Page 88 of Untethered Heart
“Pfft, it’s so obvious. Have you noticed how much red that guy wears these days? I caught him online shopping at Christmas dinner for mermaid cufflinks. Mermaids! At first, I thought, whatthe fuck? Then a text message popped up on his phone fromSiren, and I thought, well, isn’t that nauseatingly cute.”
“Have you seen his tie with the waves?” Isabelle smiles, and Beth throws her head back and laughs.
“No! What a dork!”
“I think that’s sweet,” Tenley says, slapping a hand against Beth’s forearm.
“I think that’s obsessed,” Beth argues. “I can’t wait to tease him about it later.”
“It’s not like his feelings developed overnight,” Isabelle says, and then her forehead creases in thought. “Actually, maybe they did. Remember on the plane to Royal Harbour? He was acting a bit out of sorts, and Gage said he went home with someone. That was the night he met Lex.”
“I do remember the trip to Royal Harbour.” Beth nods. She pins Isabelle with a daring stare and a curve of her lips. “Many interesting things seemed to happen on that trip.”
“Exactly. So it’s been like three, four months of building feelings,” Isabelle says, totally unaffected by Beth’s words.
“Mmm, building feelings. Of which I’m sure will become very obvious when we arrive at the ball later.”
“Why do you sound like you’re speaking in code?” Tenley asks with one eye open on Beth while eyeshadow is swept over the lid of her other eye.
“I can be more blatant if you’d prefer? Isabelle?” Beth raises her eyebrows, pointing her reflection at Isabelle’s.
“No! No, I think you’re right. Caleb’s feelings will definitely be obvious tonight.”
“Yes. Caleb’s.” Beth chuckles. “Of course.”
***
Caleb wanted to walk into the ball together, but Beth insisted that the four of us girls come in our own limo and the guys could go in theirs. Apparently, she wanted a Cinderella moment when everyone gawked at her as she came down the stairs.
We ran into James Huxley in the lobby, he was there with one of his business partners, Jackson, who owns the casino in Queens Coast. We all chatted for a few minutes before Beth grumbled that Caleb was blowing up her phone, demanding our presence.
We left Tenley and Isabelle to keep chatting and made our way to the ballroom.
“Beth Heart and Lex Morgan,” Beth says to the ushers when we reach what look like ten-foot-tall doors.
“Thank you, Miss Heart,” the man says as he taps against the screen in his hand, and the other man pulls open one of the giant doors.
“How disappointing.” Beth looks at me with those wicked cat eyes. “No stairs. My Cinderella moment shall have to wait for another day.”
I laugh as I fiddle with the clasp on my clutch, and we walk into the ballroom. Soft lighting fills the grand ballroom. Too many tables to count are lined with white linen and impressive floral displays.
“Is that something you’re looking for?” I ask. “A Cinderella moment.”
Beth snorts, then loops her arm through the crook of my elbow. “I’ve yet to meet a man who can handle the fact that I’m not some trust fund brat,” she says. “They don’t look at me like a regular girl who they’d treat like a princess. They look at me like a princess who’s not smart enough to see through their bullshit. I’m sure my Prince Charming is out there, but fuck, the amount of toads I’ve kissed so far is depressing. Is it so hard to find a man who wants to worship me?” Her words take on a tone full of jest and tease. “Seriously? Am I askingfor too much?”
“Oh, thank fuck, you’re finally here. He’s been driving me crazy,” Gage interrupts, slamming a glass on a high-top table with a thunderous look.
His huge body is wrapped head to toe in black. Black boots, black dress pants, and a black silk shirt rolled halfway up his forearms. His shirt is open a few buttons down, and where his neck is covered in tattoos, his chest appears bare.
He rubs a meaty, tattooed hand down his face. “Don’t ever suggest he ride separate from her again.” He glowers at Beth while he waves a hand in my direction.
Beth looks at me with an unimpressed eyebrow raised. “If my brother, of all people, can be reduced to this behaviour, I’m not giving up on myself yet.” She turns back to Gage. “Where is the lovesick fool?”
A gasp comes from the other side of us, and I turn to see Caleb standing there, his gaze fixed on me as it travels from my toes, all the way up to my eyes.
“If you cry, I will disown you,” Beth says, as if she’s completely repulsed but I’m starting to think all her protests are really longing in disguise.
Caleb steps closer to me, picking up a hand and laying it over his chest where his heart beats like a drum.
