Page 22 of All That Glitters
“Still… Let’s get you some fresh air. Whiskey on an empty stomach can have adverse effects.”
“How do you know my stomach’s empty?”
“An educated guess. You’ve been to my mother’s parties before. You know she always has enough food for an entire European country in the kitchen, so no one ever eats before arriving.”
She never spared any expense when it came to her dinner parties. She treated everyone invited like they were the most important person, like they were royalty. Like they were part of her family.
“I can take care of myself,” I said again, trying and failing to pull free of his hold. His fingers only tightened. “And if I can’t, Brax can help me outside.”
I turned beseeching eyes on Brax as the words came out of my mouth and the poor man looked like a deer in headlights.
“He looks like he’d rather do anything else. Come on. I’ve got you.”
He tugged lightly and with irritation, I reluctantly fell in beside him.
He was nothing if not gorgeous in the black, tailored pants and gray-flecked sweater. Was it possible to be jealous of a man’s clothes, the way they fit his body? If so, I was jealous as hell. I’d never tell him that, though. I’d never so much as hint at it.
He led me through a set of doors that opened onto a flagstone terrace which ran the length of the house.
The stones had been brought from Italy when the first version of the house had been built. It had been added onto multiple times, but from one room to the next, it was hard to see what was original and what wasn’t.
Old family money. Glitterati wasn’t as well known as Andretti in the extended world of racing, but some of that old money made in Italy was brought to the US to build an empire that had yet to get live up to that promise.
And Ashton was the face and heir to it all.
The cold night air hit my face, and I felt like I could breathe again. Within seconds, my head was once more clear and focused.
“You can let go now.”
“I don’t want to take the chance that you’ll fall to your knees if I do.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” I pulled, but he continued to hold onto me. I huffed in annoyance, shifted my stance, and slid my free hand into my pocket. “Fine. You win.”
“Most women would love it if I paid them this kind of personal attention.”
That smirk. That all-knowing glint in his eyes. He wasn’t wrong. We both knew it.
“I’m not most women.”
“You never have been.”
“So… You can go. Really. You wouldn’t want someone else to rescue a damsel in distress while you’re out here with me.”
“There are no damsels in distress here.”
Except me. I was a damsel. And there were several parts of me that were in distress.
This was one of those moments... I couldn’t let my guard down with Ashton and the longer we stood alone on the terrace while people laughed and talked inside the house, the more my resolve would falter.
I’d never been rude or short or curt or snarky with Ashton in more than a teasing manner, so my behavior was already suspect. Maybe only to me, though. Maybe Ashton didn’t care. Maybe he expected it. The shadows gave nothing away.
Part of my attitude had to do with Hale. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was being disloyal to him by spending any time alone with Ashton given their current rift.
The other part had nothing at all to do with Hale and all to do with me and what my traitorous heart and body wanted.
And why did it feel like the heat of Ashton’s touch got hotter the longer he held onto my elbow? My suit was made of slightly thicker material than most of my others. It was made to be worn in cooler temperatures and yet, I could be naked for all the protection it provided from Ashton.
“Do you remember the shell cottage at the very back of the property?”
