She balled her fist, forcing her feet to maintain a steady, unhurried pace forward. Even as her heart pounded a relentless rhythm against her sternum.
“How did you get in here?” she gritted out.
Conscious of any gazes that mightbe leveled on them, she kept her polite, social mask in place, when in truth she wanted to glare daggers at him.
His aloof expression didn’t change...except for the arch of that damnable dark eyebrow. “I expect like everyone else. The front entrance. And paying the seven-thousand-dollar-a-plate fee.”
“That’s not possible,” she snapped. “I looked over and approved the final guest list myself.Neither you nor your company’s name was on it.”
“Then you missed it. Maybe other matters distracted you,” he added. A beat of charged silence vibrated between them. No need to name the “other matters.” They both were well aware of what he referred to.
“Is that why you’re here?” she demanded, and in spite of her resolve, her voice dropped to a heated whisper. “To pressure me for an answer?”
“It’s been four days, Shay,” he replied, and in that moment, she resented his carefully modulated composure.
The rash and admittedly foolish urge—no,need—to shatter his control swelled within her. She wanted the man from the blackout, the one who stared at her with flames of desire burning in his onyx eyes as he drove them both to impossible pleasure.
“I’ve given your four days longerthan I’d usually grant anyone else.”
“Well, I’m flattered.”
“You should be.”
She clenched her teeth so hard an ache rose along her jaw. “The answer is n—”
“Is this man bothering you, Shay?” Trevor appeared at her elbow, and both the venom in his question and his sudden, hard grasp elicited a gasp from her.
Gideon’s gaze dropped to her arm, and anger narrowed his eyes.
“Get your hand off of her,” he ordered. The volume of his voice didn’t rise, but only a simpleton could miss the warning. “You’re hurting her.”
Scowling, Trevor glanced down at his fingers pinching her arm, then jerked his hand away. He lifted his regard to her face, and she glimpsed disgust, but also regret. She dipped her chin in a silent acknowledgment of his equally silent apology.
Turning back to Gideon, he snarled, “What are you doing here? You weren’t invited. Leave. Now.”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” Gideon said, with no hint of remorse. If anything, satisfaction rang loud and clear in those words. “I paid to attend just like everyone else here, and made a hefty donation on top of that. I’m staying.”
“You can have your money back. We don’t need it,”Trevor spat, nearly trembling with rage as he edged closer to Gideon. “We both know why you’re here. You lost. Get over it. It’s not like it’s the first time, and it damn sure won’t be the last.”
Fear spiked inside Shay’s chest.Good God. She’d never seen her brother this angry. His reaction to Gideon’s presence had to be more than a business rivalry. This was...personal.
“Trevor,” shequietly pleaded, gently but firmly grasping his arm. “Please.”
Gideon shifted his attention from her brother to her. And the same fury that twisted her brother’s face lit his eyes like a glittering night sky. But as he studied her, some of the anger dimmed.
He retreated a step, his gaze still pinned on her.
Shock pummeled the breath from her lungs. Had he backed away...for her?
No. That was impossible. He didn’t give a damn about her or her feelings.
Still...
“Have a nice evening. Both of you,” he said, though his regard never wavered from her. “It was wonderful seeing you again, Shay,” he murmured, then turned and headed farther into the room, not toward the exit as Trevor had demanded.
“What was he talking about, ‘seeing you again’?” Trevor hissed as soonas Gideon was out of earshot. “When did you meet him?”
With Herculean effort, she tore her gaze from Gideon and met her brother’s glare. Hurt and hints of betrayal lurked there. And guilt pricked her. For what, though? She’d done nothing wrong.
