Page 18 of The Billionaire's Temptation

“Levi Harris!” a shrill, feminine voice called out. He smothered a groan, watching as the woman pushed two men out of the way to get to him.

He immediately recognized Blaire Stevens from the other day. The catty woman linked arms with Clarissa, smiling up at Levi. “Clarissa, introduce me to your man!”

Levi pulled Clarissa away, wrapping his arm protectively around her waist. “And who are you?” he asked, irritated.

Clarissa tried to tamp down her anxiety, but this party wasn’t anything like what she expected. Realizing that she needed to perform the formal introduction between Levi and her step-sister, she looked around, self-consciously smoothing a hand down over her cotton dress.

“Levi, you remember Blaire Stevens from yesterday. And Chad is around here somewhere as well. Blaire and Chad invited me out tonight,” Clarissa explained, her smile tight as she looked around at the other ladies in sparkling cocktail dresses.

“Your father is dead,” Levi pointed out harshly. “I think death severs the relationship between you and your step-siblings.”

The ditzy blond laughed, the sound shrill above the din of the other party guests. “Don’t be ridiculous!” she argued, playfully slapping his arm. “We’re family!”

“I’m going to head home,” Clarissa announced. “I’m not dressed for this fancy of a party.”

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Blaire replied. “The pink dress looks great on you!”

Clarissa felt her fingers tighten into a fist, fighting to keep herself from rearranging her step-sister’s smug face. The woman had told her repeatedly that the party would be fun, that it would be causal, and the dress was perfect.

The reality was, she was underdressed and the hostess was offended. Not only was Clarissa not dressed for a cocktail party, no one had warned the hostess that Clarissa would be here. The hostess had mentioned something about rearranging the seating for dinner.

Clarissa felt horrible and just wanted to leave. But now that Levi was here, he’d complicated her plans to run away.

She felt his arm tighten around her. “Are you okay, honey?” he asked, his voice low and husky in her ear. She tried to stifle the shiver, but was very aware that he was pressed against her, literally shielding her from the other guests that were stiflingly close.

“I’m fine,” she lied, hoping he couldn’t see the panic in her eyes.

He looked down at her, lifting a hand when Blaire tried to interject another comment. His blue eyes looked into hers and she tried to fake a smile.

“You’re not okay, love.” He took her hand. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” she asked, squeezing in between two people who glared at her for daring to bump into them, even though they didn’t even try to move when she attempted to slip behind them.

“We’re leaving.” He glanced down at her again, assessing her. “You look hungry and I don’t think Marjorie is serving dinner for another hour, maybe longer.”

“Dinner won’t be until–” she stopped as he pushed through a side door. Suddenly, the sounds of the party disappeared and she felt as if she were yelling. “Where are we?”

He paused, pulling out his phone. “Hold on, I’m going to text my friends that I’m–”

Before he could even unlock his phone, Sean and Matteo appeared in the doorway.

“Are you making an escape without us?” Matteo teased. “You’ll pay for that in the ring tomorrow.”

Sean chuckled as he took Clarissa’s hand. “I’m Sean Byrne and you are the loveliest woman I’ve seen all night!”

Clarissa pulled back, startled by the two giant men. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Byrne,” she replied stiffly, obviously intimidated by these men.

The audacious man laughed, his Irish accent heavy now. “Ye have no idea how delighted we are te meet ye!”

She didn’t understand his enthusiasm, but relaxed slightly when Levi wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

“Back off,” he snarled. “She’s not used to such stupidity.” He turned to the third man. “This is Matteo del Campo. He’s an ass, just like Sean and I.”

“I’m the more refined ass,” the suave, tanned skinned man with jet black hair and black eyes corrected. His black eyes were twinkling with merriment, causing Clarissa to relax slightly. She smiled as he took her free hand, lifting it to his lips. “And I’m going to kiss your fingers, just to rile my friend.”

The laugh burst out of her at the outrageous statement. Clarissa was delighted with the man. Then she laughed harder when Levi jerked her hand away from Matteo. “You’re quite the charmer,” she teased, enjoying the jealous display from Levi. For some reason, it soothed her nervousness unlike anything else had.

“Clarissa needs something to eat,” Levi announced. “I’m taking her to get a burger.”

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