“I’m good, but thank you,” I told her.

  She nodded, then raised her eyebrows when she saw my neck. I had put on a pair of black shorts with hot-pink polka dots on them and a hot-pink tank top today.

  “Looks like someone got excited,” she said, grinning.

  I smiled, but said nothing.

  She glanced around, then leaned forward. “Seriously though, are you good with this? Tonight?” she whispered.

  No, I wasn’t good, but that didn’t matter.

  I shrugged. “I don’t think it matters.”

  She frowned and leaned back with a sigh. “Yeah. Sucks though.”

  “Yep,” I agreed, then dropped my gaze back down to my book.

  I heard his footsteps before he appeared, but I didn’t look up. I feared how I would feel, seeing him in a tux, looking like every woman’s fantasy, knowing he was going to have another woman on his arm. He would touch her back and hold her while they danced. The jealous knot in my stomach was so twisted up that it hurt.

  “Guys already left,” I heard Gina say. “Huck said he’d see you after.”

  I still didn’t look up. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew how devastatingly beautiful he looked in a tuxedo. I didn’t want to be reminded. I was sure his date would be stunning, wearing a dress that would turn heads. While I sat here with my hair in a ponytail, dressed like a nineteen-year-old. Even my feet were bare.

  “Madeline,” Blaise said.

  I sighed, knowing he was going to expect me to speak to him. After all, I’d acted fine all day. I’d fucked him in the shower, eaten beside him at the table. I was fine with all of this, like a good little girl, I thought sourly.

  Forcing myself to appear pleasant, I lifted my gaze from the book and looked up at him. It was hard to breathe. His blond hair was pulled back in a bun, and the tuxedo made him appear like the Greek god I was sure he’d descended from.

  “Yes?” I asked with a smile I hoped looked real.

  He stared at me a moment, then walked over to stand in front of me.

  “You leaving?” I asked as if I didn’t care.

  “Yes,” he replied with a frown between his eyebrows.

  “Have a good time,” I replied.

  His gaze went to the bite mark he’d left on me. I felt goose bumps cover my arms and wished they hadn’t. He’d see them too. Dang it.

  “This is just how things need to be,” he told me even though I hadn’t mentioned it.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I got that last night.” I finished it with a smile.

  He didn’t look pleased. I held his gaze until he bent down and put his hands on the armrests, caging me in.

  “Then, why aren’t you standing up to give me a kiss?”

  Because I want to currently jerk that damn bun out of your hair and slap your face. I was so angry. I didn’t say that though.

  “I didn’t know that was expected of me,” I replied. “I’m new at this. I’ve never shared a boyfriend before. I don’t know the rules.” I couldn’t help it. There was only so much I could control. Right now, my mouth was working on its own.

  His eyes flared, and I knew what I had said was sarcastic, but I was not dealing well with this, and he needed to get out of here. I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d go without cracking and doing exactly what I had imagined doing.

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me to stand with more force than necessary. “That’s not what you’re fucking doing,” he growled, as if he had a reason to be angry.

  He had me to fuck whenever he wanted and a line of women to date whenever he desired.

  “Again, this is new to me,” I informed him. “And you’re hurting my arm. If you wouldn’t mind easing up on it a little.”

  His jaw clenched, and he let go of my arm. “I’ve got work to handle. I can’t deal with this shit right now.”

  I shrugged. “Go, work. This shit will stay right here, like a good girl.”

  “Madeline!” It was a warning. I knew it was.

  I blinked, looking as innocent as I could, and stared up at him.

  He inhaled sharply. “We will finish this tonight.”

  “Okay,” I replied.

  Although if he thought he was going to crawl in bed with me and fuck me after dating another woman, he was mistaken. I did have some limits. Last night, I’d been dealing with the fact that I had lived a lie my entire life and Blaise was all I had in this world. But today, as I had sat here with my book and my thoughts, I’d realized I was stronger than that. I loved him. That was the only reason I was standing here, taking this. But he could push me too far. And I was feeling pushed right now.

  He didn’t kiss me. Instead, he walked away, leaving me standing there. I waited until he was out of the room before sighing and dropping back into the chair. My heart hurt, I was nauseous again, and I felt like a child he was growing weary of.

  “Damn, you’re tough,” Gina whispered.

  She had no idea how wrong she was. I used to be tough. Not so much anymore. I was in a man’s house with a book while he was on a date with another woman. This was not tough. This was just pathetic.

  We stayed silent until a chime went off, alerting us that the back door leading into the garage had opened. He was gone.

  “Want to eat ice cream and watch a movie? Trev said he’d come, but honestly, unless Garrett lets him leave, that’s not a sure thing.”

  I looked toward the door that led to the stairs going to the third floor. “Where is Angel?” I asked.

  “She had a bad day. The nurse gave her Valium. She’ll be out until the morning.”

  I had yet to see her since I had come back. I wondered if that was on purpose. Seeing me never made her happy. Another reason I should find a different place to live.

  “Since Blaise is openly dating other women and no one ever sees me with him, wouldn’t I be safe now? I mean, I could live somewhere else. Get a job and not have to worry about being abducted or killed.”

  Gina shook her head. “Nope. Just because he takes other women out in public, you’re still not safe. You are Eli’s granddaughter. You’re part of the family. If I didn’t live here, I’d have to live at the ranch. I can’t live on my own either. The women in the family have to be protected.”

  That wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear. Some hope that I could leave here and get a life without a fight would be nice.

  Sighing, I looked back down at the book in my lap. I had no idea what this was about. I hadn’t turned the page in over an hour. Gina was sitting on the sofa with the remote, not saying anything more, and I was lost in my planning again.

  Another sound went off, and Gina sat up straight with a frown on her face.

  “Uh, that’s not good,” she said, then jumped up. “I’m going to go look at the security cameras.”

  I followed her into the kitchen and went to get a water while she went to see who had come through the gate.

  “Trev is here already,” she said, calling out from the area where the security screens were. “What the hell? The gala hasn’t even started.”

  I smiled. Trev was a rebel. He looked for trouble. I took a bottle of water from the fridge and waited for our visitor to make it inside. At least he would entertain me, and maybe I could think about anything other than Blaise and his date. Being with Trev was easy. He was nothing like Blaise. The two Hughes brothers could not be more different if they tried.

  The sound of the door opening and closing brought a smile to my face. I hoped he was planning on staying.

  “Costume change,” Trev said as he walked into the kitchen, dressed in a tuxedo and carrying a long, fancy-looking box.

  I frowned at the box, not sure what he meant. “What are you doing here already? Causing trouble?”

  He wagged his eyebrows. “Oh, you have no idea. And the best part is, I’m just following my dad’s orders.”

  Confused, I looked at the box he was holding.

  He held it out to me. “Go get changed, gorgeous. Garrett Hughes has commanded it. And we here in the family do what the boss says, and Blaise ain’t the motherfucking boss yet. Even if he acts like it.”

  “Oh shit,” Gina said, her eyes wide. “Fuck, why can’t I go watch this?”

  I stared at the box, then Trev. “What is it that he commanded?”

  Trev’s grin looked almost evil. “Dad wants you at the gala. I believe his exact words were”—Trev cleared his throat and lowered his voice—“ ‘Trev, take the dress and go get Madeline. She is family and Eli’s granddaughter, for fuck’s sake. She will mingle within our circle. If your brother refuses to obey me, then you get to do the honors.’ ” When he finished, he shoved the box at me. “Go get ready. We have a gala to get to.”

  “Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn, this is gonna be good,” Gina said, sounding almost giddy.

  I took the box from Trev. “I’m supposed to go to this gala with you … and Blaise doesn’t know I’m coming?” I needed clarification.

  “Oh, yeah,” he replied, looking mischievous.

  “Garrett wants me at this gala, and Blaise knew that?”

  Trev nodded again.

  The fact that my not being there with Blaise was all his doing and not his father’s made his taking another woman that much worse. Part of me had held on to the belief that he had to take someone else. He’d said as much. But Garrett hadn’t ordered that. Blaise did not want me there with him. This wasn’t about my safety. Blaise was ashamed to be seen with me.

  Well, fuck Blaise Hughes. I was good enough to screw, but not to be seen with in public. I’d show him. I could dress up and look just as fancy as his date or anyone there. Just because I had grown up poor didn’t mean I couldn’t compete.

  “This won’t take long,” I told Trev as my hurt began to turn into a much more powerful, ugly thing. Revenge.

  “Oh, wait,” Trev called out as I turned away. I looked back at him, and he held out a bag. “Shoes and jewelry,” he said.

  I took the bag from him.

  “You want me to do your makeup? And cover up that bite mark?” Gina asked hopefully.

  I rarely wore makeup. I nodded. “Please.”

  She clapped her hands together. “This is like Cinderella, except instead of having the handsome prince fall in love with her, she’s going to slap the devil in the face.”

  Trev burst out laughing as I headed to get dressed.

  Eleven

  Madeline

  “Stop fidgeting. You look fucking incredible. I gotta hand it to Dad. When he wants to make a statement, he fucking makes one,” Trev said to me as he took my hand and slipped it through the crook of his arm.

  I took a deep breath and prepared myself. This could get ugly, but I doubted it would in public. “He won’t kill you, will he? Or me?” I asked Trev, not sure exactly how worried we should be about Blaise’s reaction to this.

  Trev chuckled. “No. He won’t kill us. He’ll want to fucking strangle me, but he won’t. Dad won’t let him.”

  “But if he kicks me out, can I sleep in the pool house?” I asked.

  Trev laughed again. “You’ll be fine. Blaise won’t kick you out. He should have brought you tonight. This is payback. Enjoy it.” He paused and scanned my body. “Because there isn’t going to be a woman in there that compares to you.”

  That was sweet of him, but it didn’t help my nerves. I had been set on revenge at the house, but now that I was here, I wasn’t so sure. I shouldn’t be here. Blaise didn’t want me here, and now that I knew he had defied his father by not bringing me, it was an issue. One we had to deal with, just not here. We needed to do that in private.

  “Here we go,” Trev said as he placed a charming smile on his face and we walked into the large ballroom.

  People were dancing while others were in groups, talking. Drinks were in everyone’s hands. It was similar to the only other gala I had attended, except the dancing was happening with cocktail time. Perhaps this wasn’t a sit-down dinner event. I hoped not. I wasn’t sure I could eat.

  “There’s Dad,” Trev said, and I let him lead me over to the group standing with Garrett.

  When Garrett’s eyes landed on us, he did a quick take of my dress and gave me a pleased smile. At least the boss was happy with me.

  “It seems my youngest son has arrived with the belle of the ball,” Garrett said a little too loudly.

  He held out his arm for me to take, and Trev nudged me. I let go of Trev and walked over to Garrett. He took my hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm.

  “This stunning beauty is Madeline Marks, Eli’s granddaughter,” he announced to those he was standing with.

  He’d used my grandfather’s last name instead of Reese. It felt odd, but I was grateful. Reese was a name I no longer wanted to carry. I had never known my grandfather, but he had died, wanting me. Luke had not.

  I could feel other eyes on me, but I didn’t move my attention from the group in front of me. I was not ready to face Blaise. He was here, and he was looking at me. I could feel it.

  “Madeline, dear, this is Gunther Ford and his wife, Audrey. They will soon have the largest racing empire in the world at the rate things are going,” Garrett said, and everyone chuckled, as if he was telling a joke.

  I smiled and returned their greeting.

  “Absalon Daniels and his son, Francis. Absalon owns several television networks, and his son is available if mine doesn’t snatch you up.” Garrett once again got laughter from the others.

  Francis was attractive in that frat boy kind of way. He gave me a smile that made me slightly uncomfortable. I managed to return it but decided I’d keep my distance from him. He gave me a bad vibe.

  “Edger Warren, a banking executive who is currently in between wives. Edger, she’s too young for you.”

  Again, more laughter.

  Garrett patted my hand. “I’m pleased you came,” he said to me. “Trev, why don’t you take our Madeline to get a drink and meet some others here?”

  Although he had a pleasant smile, I could almost feel his unspoken words to Trev. It was as if he was encouraging him to defy his brother. That he was in control and this was to be handled his way. Trev placed a hand on my lower back. The back of the dress dipped all the way down to my waist, leaving my back exposed. It felt weird, having someone other than Blaise touch my bare skin.

  Trev leaned into me. “Francis is a fucking pussy. Stay away from him.”

  I nodded. “I already planned on it.”

  “Dad knows Blaise would kill him. Maybe that’s why he did it. Not sure where we stand with the Daniels right now. Perhaps that relationship is about to be terminated. They don’t tell me shit.”

  I hoped terminated didn’t mean murdered. I didn’t know them or particularly like the guy from our brief introduction, but I didn’t see a reason to kill them. Perhaps terminated didn’t always mean murder in this group.

  “Showtime,” Trev said under his breath, and I felt him tense up.

  My eyes shifted from him to see Blaise standing across the room. His gaze was locked on me, and although there was a room of people between us, I could feel the fury rolling off him in waves. I stopped walking. My heart started to race, and I realized this was a game I didn’t want to play. Saxon had said once that he didn’t want to get between Garrett and Blaise Hughes. I understood that now. It was a terrifying feeling.

  “You’re fine. His head might explode at any moment, but he’s not going to do anything to you,” Trev said. “Now, me? Well, it’s possible he’s going to try and kill me, but I trust Dad to keep me alive. This was his idea.”

  My gaze went to the woman beside him. Her hair was black, and her olive complexion with her pale blue eyes was an exotic combination. The dress she was wearing clung to her curves. She was holding on to Blaise’s arm as she spoke to the people with them. Jealousy gnawed in my gut. He hadn’t wanted me here on his arm, and I could see why when he could have someone who looked like that. She definitely made an impression.

  Kudos, Blaise.

  I tore my gaze from them and looked back up at Trev. “I need a drink,” I told him.

  “As you wish,” he replied and led me in the opposite direction of Blaise and his date.

  When a server came up to us, Trev reached for two glasses of champagne and handed me one. “Let’s go find Sax,” he told me.

  That sounded good. I needed to be surrounded by my friends. I might be upset with Saxon for lying to me and not telling me about the cabin being Blaise’s, but at this moment, he was the lesser of the two evils. What he had done did not compare to what Blaise might do.

  “He’s not going to fuck her,” Trev said, leaning down to my ear.

  The image those words stirred in me made my stomach rebel. I didn’t take a drink of the champagne, for fear it would come back up. I shouldn’t have come here. I hadn’t needed to see that. I was never going to get over this. How could I? Knowing I wasn’t enough. That he needed someone like that to be seen with in public.

  Every insecurity I’d ever had was roaring to life, and my head started to pound.

  “Madeline, honey, you look breathtaking. Where did you find that dress?” Melanie was suddenly in front of us, beaming at me.

  I’d never called her, and when I looked at her now, I felt like she had never truly planned on developing a relationship with me.

  “Garrett. He’s got good taste,” Trev replied for me.

  Melanie’s eyes widened. “Yes, he does,” she agreed, then reached for my empty hand and squeezed it. “When you want to talk, I’m here. Know that.”

  I didn’t know that. She’d barely spoken about my mom to me, no matter how hard I had tried to get her to do it.

  But I nodded. “Okay,” I replied, knowing I never would.

  She glanced at Trev for a moment, then back at me. “You’ve seen how things are done. It’s a well-oiled machine that I know is difficult to embrace if you haven’t grown up inside of it. Etta …” She paused, looking nervous. As if she was going to confide something and changed her mind. “She never really understood it either.”