my one arm across my chest.
I took a sip of champagne, not taking my eyes off him.
“Guaranteed.”
The attraction I felt toward Drake was insanely dangerous. The combination of dark hair and light blue eyes was hauntingly beautiful, and the dark lashes outlining his eyes would probably be the death of me. Men like this didn’t exist where I lived in California. I was used to the surfer boys and club owners. This guy had an edge about him that drew me in far too deep.
“Certainly sure of yourself,” I retorted, swallowing more champagne.
“If I don’t believe in myself, no one else will. It’s totally your call, though. If you’re into those two over there, be my guest. I’ll just hang at the bar, enjoying the view of you in that goddess of a dress.”
The cocky bastard had me. He could read me like an open book, and I didn’t like it one bit.
Not one bit.
I hadn’t stayed single this long by falling for some guy’s pick-up lines and . . .
Who the hell was I kidding?
He was the exact type of guy I ran from, but for some reason, I didn’t want to go anywhere, which was a danger sign as clear as any.
I couldn’t be a part of whatever Drake had planned for the rest of the evening, or I wouldn’t get the information Luke needed. I brought my eyes back to his, and he looked thoroughly amused.
“Listen, I’m looking for safe with no drama, so I’ll take my chances with the Hardy Boys over there.” I kept my face void of expression and pointed at the two guys who were still watching us closely.
Ginger snickered, and I suddenly felt bad for Drake, but he didn’t miss a beat.
“Well, it sounds like the matchup is off to a good start already. If you change your mind, you’ll know where to find me.” He turned around but stopped and spun back around. “And don’t let Ginger taint your views about me too much. She’s biased.”
Ginger grabbed my hand and nearly pulled my arm off as she tugged me toward the two men.
“So you know him?” I asked. “Like personally? Not just his reputation.”
She let out a sigh and slowed her pace.
“My sister was married to his brother.”
Mia is Available Now!
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BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON
LUKE FLETCHER SERIES
HIDDEN SINS
BURIED SINS
REDEMPTION
MIA
V MAFIA SERIES
BLAKE – FALL 2016
DEVIN – Coming Soon
JAXSON – Coming Soon
ISLAND COUNTY SERIES
FINDING LOVE IN FORGOTTEN COVE
LOVE REDONE IN HIDDEN HARBOR
TANLGED LOVE ON PELICAN POINT
FOREVER LOVE ON FIREWEED ISLAND
TEMPTING LOVE ON HOLLY LANE
A CHANCE AT LOVE ON MYSTIC BAY
BEYOND LOVE SERIES
BEYOND CONTROL
BEYOND DOUBT
BEYOND REASON
BEYOND INTENT
BEYOND CHANCE
BEYOND PROMISE
BEYOND the MISTLETOE
AFTERWORLD SERIES
Afterworld: Zombie RecruitZ
Afterworld: Zombie AlibiZ
Afterworld: Zombie UprisingZ
THE WITCH AVENUE SERIES
LONELY SOULS
ALTERED SOULS
RELEASED SOULS
SHATTERED SOULS
THE WATCHERS TRILOGY
AWAKENING
LEGIONS
CATACLYSM
TAKEN NOVELLA (A Watchers Prequel)
WHISPERS SERIES
WHISPERS IN THE WOODS: The Camp
WHISPERS ON CAMPUS: The Dorm – Coming Soon
About the Author
Karice received an MFA in Creative Writing from the U of W. She has written close to thirty novels, and she has several exciting projects in the works (or at least she thinks they're exciting). Karice lives in the Pacific Northwest with her awesome husband and two cute English Bulldogs. She loves anything to do with snow, and she seeks out the stuff whenever she can, especially if there's a toasty fire to read by.
Tempting Love on Holly Lane (Island County Book 5) Page 21
