Wilde at Heart (Wilde Security, #3)(63)
Forcing a smile she didn’t feel, she held out her tube of makeup. “Can you help me cover up the tattoos on my back? This dress dips too low, and I can’t reach to do it.”
He didn’t move. “We should cancel tonight.”
She lifted her gaze, met his in the mirror over the sink. “You know that’s not a good idea, especially since we slipped away from dinner early the other night.”
He hesitated, then took the tube from her like it would blow up in his hand. She laughed softly and handed him the application sponge. “All you have to do is squeeze some on the sponge, then rub it on. Just make sure it’s an even layer so it covers everything.”
Scooping up her hair, she turned her back to him and waited. But he still didn’t move, just stood there frowning, the makeup in one hand and the sponge in the other.
She let her hair drop again and faced him. “What’s wrong?”
“What if you don’t cover them?”
She pressed a hand to his forehead. “Are you running a fever?”
“What?” Scowling, he waved her hand away. “No, of course not.”
“Are you sure? Because you’re obviously delirious. I can’t show up to an opera fundraiser covered in ink.” When his scowl only deepened, she sighed and clasped his cheeks in her hands. “Hey, we’ve come this far, right? Might as well see it through to the end.”
“What if I don’t want it to end?”
Her heart bungeed all the way down to her toes and back up into her throat. She dropped her hands and tried to back up a step, but the sink was blocking her escape. “Don’t be silly. Of course it has to end. East and west, remember?”
“You’re forgetting the rest of the poem,” Reece said softly and set aside the makeup. His hands wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, till Earth and Sky stand presently at God’s great Judgment Seat; But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, when two strong men stand face to face, tho’ they come from the ends of the earth.”
She couldn’t look at him, not when he stared at her like that, with such earnest intensity. “I’m not a man.”
“But you’re strong. One of the strongest people I’ve ever met. We’re opposites, there’s no denying it. East and west, night and day. But we’re also equals, and I’m starting to think we might be two different halves of the same whole.” He caught her chin, lifted it until she could no longer avoid his gaze. He stared into her eyes like he was trying to see into her soul. “I don’t want this to end.”
Oh, God. He was serious.
She shrugged away from him and turned back toward the mirror. “We need to hurry or we’re going to be late.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The ballroom was huge, sparkling with chandeliers, expensive gowns, and more jewelry than Shelby had ever seen in one place. It kind of blew her mind that they were mingling with celebrities like Tucker Quentin, a former child star turned businessman, who was one of the richest men in the country. And he seemed to know Reece as more than a casual acquaintance.
“Those brothers of yours still up to no good?” Tuc asked, flashing his camera-ready smile as he extended his hand.
“Always,” Reece said and accepted the shake. Then he nudged her forward with a possessive hand that practically left scorch marks on the small of her back. “Tuc, this is my wife, Shelby.”
“Wait, what?” Tuc did a double take. “You’re married to this beautiful woman? Whoa. When did that happen and why wasn’t I invited? I thought we were friends, man.”
Reece winced. “It was…last minute.”
“Uh-huh.” Tuc turned that devastating smile on her. “Swept him off his feet, did you?”
She actually felt her cheeks heat with a blush, and she so wasn’t the blushing type. But, holy crap, she’d had a poster of this guy on her bedroom wall growing up. And now here he was, in the flesh. Talking to her. She opened her mouth and hoped for something cool and sophisticated, but all that came out was a fangirly, “Mr. Quentin, I loved your movies.”
He snorted a laugh. “Well, that makes a grand total of two people who actually saw them. You and my housekeeper. There’s a reason I’m not in the movie business anymore—the least of which is that I’m a shitty actor. But thank you. And please, call me Tuc.”
“Okay,” she squeaked. Later she’d be embarrassed by the sound, but it was all she could manage. “Tuc.”
Reece shook his head at her, his mouth turned up at the corners in amusement. “I’ve never heard her so quiet. I think she’s starstruck.” He kissed her temple before returning his attention to Tuc and switching right back into business mode. “If you have a minute tonight, I’d like to speak to you about a new idea in A.I. technology.”
“Hmm. A.I. huh? That’s not your usual wheelhouse, Wilde.”
“No, it’s something new we’ve been tinkering with at DMW.”
“Okay, I’m intrigued,” Tuc said and dipped a hand into his jacket pocket at the sound of a discreet chime. He took out his phone, read the text, and his smile faded. “Shit.”