“I mean…a little.” I giggle again. And then Isnort.
Fuck.
I nearly drop my glass attempting to cover my mouth.
My snort is noticed by the whole Top FanSquad, and everyone breaks into laughter. Stephen chuckles heartily, and Pearl titters as she swings the end of the boa.
“Could you be any moreadorable, Ava?” She clutches her sternum. “I love you already!”
My face isflaming,but I force myself to keep laughing along with them. Lucky, I notice, isnotlaughing. He’s just looking at me with that same easy, warm smile. Once again, I’m having trouble looking away, and my laughter fizzles out. The look between us holds for a number of seconds before he abruptly removes his arm and stands up, swiping the glass out of my hands.
“Piper, sweetie. Do me a favor.”
The redhead turns from Pearl while still holding the lip gloss wand at the ready. “Anything, Luck,” she replies in a bird-like tone.
“Mind raiding the closet again and finding Ava something to wear?”
“Sure!” Piper chirps, putting away the lip gloss and leaping up from the sofa.
She daintily steps around the coffee table and reaches to snag my wrists, giving my arms a tug to stand up. With hands on her hips, she knits her brow as she glides her gaze up and down my body. She reaches for me, encircling my waist with her hands, and I reflexively lift my arms at my sides.
She removes her hands, but holds them the same distance from each other, as though she just measured the circumference of my waist. “You’s about atwo, yeah?”
I squint at her. “Asizetwo? Yeah. Good guess.”
She drops one of her arms at her side and twirls her opposite hand in the air. “I gotcha. I’ll meetcha in your room so we can get you dressed.”
After she waltzes off, I turn to Pearl and Stephen. “So y’alldidn’tactually come here dressed up like that.”
They both laugh again.
“Heavensno!”Pearl swings the end of the boa again. “Lucky had Piper get us changed right away.” She snickers before taking another tiny sip of her martini and smacking her lips. “I sure dolovethe way you sayy’all.”
Stephen swirls his drink. “Make sure you get a refill on your way to change.” He chuckles. “I think down here in ol’ New Orleans, they call it a go-cup. At least, that’s what I was told at the bar I stopped off at before I got here this afternoon.”
A genuine laugh shakes out of me.
So, theyarejust a little tipsy. That’s what’s really wrong with me. I’m notdrunkenough yet.
Well, I’ll just have to get to work on that.
“I’m gonna escortMizzAva to her room, and then I’ll be back.” Lucky wraps his hand around my waist again. “Then, I’m taking you guys out so we can kick off the week properly.”
As we’re leaving the room and heading down the hall, I have no idea what to do with my hands while Lucky is holding my waist like this. I settle for clasping them stiffly at the level of my hips while I stare at the dark hardwood floor below my feet.
Once at my room, he follows me inside. And then he closes the door.
Andthen, helocksit.
I freeze up, standing rigidly in the center of a circular, Victorian-era rug positioned between the large dresser and four-poster, king-size bed. I’m staring at him while he stands across the room, and my eyes feel like they’ve stretched as wide as they can go.
If Lucky De Luca has locked us in here together to have his way with me, he doesn’t seem very motivated. He’s just standing there, hands in his pockets, while he looks at me thoughtfully.
“Ava,” he finally says.
My mouth is dry, but I manage to speak. “Yeah?”
He presses one palm flat against his chest. “Please don’t be scared of me.”
