Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I press the lipstick to my mouth, carefully filling in the bold red that Gage said he loved on me once—softly, in that growly voice of his. The thought of him waiting for me tonight, wearing a suit, his dark eyes heated and possessive as he slides his hand around my waist…
My stomach flips.
“You thinking about lover boy?” Juno teases, smirking.
“Shut up.”
She lifts her glass. “It’s okay. We all want you with Gage. He’s protective, brilliant, hot as sin, and apparently he has a thing for watching you brush your teeth.”
“Okay, that happened one time!”
Lark cracks up. “He’s obsessed. It’s cute.”
“I’m not used to this,” I admit softly. “The attention. The care. Being… seen. Like, really seen.”
Juno’s smile softens. “You deserve all of it. And more.”
I blink back the sudden sting in my eyes. “Tonight’s going to be intense.”
“Yes,” Juno says, standing. “But we’re not going in alone. We’re going in together.”
“And the men will be there to back us up. Like a private army,” Lark adds.
I nod and take one last look in the mirror. The woman staring back isn’t the girl who flinched when her phone buzzed or second-guessed every move.
She’s stronger. Sharper. And maybe ready for whatever comes next.
The ride to the venue is quiet, charged. We’re meeting the rest of the crew at the event. Arrow, Knight, and Gage are already there.
I’m excited to see him. I’m nervous and wearing a wire, so I do what I always do when I’m anxious. I toss a stick of Misfit Mint gum into my mouth.
I can’t help the way my heart skips when I imagine Gage seeing me in this dress for the first time.
The moment I step through the gilded double doors of the Novaplay ballroom, my heart kicks hard in my chest—not from anxiety, for once—but from anticipation. And maybe… a little hope.
The room is transformed. No longer the place of dull quarterly mixers or post-release toasts, but a winter gala drenched in opulence. Icicle lights dangle from the ceiling like a frozen constellation. Silver and navy tablecloths shimmer beneath crystal centerpieces. A string quartet hums in the corner near the champagne bar.
I feel like I’ve stepped into someone else’s life. Someone confident. Desired. Safe.
Someone who wears a slinky black dress with a thigh-high slit and sparkly heels that make her feel ten feet tall.
But all of that fades the second I spot him.
Gage.
He's standing near the bar, deep in conversation with Arrow—who’s looking sharp in a black velvet jacket beside Knight in a maroon suit. But Gage… he’s magnetic. A black suit tailored to perfection, no tie, shirt unbuttoned just enough to tease. His jaw is tight until his eyes land on me—and then it softens, melts.
His lips part. Like he forgot how to breathe.
I walk slowly, letting him take me in. His gaze travels from my heels, up the curve of my leg, to the plunge of my neckline, to my red lips and the soft curl in my hair. It’s not just lust in his eyes—it’s awe.
“Damn,” he says when I reach him, his voice low and rough. “You trying to kill me?”
I smile, coy. “Just thought I’d make an impression.”
“You already did that the second I met you.” His hand finds the small of my back and heat sparks under my skin. “But this? You’ve just made it impossible for me to focus on the mission.”
Juno chuckles nearby. “He’s lying. He was already useless the minute you walked in.”
Gage shoots her a look. “Not helping.”
Arrow lifts a champagne flute in mock salute. “We’ll hold down the op. You two just try not to spontaneously combust.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m blushing. Hard.
We mingle briefly, saying hi to a few execs and some unfamiliar faces from marketing and development. Gage keeps close, his hand lingering just enough to tether me, but not distract me completely from the job at hand.
Because tonight, we’re not just playing dress-up.
We’re hunting.
And then I see them.
Helena and Andrew.
Slipping out the ballroom doors.
Gage catches it too.
“They’re moving,” he murmurs, pressing his lips just behind my ear like a lover sharing a secret. “You up for a little field trip?”
I glance over my shoulder. “Always.”
We make our way toward the side exit, dodging servers and colleagues, keeping our movements casual. I snag a glass of champagne off a tray just for the cover.
Gage presses a finger to his ear. “Arrow, Juno—Helena and Andrew just left the ballroom. We’re tailing.”
A second later, Juno’s voice responds through the comms. “Copy. We’re in position by the stairwell if they head that way.”
We slip down the hallway, footsteps silent on plush carpet. The corridors here are dimmer, echoing with the faint strains of the party left behind.
We round a corner—just in time to see Helena and Andrew disappear through a frosted-glass door labeled “Private Lounge.”