Dirty Rumor: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance(6)

Directly to the table we’re heading towards.

He’s sitting next to Eli Pierce.

My stomach drops straight into my toes, and my nerves light up on fire at the sight of him.

Broad shoulders sheathed in a perfectly tailored suit; gray eyes that cut across the space separating us, locking on mine; a chin that could cut diamonds. He leans to the left, eyes never once leaving mine, and my eyes trace the line of the muscled arms hidden beneath the fabric of his dark suit.

The sound of the chatter, of silverware clinking against plates, of the band, fades out like I’m underwater.

My breath catches in my throat.

Holy shit.

Who is this man, and what do I have to do to go home with him?

It’s been too long since I last enjoyed myself with a man, and I want this one. Him. Who is he? Who is he?

The noise of the room crashes in again like thunder, and I blink once, twice, finally focusing on Eli’s face. “…remember Ace Kingsley, Carolyn? This other lovely lady is Alec’s wife, Queen Jessica.”

Jess laughs. “You don’t have to call me that in this company.” She slips gracefully into an empty seat. “It’s been a long time, Ace. How were things for you after school?”

“Mostly good. Some shit.” He shrugs, but his eyes are still latched on me. He hasn’t looked at Jess once. Then his face breaks into a smile that makes the space between my legs pulse with heated desire. “It’s a life.”

Jess nods sagely, then looks over her shoulder at me. “You don’t have to stand on my account, Carrie.”

I give her a light slap on the shoulder, then sit down in the empty seat to her left.

Something in my chest is quaking, trembling. I want to reach across the table and run a finger down the sharp lines of Ace’s jaw. I want to unbutton every button on his jacket and strip it off, then repeat the process with his shirt until there’s no fabric left between us. Even fully clothed, he’s sporting a killer body.

Get a grip, Carolyn. The waiter comes by to fill my water glass, and I raise it to my lips, sipping slowly. I tear my eyes away from Ace as Eli starts a conversation with Jess about signing autographs and how many pictures she has to take every day with the babies of Saintland. The words go in one ear and out the other, muted by the buzzing in my mind.

What’s the story with Ace Kingsley? I’m dying to know, and it’s not all because of Rainflower Blue.

No wonder every woman in the room is sneaking looks over her shoulder at our table. He radiates confidence and sex, and I want it.

I flick my eyes back to him for a split second—and those piercing grays are still watching me, though his hand is wrapped absently around a glass of champagne.

There’s an empty seat to his right, and a battle rages in my mind.

If I find out tonight what the big story is, then I’m going to profit off of him—there’s no question about that. If my site is where the discussion happens then at least I have some measure of control. I could protect him—though he doesn’t look like the kind of man who needs protecting—or I could protect other unnamed innocents who might want to know that he’s back on the prowl in New York City.

My stomach turns over.

What the hell is wrong with you?

Why is this desire for him sweeping over me like a tidal wave? Why is it making it hard to think, much less decide anything?

I straighten my back.

No. I’m not going to be the kind of woman who sits back like a timid little mouse and doesn’t take what she wants.

I’m going to go after it, consequences be damned—at least this time.

In the middle of a joke Eli’s telling, I stand up, walk the few steps around the table, and sit down in the empty seat next to Ace. I unfold the napkin from its signature swan shape and drop it into my lap. Then I lean in toward him.

“So, Ace, formerly Aaron, tell me all your secrets.”





Chapter 6

Ace





Carolyn Banks is not the gawky, quiet girl I vaguely remember from school, mostly an accessory to Christian and Eli, laughing along with Jess—who, it turns out, actually is a queen of some European country. The security in this place must be tripled tonight.

But I can’t think about that. The moment I see Carolyn, I can’t think about anything else.

She’s in something elegant and red, the fabric softly reflecting the candlelight in the room, and her dark hair is swept back in a style that highlights the pristine structure of her face, her huge dark eyes, the full lips that I instantly want molded to mine.

I can’t take my eyes off her.

She’s the opposite of Elisa in every way.

Elisa was tall and willowy and had a Nordic kind of beauty, all blonde hair and blue eyes and legs that went on for days. Her voice was light, like the champagne I’m toying with right now.

I’m focused so hard on the vision in red in front of me that I almost don’t hear what Jess says to me. I catch on at the last second, responding just a beat too late.

“Mostly good. Some shit.” I shrug like some kind of smug bastard, my heart pounding in my chest. My instinct—be charming, *—kicks in with a roar, and I don’t hide the smile that comes on its heels. “It’s a life.”

I don’t know what the f*ck is happening to me right now.