Page 54 of Token

“Now we just have to find the belle of the ball,” Kennedy said, her gaze scouring the room for Sahara. “And watch out for Aurora. She should be here soon.”

Nate closed his eyes as he prayed for strength. Wonderful. Although, he had suspected Aurora couldn’t be far behind when he’d gotten into the limo and realized his date had been crashed, his place at Kennedy’s side usurped—at least for the duration of the ride. Come to think of it, he was surprised they hadn’t stopped by Aurora’s brownstone to pick her up too in the evening’sthe more the merriertheme.

His irritation must have been plain as day on his face because Kennedy shot him a quelling look. “Don’t look at me like that. She’s Sahara’s friend too. Did you honestly think she wouldn’t be invited? Now, try not to be such a stick-in-the-mud. We’re here to have a good time.”

Clearly, they didn’t share the same definition of a good time. After not having seen her all week, having her all to himself tonight was what he considered a good time. Short of that, this would have to do, because he was at thetake what he could getstage of their arrangement. “It would have been nice if you’d mentioned this in yourtext.” He couldn’t keep the slight edge from seeping into his voice.

“There are over one hundred and fifty people here. What difference does it make if one of them happens to be your darling baby sister?” She huffed. “You’re acting as if the two of you aren’t close. You guys hang out more than any brother and sister I know.”

“Yes, I love my sister and we get along great, but that doesn’t mean I want her on my dates,” he muttered.

In the midst of avidly perusing the room, Kennedy went motionless. Then she very slowly angled her head until her gaze met his, something almost questioning in her eyes. “Only this isn’t a real date,” she reminded him, unnecessarily.

Nate didn’t say anything, simply returned her stare, one eyebrow raised.

Are you sure about that?

A hum of electricity vibrated in the air, and despite the din of a party in full swing, an intimate bubble of silence formed around them.

A moment later, a male voice behind them pierced that bubble with a warm and congenial, “Kennedy.”

The pair turned in unison toward the intrusive presence. They’d been having a moment. Nate could already see their future dating life, a series of events in which men he didn’t know were constantly calling out Kennedy’s name, demanding her attention.

“Phil, it’s so good to see you,” Kennedy said, an affectionate smile wreathing her face. “Is Brenda with you?” she asked, taking a quick look around for his better half, as he lovingly referred to his wife.

Returning her smile, he replied, “Not tonight, but she asked me to send you her best and hopes to have you over for dinner again soon.”

“That would be lovely. I’ll be sure to give her a call,” Kennedy said, and then turned to her date to perform the introductions. “Phil, this is Nate Vaughn, Aurora’s brother. Nate, this is Phil Draper, a former client. He’s the VP of Marketing at ECO Apparel, the company that manufactures and distributes Sahara’s clothing line.”

“Of course, Kurt Vaughn’s boy. Wonderful to meet you,” Phil enthused as the men shook hands. “As I’ve told your sister, I can’t get enough of your father’s work. I’ve seen every movie he’s ever made. They don’t make movies like they used to.”

“I’ll be sure to let him know he has a fan in you,” Nate replied, smiling.

Phil turned and regarded her fondly. “Kennedy worked with us for six months and the place hasn’t been the same since she left. We’d love to have her back. Maybe you can convince her.”

Kennedy could feel herself blushing as warmth climbed from her chest to her face. “Oh, don’t listen to Phil. I was the lucky one. ECO Apparel was our first client, and almost single-handedly helped launch the agency. And no one has sent more referrals our way than Phil himself. I owe him a lot.” No one at ECO had been better to her than Phil, and she was proud to call him her friend.

“Always happy to help in whatever way I can,” Phil said magnanimously.

He thought a lot of himself. She knew that. But he expressed it in a way she didn’t find off-putting. The man had a heart of gold. Without his support, it would have taken twice as long or longer tobeginto diversify ECO’s workforce. The last time she’d stopped by the offices—six months ago—new and diverse faces were everywhere she looked. And it never got old, the satisfaction of knowing that Tokenhad had a lot to do with the changes.

“I don’t blame you for wanting her to come back,” Nate said, his gaze drifting over her like a soft caress, intimate and warm. “Kennedy leaves an indelible mark wherever she goes.”

Her heart practically skipped a beat as she swallowed hard and tore her gaze from Nate’s. She needed a tamper-proof force field to resist his brand of magnetism, and the only thing she had was a little clutch purse.

“Well, it was lovely seeing you again, Kennedy. Make sure you give Brenda a call. We’d love to have you for dinner again, and you’re more than welcome to bring a date.” In the next breath, Phil shifted his attention to Nate and said, “Hope to see you again.”

Kennedy bit back a smile. Phil couldn’t have made his meaning more obvious if he’d come right out and asked Nate to join them for dinner.

“A man can only hope,” Nate answered lightly, shooting her a look that made her acutely aware of the power of one of his barely there smiles and what it did to her insides.

Kennedy instinctively placed her palm on her lower stomach and then dropped it to her side when she realized what she was doing. With his return, it seemed the whole belly-whooshing thing was back for good. Let the roller-coaster rides begin again.

After Phil left them to mingle, Kennedy looked up at Nate and smiled. “That was nice. Isn’t Phil great?” It was a rhetorical question, not one she’d expected to be met with silence.

Placing his hand on the small of her back, Nate silently guided her deeper into the room. He paused to snag two glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing bow tie–clad server.

Kennedy gracefully accepted the champagne flute from him and watched as he downed almost the entire contents of his. “What?” she pushed. “Don’t tell me you didn’t like Phil.”

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