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I shake off the trance and settle my gaze back to the bartender. “Yeah. I mean, no.”

Shit, why did I come over here again?

I’ve lost all coherent thought.

“Never mind,” I direct at the bartender. “I just… yeah.”

I tap the counter and push away. He looks a fraction below annoyed before shifting his attention to an actual customer.

It hasn’t even been a week since my initial reunion with Luke. Somehow, he went from reclusive hermit to inviting an entire damn hotel into his life. Not even Callie could be responsible for that kind of transformation. Something is wrong. There’s no way this event is about having a good time.

I don’t know what it means, but I know it can’t be good.

I’m a few steps from the bar when I glimpse another familiar face. My breath catches, followed by a scorching wave of awareness.

Callie’s here?

I don’t know why I find it surprising that Luke’s only friend would be at his party. Maybe because she’s from a different life. She doesn’t belong in this glossy, superficial ode to the past. She’s hope of a future.

Guess she just came to the same conclusion, because she’s heading toward the exit. A strange sense of panic has me chasing after her. I can’t let that happen.

She’ll never hear me over the noise, so I push through the crowd to grab her arm.

Callie spins around. Her startled expression transforms into recognition, then a hint of disappointment.

Ouch. But I’m not surprised. She came to see Luke and got his drummer instead. I’m used to that, just not the odd sting that’s coming with it now.

I put aside the hurt when I realize why I need her here so badly. She’s the only other person in this packed crowd who actually gives a shit about the host.

I lean close to her ear and breathe in a quick hit of citrus.

“Breakfast club girl!” I call.

“Rock god!” she returns.

I laugh to ease some of the tension and force away the creeping shadows that have been following me around lately. I need her to stay tonight. I tell myself it’s for Luke, but when she turns her big hazel eyes on me, more than gratitude stirs in my chest.

A minute ago, the last thing I wanted to do was get drunk and party. Now, introducing her to our world and making her feel welcome feels like the most important thing I can do for both of us. In a life where I’ve lost all control, this is finally something I can do.

“Where’s Luke?” she asks.

I motion toward the crowd, knowing she won’t be able to see him from here. It’s petty, but part of me is glad I have to be the center of her universe for a minute.

Because suddenly, she’s the center of mine.

I’ve been so distracted by her presence, I haven’t noticed what she’s wearing until now. Blood rushes to places it shouldn’t as I take in her short silver cocktail dress and sexy heels. Her hair is curled in soft waves, her makeup confident but not overdone. She looks incredible. Completely different from the last time I saw her in that diner.

But I found her just as attractive then. What’s changed the vibe in our chemistry is the atmosphere around us. The dim lighting, sensual beat, beautiful people, and heavy ooze of sex throughout the space has my mind disoriented and my body regressing back to a time when nothing was off-limits for a person like me.

Alarms blare in my head. Flashbacks gnaw at the recesses of my brain. I ignore them all. I’m a different person now. A better person. And at some point I have to trust myself.

“Come on! I’ll get you a drink,” I say, directing her ahead of me.

She returns a quick smile, and I suck in a breath when her ass brushes my hip as she scoots past. The look she shoots back is somewhere between apologetic and intrigued, and I can’t stop my gaze from flowing over every curve of her body. Just an innocent peek, but I’m not the only one looking.

A wave of protectiveness floods through me when I catch the predatory stares of other guests. She doesn’t belong here. These wolves won’t play fair, and since I’m the one who convinced her to stay, I feel responsible for making sure she has a good, safe time.

Her wide eyes broadcast her innocence as she surveys the room, triggering a sudden urge to give her a night filled with excitement and joy. I might be powerless to help Luke, but I can show this undercover princess an actual taste of the royal life.