Page 80 of How to Break My Heart

“You think that because I’m a man, I ran straight between someone else’s legs.”

“And did you?”

He shakes his head, keeping his stare fixed on me. A simple stare in the middle of this busy street leaves me questioning everything in my life.

How his stare evokes this unwanted emotion inside of me.

How his smirk makes me want to slide beneath him and demand he take all of me.

How his smile, the most beautiful of smiles, fills my heart with this fullness, I can’t even begin to explain.

“Now, will you be my plus-one for tonight?”

“I don’t have anything to wear,” I remind him.

Aston reaches into his pocket and pulls out a plastic card. “This is for the Plaza. You have a room waiting with a stylist, hairstylist, and makeup artist. I’ll pick you up in one hour.”

I stare at the key in shock. Then, I realize one hour is a short amount of time.

“One hour?” I complain, crossing my arms. “You do know it takes a girl longer than that to get ready.”

“Hurry up, then,” he urges with a grin. “The clock is ticking.”

Aston opens the back door of the Mercedes and motions for me to slide in. The car has a driver who so kindly takes me to the Plaza. It’s only three blocks away, but the sea of red lights brings the car to a standstill two blocks from the hotel.

We pass time by talking about the city, the weather, and when I’m all out of small talk, Aston gets a work call. Unlike the ones I’ve heard him on previously, he isn’t arguing and ends the call rather quickly. The driver pulls up at the Plaza.

“I’ll be waiting right here,” Aston informs me.

“You mean you don’t want to come up and watch me shower, then get changed?” I tease.

Aston cocks his head. “Always playing with fire, Miss Woods.”

With the clock ticking, I rush to my suite to be greeted by a team of professionals. I have only five minutes to shower before they work on my hair and makeup. Since I had no idea this is how I would spend the night, I run on adrenaline trying to get everything done in time.

We opt for simple makeup, nothing overdone, with my hair pinned half up. The satin dress is off-the-shoulder with a sultry split thigh. The color is a beautiful sage green, matching the jewelry the stylist arranged for me to wear.

I feel like a million dollars.

And according to the stylist, the necklace around my neck is worth a million dollars, so I need to be careful tonight and watch the people around me. The pendant hanging from the necklace reminds me of the color of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

With five minutes to spare, I make my way down to the lobby, where Aston is waiting for me. My heart starts beating incredibly fast when his eyes land on me.

And then I make the connection.

The necklace reminds me of his eyes.

His lips part as I move closer to him, careful not to trip in these sky-high heels.

“You look breathtaking, Everleigh,” he murmurs with soft eyes. His longing stare makes me hold my breath in anticipation, until I’m forced to let it go. Then, he extends his arm. “Shall we?”

I link my arm to his before we walk out of the hotel and toward the car parked at the entrance. Once again, he opens the door politely as I slide in and take a seat.

Unsure of what to say, I sit quietly on the drive to the ball. Aston is just as quiet until he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text. I don’t ask any questions, praying the entire evening won’t be this awkward.

When we reach the venue, paparazzi are scurrying around, snapping pictures of everyone. Aston kindly exits the car first, then reaches out for me to join him.

With all the attention on the car, I begin to worry about any photos leaking and Maddy finding out. The sudden thought makes my stomach churn, so I drop my head, hoping my face isn’t caught and splashed all over the internet.