Page 30 of Dark Reign

I looked him over, taking note of details that shouldn’t have mattered. The buzzed sides of his dirty-blond hair tapered into a trendy cut. It was short, but long enough on top to style with a little product. A shadow of facial hair shaded a firm jaw, framed pale, coral-toned lips I stared at way too long. Even in a tux, dressed to the nines, it was clear he would have been just as captivating in a t-shirt and jeans.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Levi dipped his head to acknowledge me next, and he may as well have sung those words. His voice, deep and melodic, was almost entrancing.

The ruby and diamond-trimmed bezel of his watch caught my eye when he slipped both hands inside the pockets of his tuxedo. I should have been ashamed that I’d followed his life enough to know the touch of red in his watch and cufflinks was his signature, but I wasn’t. When our eyes met again, one corner of his mouth quirked with an unexpected half-smile. Intrigue filled his gaze, and … my stupid heart went wild.

That look alone made me wonder if, maybe, thiswasn’tan ambush. But if not, then what?

“Evening, Miss.” I glanced over when Silas’ polite greeting touched my ears. I offered another smile, somehow hiding how frazzled my nerves were with the four of them being so close.

“Evening.” My eyes never left him as I replied, for no other reason than the fact that he was so incredibly easy to stare at.

There was a curious look on his handsome face. He was most often mentioned for his scholarly accomplishments, but as we stood within a foot or two of one another, it baffled me that his good looks hadn’t overshadowed every other quality he possessed.

He was, perhaps, the most alert of them all, seeing as how the others seemed at a loss for words. But … not Silas. He was cool and collected, and like the others, had taken my breath away.

My gaze slipped to Roman next although he stayed quiet, noting that he hadn’t foregone the sexy, rugged look he’d been captured sporting lately. Despite having cleaned up a bit to look the part of a gentleman tonight, that animalistic glint behind his eyes told of another side. One where he cared little about coloring inside the lines. One that made me imagine him wild and unbridled in all the wrong ways.

With this one encounter, I understood what all the fuss was about. Understood why the term‘most eligible bachelors’had been tossed around so often. As far as monsters went, they were wildly attractive.

Julian turned and addressed the others.

“Gentlemen, would you mind giving me a moment?” he requested, but his words confused me more.

I swallowed hard as Levi Buchanon himself leveled a look my way, one I felt all the way down to my bones.

He gave Julian a loaded nod.

“… Of course,” he uttered as his gaze slipped over me one last time. Motioning for Roman and Silas to follow, the three sauntered back across the room.

My eyes were glued to them for a moment, noting how each, at separate times, glanced back—Levi still sporting that slick smile, Silas’ curiosity still present, and Roman not giving much away beneath his hooded brow.

It was onlymarginallyeasier to breathe now that it was just Julian and I. I had his full attention again, and that of so many others who surrounded us. Mostly women around my age, maybe a few years older. His wordless, metallic stare nearly broke me, and had it not been for the sound of his voice ending the silence, I might have cut my losses and tried to make a run for it.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” The sound that left his mouth was deep, sultry.

“I am. Thank you for asking.”

He gave a shallow nod, but didn’t look away.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation, but … I couldn’t stop myself from coming over.”

I knew what this sounded like, knew itseemedlike one of four incumbent rulers of the free world was saying he’d trekked across the room just to talk to me, but that couldn’t have been.

“No need to apologize. We were nearly finished,” I replied.

I swore he hadn’t blinked even once. Nervous, I adjusted one of my straps that didn’t need adjusting. A look dragged the length of my entire body—from my feet, slowing at my hips, and then melting over my exposed chest, before he completely stalled at my throat.

My hand rested there, thinking he must have seen how my pulse had gone crazy being near him. Their hearts beat at a snail’s pace compared to ours. If he noticed …

“Have we met before?”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t believe we have. I don’t make it to these events often, so …”

He nodded, holding my gaze. “Didn’t think so. I was certain I would’ve remembered if we had.”

Freeing his hand from his pocket, he held it out to me. “I’m Julian,” he offered, one corner of moistened lips tugging up into a smile.

He wanted my hand. My verywarmhand.

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