Page 50 of Seduced By You

I disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Groaning at my reflection in the mirror, I braced both hands on the sink and willed my erection to deflate.

God, that dress. That body.

She’d done something different with her tits, too. They popped even more than they had when she’d modeled the dress for me in Cannes.

“Gonna be a long night, Kingcaid.”

I straightened my bow tie, wishing a painful death on the person who’d invented the damn things. I hated suits at the best of times, but tuxedos belonged in a special place in hell. My brothers lived in suits. They’d always fit in so well with the billionaire lifestyle with their designer clothing and expensive watches and perfectly groomed hairstyles.

Whereas me? I was most comfortable in casual gear, or in swim shorts, riding the perfect wave to the shore.

Sometimes I questioned whether my parents had brought the wrong baby home from the hospital.

“Kadon.” Lee knocked on the door. “We have to go.”

“One sec.” I had a final look at myself. “Do not rise to anything that asshole says, okay?”

Earlier, I’d walked six miles, and yet I still couldn’t shake the prickles racing over my skin. The logical side of me recognized that I was overreacting. My father had many talents, and burying bad news was one of them. Although,bad newswasn’t how I’d describe what had happened in Switzerland.

Aclusterfuckwas far closer to the truth.

I kneaded my chest. Why did guilt sit so heavy, like a slab of concrete, weighing me down and making it difficult to breathe? Time was supposed to be a healer, but it turned out that self-disgust and remorse didn’t play by those rules.

Taking a deep breath, I plastered a smile on my face and opened the bathroom door.

“Ready?”

She laughed. “I’ve been ready for ten minutes. It’s you who’s running late.” She dusted her hands over my shoulders, then patted my chest. “Looking good, Kingcaid.”

Everything south of my midriff clenched. I stuck out my arm. “Let’s go knock ’em dead.”

We made our way down to the ballroom. I glanced at the table plan. Oh, good. They’d mixed up the seating, so I wouldn’t have to sit on my hands to avoid punching Piers if he dared make another misogynistic comment to Lee. I was forever conscious of the dangers of striking out. How the consequences of something so seemingly innocuous could ruin your life.

But goddamn, when it came to pricks like Piers, or Benedict, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

I took Lee’s hand and headed over to the other side of the room.

She tugged me in the other direction. “Wait, there’s Pippa. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

A redhead in a floor-length, fitted black gown rose from her chair, meeting us halfway. She enveloped Lee in a tight hug. They both started talking simultaneously, then laughed.

“Kadon, this is Pippa. She saved my life at the spa today.”

“Figuratively speaking.” Pippa shook my hand. “It’s good to meet you. Lee’s told me all about you.”

I glanced sideways at Lee, wondering what she’d said to Pippa. In my experience, women bonded easily. Lee could easily have told Pippa something closer to the truth. “Good things, I hope.”

Pippa’s eyes danced. “Oh, they were good.” She looked me up and down. “Very, very good.”

“Pippa!” Lee widened her eyes, a secret message passing between the two women. “Shush.”

Okay,nowI’m intrigued.

“Ignore her, Pippa. Tell me everything.”

Pippa giggled. “I couldn’t possibly. But suffice to say you came out rather well.”

“Is that so?” I slipped my arm around Lee’s waist and kissed the top of her head. “You can tell me later, Lee.”

---