shoulder. It was so thin and frail I worried it would snap. “You’re welcome, Phoebe.” She patted me with her other hand, her expression softening into something hazier, more reminiscent. The oxygen cut off halfway to my lungs. I opened my mouth to respond, but no words made it past the tears welling in my throat. Instead, I lowered my gaze to the floor and tried to breathe through the fist squeezing my heart. You’re welcome, Phoebe. I knew Maura loved me even if she didn’t remember me, and she’d treated me like her own daughter when she did remember me. But I wasn’t her daughter, and I could never replace Phoebe. I didn’t want to. But I could care for her and give her as comfortable a life as possible. That meant doing everything I could to keep her at Greenfield, including making a deal with Christian Harper. My stomach twisted. I couldn’t screw up the party tonight with him, and I couldn’t stall any longer. I had to announce our relationship soon if I wanted to get the Delamonte deal. Maura had taken care of me when I didn’t have anyone else to lean on. It was time I did the same for her. She was worth the sacrifices.
7
STELLA
I stayed at Greenfield for another hour, talking and doing puzzles with Maura. We’d migrated to the community room after I got my emotions under control, and we’d spent the rest of our time together assembling a five-hundred-piece mountain landscape. I would’ve stayed longer, but I needed to get ready for the fundraiser. I was already cutting it close; when I got home, I had just under two hours before Christian was supposed to pick me up. A wave of nerves crashed against my insides and drowned out the lingering melancholy from my visit with Maura. Tonight would be my first time spending an entire evening with Christian. The Delamonte dinner didn’t count since we hadn’t spoken much during the dinner itself. I turned on the shower and stepped beneath the spray of hot water, trying not to panic too much at what lay ahead of me. Christian Harper was just a man. Not a king, even if he was richer than one, and not a god, even if he looked like one. I had nothing to be nervous about. Since I was on a time crunch, I washed my hair, showered, shaved, and exfoliated with record speed instead of lingering in the shower like I wanted. But despite my rush, I was still doing my makeup in my bathrobe when the doorbell rang. Christian wasn’t supposed to show up for another half hour. Unless… My heart rate picked up when the unsettling chill I’d experienced on the train drifted through my mind. Stop it.
It is not him. I didn’t know why I was worrying so much when he’d been radio silent for two years, but the last thing I needed was to manifest my stalker back into my life by focusing too much energy on him.
I jumped when the doorbell rang again. Had it always been so loud? I capped my mascara and hastened to the living room even as my pulse beat triple time. It’s not him. It’s not him. I slowed to a stop at the front door and peeked through the peephole with my heart in my throat. A second later, relief cooled my lungs, and I opened the door. Christian stood in the hall, looking
even more devastating than usual in a black tuxedo. With his perfectly wavy hair and clean-shaven face, he could’ve passed for a movie star on his way to the Oscars. A tingle of awareness spread across my skin, mixed with curiosity at the white box in his hands. Medium-sized and flat, tied with a silky gold bow that obscured the logo. I pulled my eyes away from the box and crossed my arms. Do not be distracted by the shiny object. “You’re early.” Getting ready was my favorite part of an event. Sometimes, I liked it better than the event itself. I didn’t appreciate being rushed, even if it was my fault for not leaving Greenfield earlier. Still, I thought I had half an hour left to myself. “You’re not dressed.” Christian’s gaze coasted from my half-done face to my bare, red-painted toes. Something inscrutable passed through his eyes for a split second before it disappeared. “Because you’re early.” He ignored the pointed reminder. “May I come in?” I was tempted to say no and tell him to return at our arranged pickup time, but since he technically owned the apartment, I opened the door wider and stepped aside. The air shifted the minute Christian entered. It grew heavier, more languid, like the first sultry bloom of summer after a season of spring rains. The heat seeped through the thick terrycloth of my robe and curled low in my stomach as his eyes swept across the room, taking in the bowl of crystals by the front door, the bamboo plant on the windowsill, and the cozy, aesthetic corner I’d set up for lifestyle shoots. He paused at the fuzzy purple unicorn propped against my couch pillows.
Amusement filled his eyes. “Cute.”
“Cute?” I tried not to sound too insulted. “Mr. Unicorn isn’t cute. He’s beautiful.” At least, he had been during his heyday. Now, one of his eyes was crooked, half his hair had fallen out, and stuffing leaked from a tiny rip in his stomach, but he would always be beautiful to me. I didn’t care if Mr. Unicorn was a shadow of his former glorious self; he’d been my companion since I was seven, and I would hold on to him until he disintegrated into dust. “My apologies,” Christian said dryly. “I didn’t mean to insult the beautiful Mr. Unicorn. Good job on the original name, by the way.” Heat crawled up my neck. “I was seven. What else was I supposed to name it? Mr.
Lisa Frank in the Wild?” A low laugh caressed my skin like velvet. “Now that would be quite a name, but we can discuss alternatives for your pet unicorn later.” He held out the white box.
“This is for you.” I ignored the subtle pet unicorn dig and eyed the box with equal parts anticipation and wariness. “What is it?” “Your dress for tonight.” My heart skipped a beat when I unraveled the bow and saw the name scrawled in gold across the top. It was one of the top couture houses in the world. I didn’t want to accept more from him than I already had, but I couldn’t resist opening the box. A little peek never hurt any… Oh my God. My resistance crumbled the second I saw the dress nestled against a bed of delicate white tissue paper. I was no stranger to gorgeous clothing. I’d attended dozens of fashion shows and received some truly amazing items from designers, but this… This dress might be the most stunning thing I’ve ever seen. “Thank you. This is…” I ran a reverent hand over the green silk. “Incredible.”“Try it on.
See if it fits.” Christian leaned against the wall, his eyes glowing with soft satisfaction. “I’ll be here.” He didn’t have to tell me twice. It took all my willpower not to run to my room. The second I shut my door, I slipped out of my robe and into the gown. Wow. I sucked in a sharp breath.
The rich green color popped against my skin and gave it an ethereal glow while the tastefully low V-neck transformed my B-cups from modest to something more luscious. The skirt draped
to the floor in graceful folds and would’ve been almost demure had it not been for the daring slit up one side. The dress shimmered with subtle luminescence every time I moved, and when I turned and twisted my head, I could see the delicate straps crisscrossing over my back. There wasn’t an ounce of excess fabric or a pocket of bad tailoring. Christian had gotten my measurements exactly right. Every inch of silk clung to my body like it’d been custom made for me. I wasn’t prone to dramatics, but I didn’t think I was being dramatic when I said I would die for this dress. It was perfect. I allowed myself an extra minute of gown appreciation before I finished getting ready. Makeup? Check. Heels and jewelry? Check. Clutch large enough to hold my phone, keys, credit card, a small piece of agate, and lipstick? Check. I added a shawl in case I got cold, checked my teeth for stray lipstick, and steadied myself with a deep breath before I returned to the living room. Christian was still leaning against the wall, staring at a small object in his hand. I couldn’t make out what it was before he straightened and slipped it into his pocket. Our eyes connected, and a fire lit in my stomach. He wasn’t looking at the object or anything else in the room anymore. Every ounce of his attention had redirected toward me, and I could feel the weight of it on my skin, like a lover’s rough caress. Liquid electricity dripped down my spine and pooled in my stomach. With a simple look, Christian lit me up from the inside out. “Perfect.” Reverence weighed his soft assessment. Perfect. No matter how hard I tried, I had never been perfect, nor would I ever be. Still, the single word set the caged butterflies in my chest free before I wrestled them back into their hold.