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CHAPTER1
Wolfe
Yeah, okay, I’ll be the first to admit that nursing a hard on for a woman dressed up as Princess Elsa at a four-year-old’s birthday was not my greatest moment. But seriously, this girl was gorgeous. Slim, with big blue eyes, delicate pale skin and soft, ash blonde hair tied back in a thick braid. I was pretty sure it was real. No wig needed for hair like that. My fingers itched to pull it from its tie and see it flow down her back. I could barely take my eyes off her, no matter how sternly I reminded myself that I was here for business, not pleasure. And yeah, staring at her while she was working made me feel like a bit of a perv, so I forced myself to look away.
It was a great day for an outdoor party, with a sky painted in bright azure, dotted with cotton candy clouds. That fresh smell of summer hit me with enough heat in the air to make me pull at my shirt collar. Just looking at the Esperance River, drifting lazily by, had me imagining walking down to the private jetty and diving right in.
Seriously though, I’d already spent one entire week in Esperance, North Carolina, trying to close out some dumb as fuck land deal my father was obsessed with. I was well overdue for some pleasure. And since I’d already missed last Saturday night at my club for said deal, I’d say I’d well and truly fucking earned some.
As though she was reading my mind, a tall, leggy brunette approached me. “I hear you’re the new neighbor?”
“That’s right.” I’d bought the house next door, hoping to get in with Theo Harrington. We’d met back in college and now that he was one of the biggest businessmen in town, it made sense to try to get his help on this deal. Scoring an invitation to his niece’s fourth birthday was a start, at least.
“I’m Petra, the birthday girl’s aunt.” She was an elegant woman, with sharp gray eyes. Her white linen dress, plus her perfect hair and makeup, showed she was way too sophisticated for a kid’s party. Exactly my type.
“Wolfe Rivers.”
“Wooolfe.” She drew out my name, like she was tasting it. “Theo tells me you’re in town for business.”
“Yeah.”
Reaching out, she ran the tip of her perfectly manicured finger down my arm. “Do you plan to mix a little pleasure with that business while you’re in town?”
My gaze wandered back to Elsa, seated on a low stool, happily painting a soft, blue swirly design on the cheeks of a red-haired, freckled pre-schooler. She laughed at something the little girl said. A low, deep chuckle that seemed at odds with her delicate appearance. It skimmed over my skin, making me shiver. At that moment, perhaps feeling the weight of my gaze on her, she raised her eyes to mine. Clear, ocean blue, with long lashes, I felt her look like a caress. She had a straight nose and a rosebud mouth and looked every inch the princess she was cosplaying. I wondered about that mouth. Those pink lips. Kissing her. More than kissing her. A soft blush crept up her cheeks, and she looked away, breaking me out of my trance.
Turning back to Petra, I said, “Sorry, what were you saying?”
Pursing her lips like she’d just sucked on a lemon, she said, “I was asking if you were looking to mix a bit of pleasure with your business.” Her tone was dry and completely uninviting. Yeah, she’d caught me staring at the children’s entertainer and she didn’t like it one bit. Still, she ran her hand lightly over the back of mine, the invitation obvious.
Another quick glance at Elsa, who was studiously avoiding looking in my direction now. “All business, I’m afraid,” I said to Petra, before nonchalantly raising my beer glass in her direction and wandering away.
I spent the next half hour mingling, all the while hyper aware of Elsa. The way she moved, smiled, the sound of her rich laughter filling the air as she expertly managed the twenty four-year-olds she was there to entertain. Once she’d finished the face painting, she’d moved on to making balloon animals, somehow twisting lengths of white rubber into a snowman shape. Apparently, he was some little snowman thing called Olaf, and the kids loved him. Then there was Sven, who was supposedly a reindeer, although I couldn’t see it.
My eyes narrowed when I noticed a guy staring at Elsa from the other side of the patio. He looked to be in his mid-forties, with messy blond hair, his shirt untucked and his face flushed in the heat. Or maybe it was too much beer, judging by the way he was swaying, even though he was sitting on a low stone bench. Shmuck. My attention turned back to Elsa when I heard her say, “Okay, girls, I’m going to need your help before I return to Arendelle. Gather close.”
All the girls pressed forward, and she smiled. She had a beautiful smile.
“Can you all help me sing? Can we let it go, together?” Her beautiful smile widened when they all answered with solemn nods. “Great.” She nodded to Lexi, the birthday girl’s mother, who pressed play on an outdoor music system. Piano notes floated on the air and immediately, my hot little princess started singing.
The adult guests had been milling about, not paying too much attention to the kids, or the young woman hired to keep them entertained. But as soon as she started singing, the buzz of conversation ebbed away, and all eyes turned to her. She pulled the girls into her dancing, waving her arms around, encouraging them to join her. When she sang something about ‘here I stand,’ and stomped her foot forcefully on the ground, she enraptured every single child. Total adoration on every face. A quick glance around showed me most of the adults seemed to feel the same way. The girl was a magnet, drawing all eyes to her. I couldn’t have looked away, even if I wanted to. Which, let’s be honest, I didn’t.
Picking up Annabelle, the birthday girl, she held her on her hip, waving her other arm as she sang, spinning around, hitting the notes perfectly. No mean feat since it wasn’t an easy song, from what I could tell. Then she was done, putting Annabelle down, smiling and clapping at the kids. “Thank you, girls, that was amazing. You all did so well! And now, I have to go home. Ana is waiting for me, so I can tell her how great you all are and what perfect princesses you are.”
“No! That’s rude!” Annabelle stomped her foot.
“Excuse me?” Elsa blinked in confusion.
“It’s my fucking party and I don’t want you to go!”
Jesus, what a brat!
Her face a very pretty shade of pink, Elsa replied, “Well, if I stay here, what will happen in Arendelle? The people need me. Plus, Olaf can’t really live without me, can he? Do you want something bad to happen to Olaf?”
Annabelle crossed her arms across her chest and frowned angrily. “No, but…”
“But nothing, sweetheart. I have to go.”
Sweetheart? This girl had enough patience to put a saint to shame. The kid was a little shit, no doubt about it. Finally, Lexi seemed to realize something was going on, because she came over and took Annabelle’s hand. She murmured something I couldn’t quite catch, and Elsa blushed even deeper. A stricken, uncomfortable look passed over her face. Lexi leaned closer, her hand gripping tight to her daughter’s. With a quick shake of the head, Elsa turned away and started hastily packing up her stuff. I didn’t hear what Lexi said to her, but I saw the way she swiped at her eyes as she scooped up her belongings. She didn’t look back as she hurried across the patio, skirted around the pool and ducked into the house.