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The mesmerizing image of her froze me in place. All thoughts vanished from me.I read somewhere that beauty was a powerful force in itself. That people rarely understood the meaning and power of it.

I didn’t know what that statement meant until this moment when it hit me in the gut, taking my breath away. What followed was a sense of wonder and peace that opened me up. It was as though I was standing in front of the most breathtaking landscape, allowing its magnificence to overwhelm me in the most subtle way. My body and soul released a sigh of awareness that filled me up in the most inexplicable sense.

This was that moment of revelation. I felt like I had dropped into another plane of existence. The world around me seemed to disappear, leaving me with a mostly blank canvas with only one woman on it.

I swore I felt my heartbreathe, inhaling and exhaling in a slow, rhythmic pattern. An analytical person like me didn’t—shouldn’t—understand it, but I did. It was easy, like my heart had been waiting for this moment when it could break free from the chains of its past.

Bat wings flapped wildly in my stomach as I looked at the stunning woman staring back at me. She wore a red satin gown with thin straps. The tailored bodice hugged her waist, then flared to a full skirt, making her look like a queen. No, like a goddess with more power than a queen.

Vivian had entered my life and opened my closed heart. An open heart could feel, see, hear, and sense things it hadn’t been able to before. I was more alive now because of her.

She twirled for me, and my heart skipped. Natalie had designed the perfect dress for my love. The back was especially elegant, hiding the scars. Vivian wore dangling gold earrings and a matching bracelet from Audri’s jewelry collection, and Natalie hooked her up with a pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes.

“You’re . . .beautiful.”

Love was like wine; it intoxicated you. If I were to die right now, I’d be a satisfied man to have experienced this kind of love. Love inflated me like oxygen filling up my lungs, energizing me. There were no words to explain how much I loved her.

Her love was the fermentation and distillation of my soul.Like a beautiful chemical reaction, she had transformed and purified me.

Blushing, she walked up to me, slipped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. “Thank you, handsome.”

The kiss was slow and stimulating. I didn’t want to leave this room without having her first.

“You’re stunning, and I love you.”

“I love you more.” She stepped back and raked her gaze down my body. The heat in her eyes increased the pressure in my cock to an uncomfortable level.

My breath hitched as she brushed a hand over my black tuxedo with a cream-colored shirt. She adjusted the black bow tie. “You look yummy.”

I yanked her flush to me so she could feel what she did to me. “Feel that? That’s all for you. You look delicious, Tulip. How about we ravage each other right now?” I bent to nuzzle her neck, and her perfume aroused me.

“No time, Bullseye.” She palmed me, squeezed, and gave me a look filled with promised pleasure. “Later, love.”

Ten minutes later, we made our way to one of the many luxury lounges. People were out and about. Groups of tourists crowded the various halls as other events were happening at the Monte Carlo Hotel besides the wine competition.

Vivian checked the tracker on her phone for Ghost’s location. The last time we checked, he was in Monaco. For some reason, the tracker wasn’t working. I glanced around and noticed cameras.

They probably had jammers in place, forcing people to log into their server for internet services. I didn’t want Vivian to log in because their security team could inadvertently access it.

We needed Ghost to lead us to the elite members. After that, his life would end in various scenarios I had envisioned.

The last location put Ghost in a different hotel not too far from the Monte Carlo.

“There are probably high-tech jammers interfering with the connection,” I said.

Vivian looked disappointed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get him.”

My phone was linked to hers and had the same connection issue.

We stood in front of the extravagant wine display. CheckMate Red and CheckMate Black glowed under the spotlight like celebrities.

Next to them were two other wine competitors. It didn’t matter who won today. Just to see people buying samples from the adjacent desk made me happy. The exposure would increase profits for sure.

The competition judges were in another room. They’d announce the winner today.

“Look at all the people buying your wine.” Vivian beamed.