Page 18 of Free to Run
Colby admits, “Ruining that dress would be a tragedy, Ali. Okay, we’ll let Jared pick.”
Sliding his hand from the center of my back to the curve of my hip, he guides me out of the ballroom.
Colby and I make our way through the throng of people. “What a crush. No wonder we all needed to be here tonight,” he mutters. I shoot him a sympathetic look. I know crowds aren’t exactly his favorite thing.
“Oh, my wrap!” I exclaim. “I need to remind Jared to stop and grab it at the coat check on his way.” Pulling my phone from my clutch, I turn it over and quickly text him.
I didn’t forget. I’m standing in line. Send Colby over. He can probably get it faster and we’ll be out of here. Otherwise, I’ll be waiting forever.
With a laugh, I show Colby my phone. Clicking his polished heels together and snapping me a salute, he says, “Never fear, Ms. Freeman. All in a day’s work. Run five miles, shoot some guns, retrieve silk wraps.”
“Bite me,” I retort.
As he’s walking away, he tosses over his shoulder, “There’s certainly enough real estate showing in that dress!”
Laughing, I back up a few steps and bump into someone for the second time in one night. “Oh, I am so sorry!”
“Hello, Alison.” The deep timbre of Keene’s voice causes shivers to race up my exposed back.
Crap. Crap. Double crap.
I turn around and face him. The bottom drops out from my stomach.
In jeans, Keene can make your mouth water. In a suit, he’ll turn your head.
In a tuxedo, he’s every woman’s fantasy.
Taking in a deep breath, I slowly let it out. “Hello, Keene. Lovely to see you.”
“Is it really?”
I avoid answering. Instead, I focus on the displays around the outskirts of the lobby.
“You didn’t answer my question, Alison.” Keene steps closer, picking up my hand as he does. Bringing my fingers up, he grazes his lips over them. “Are you really happy to see me?”
Brazenly, I toss my hair. The movement has every glass bead on my dress shimmering in the overhead light. “We’re family. It’s always lovely to see family.” Lovely. For me, lovely ranges in meaning from “bullshit” to “full of crap” to “oh, hell no.”
All of which seem to apply to my present situation.
I’m not ready to face Keene yet. I have no idea what to say. I knew I wouldn’t be ready to face him all superior-like when I forced myself to go to his office tomorrow.
His face darkens. “We’re not family.”
Swallowing hard, I try to remove my hand. “I realize my behavior the other night may have caused you distress, Keene, but I didn’t realize you were so disturbed by my comments that you’ve already disowned me. I only wanted the chance to say, had I known—”
He interrupts me, snarling, “What the hell are you talking about? I have a general rule that I don’t slide my cock inside a woman who’s related to me.”
The people walking by us are shocked into silence.
Mortification stains my cheeks. I open and close my mouth, but no words come out.
He pulls me closer to his body, away from the flow of people coming and going from the ballroom.
9
Keene
Up close, her dress is illegal, and so is her body.
