“This is absolutely hopeless.” I throw myself face-first onto my mattress like I’m a teenage girl about to go on her first date ever. It took finishing my hair and makeup to realize I have absolutely nothing first-date appropriate.
Unless, of course, that first date is beers and a pub where we play darts and high-five all night.
“It’s not,” Bronywyn calls back at me from my closet. “You just need something with a bit more pizazz.”
“More like something—anything—other than scrubs,” Rainey adds from her spot in front of my dresser. She shuts the drawer and stands. “You literally have nothing but scrubs.”
“As I said, hopeless,” I groan.
“It is not,” Delaney promises.
How my outfit choice got turned into a girls’ afternoon I’ll never understand, but I’m damn sure grateful. “Isn’t it dumb to be going out when that other dark fae is still somewhere?”
“Aren’t you the one who asked him out?” Delaney questions with a grin.
That’s fair.
“We’ll find your bestie,” Rainey promises. “You just have a good time.”
“That’s if I ever make it out of here. He’s supposed to be getting here in like—” I trail off and check the clock by my bed. “Thirty minutes, good to know.”
“Relax, I called in backup on my way over here.”
“That much faith in her, huh?” Delaney questions.
“I mean, come on, you’ve seen her closet,” Rainey defends.
Before I can ask Bronywyn just who she called in, my door chimes go off, filling the room with happy, should-be welcoming sounds. “Is that him? Is he early? Why the hell am I nervous?”
Bronywyn’s laugh follows her down the hall, and she calls out, “It’s not him, calm down.” The door opens near-soundlessly. “Thank you for coming.”
“Anytime.”
The familiar voice reaches me even in my bedroom. Thank freaking goodness. Eira steps into my room, looking fabulous as always even in her jeans, knee-high boots, and soft blue sweatshirt. “I come bearing gifts,” she says with a grin as she holds up a white garment bag. “You are a bit taller than me, so I grabbed something longer.”
Bronywyn carries over the bag and sets it down to unzip the fabric, revealing a stunning black dress. “This is going to look fantastic on you,” Bronywyn says as she pulls it out and holds it up against me.
“This is stunning.”
“It is. Now, go put it on so we can see.” Rainey all but shoves me to the bathroom, so I do as I’m told and strip out of my robe. The silk is soft against my skin as I step into the dress. As I slide it up my body, I can’t help but smile.
As soon as I’ve slipped the thin straps over my shoulders, I turn and study myself in the mirror.
“Well?” Rainey calls through the door. “Let’s see it!”
With a deep breath, I smile at myself one last time then head out into the room. All four women grin at me, and Rainey offers a whistle.
“Looks good?” I ask.
Rainey nods. “I feel like we need to have the talk,” she jokes.
“We’re taking it slow.”
“Yeah, okay, not in that dress you’re not,” she adds with another wink. “You are an absolute knockout, Rachel.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks.
“Leave your hair that way,” Eira suggests. “The half-up look really suits that dress.”
“Your tattoos look awesome, too.” Delaney gestures to the inked lines trailing up both of my arms.
“Thanks, guys, I seriously cannot thank you enough.”
“Shoes?” Delaney questions.
“Those, I have.” Nearly giddy with joy, I make my way back into my closet before kneeling down and retrieving a pair of black pumps I’ve had hidden in the back since I bought them two years ago. I slip them on, so damned glad I didn’t get rid of them when I went through my ‘does it bring me joy’ phase last year.
Hell yes, these bring me joy.
And tonight, seeing the look on Ridley’s face is going to make storing them this long totally worth it.
“Damn.” Rainey nods appreciatively.
“Agreed,” Bronywyn adds.
Both Delaney and Eira simply nod in agreement.
“Thank you for the dress,” I tell Eira. “So much. I promise to take good care of it.”
“Honey, that dress is all yours.”
“No, you can’t give this to me—”
“I can,” she interrupts. “There is no way I would ever feel good in it after seeing how fantastic you look.” She winks, and I want to cry. My throat tightens, and my chest grows heavy with joy. How I went the last half-decade with literally no friends I’ll never know.
Girlfriends are the best.
Someone rings the doorbell again, sending my heart into a nervous somersault.
“He’s here!” Rainey exclaims.
“You’ve got this!” Bronywyn offers.
“Have fun!” Delaney calls out.
“Knock him dead,” Eira adds with a wink.
My jelly legs somehow manage to carry me to the door where my sweat-slick palm closes around the handle and somehow manages to open it. Which is the precise moment I am struck stupid.
On the other side, Ridley is dressed in a black suit with a black shirt and a black satin tie. His hair is perfectly styled, his face clean-shaven. To summarize? I’m not entirely sure how I’m supposed to stick with my ‘take it slow’ mentality when I want to rip his clothes off and have him bend me over my kitchen island.
Which, thanks to my overactive imagination, has now given me way too many ideas.
“You look, fuck, Rachel.”
“That’s a shit compliment,” Rainey announces as she comes behind me.
Ridley looks stunned, and the sight of it has me stifling a laugh.
“Rainey, I didn’t know you were here.”
“Clearly, or you would have managed something a bit more romantic than the word ‘fuck.’” She steps around me and heads out into the hall, which makes way for Delaney, Bronywyn, and Eira to follow.
They don’t say anything, but when they get past him, there are lots of silent ooohs and ahhhs coming my way before they all disappear down the hall.
“Party tonight?”
“Something like that. Do you want to come in?”
His gaze drinks me in, sending my pulse skyrocketing to a level that can’t be safe. “To be completely honest? I would love to, but if I go in there, I don’t know that we’ll make it back out, and I really, really want to show you off tonight.”
“You know, I do have self-restraint.”
He leans in and presses his lips to my cheek then hovers just above my skin. “But I don’t, and I can be very, very persuasive.”
I swallow hard at the heat pooling in my belly as lust slams into my body. “Fair enough. Let’s go out.” I close the door quickly before I have time to change my mind. Then I face him again. He’s watching me, eyebrow raised, looking way too damned hot for anyone’s own good.
“Ready?”
“Yes.” I start down the hall and then stop. “Wait, no.” Turning on my heel, I march back into my apartment to retrieve my purse, phone, and keys. Then, I move back out into the hall and try like hell not to make eye contact because, for some reason, I’ve lost every bit of confidence I’ve spent a lifetime obtaining. “Now I’m ready.”
He chuckles, the deep sound washing over me. What the hell is it about his voice that makes me want to drool? “I have quite the evening planned for you, but first, I need to know, does this building have cameras?”
“Not in the halls. Wh—” My words are cut off when he takes my mouth in a knee-shaking, muscle-melting, swoon-worthy kiss that has me melting into a puddle of satin. My back meets the wall, and I wrap both arms around his neck, pinning him to me so even if he wanted to pull away, he’d have to struggle.
I want all of him.
Every single arrogant bit of him, and it’s driving me absolutely wild.
After a kiss that didn’t last nearly long enough, he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine as we both struggle to catch our breath. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I saw you in that doorway.”
“I’m really glad you did.”
With a grin, he drops his head and kisses me one more time, a quick peck that’s just enough to make my knees shake. “Time to go.”
The world falls away for a moment as my stomach drops, much like it does when you’re on a heavy drop at a carnival. Within a heartbeat, though, we’re rematerializing in the center of a dimly lit room.
“Look up,” Ridley whispers.
I do as he says and gasp. Above our heads, the glass ceiling is a window into a crystal blue ocean. Rays of the sun just beginning to shine through make it easy to see the fish happily swimming above—and around us.
“An underwater hotel off Rangali Island.”
“I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“Here, sit.” He guides me to a panoramic room adorned with two seats, a table, and a silver tray covered with a matching dome.
I slide into my chair, still awe-struck by the gorgeous view less than two feet from my face. “This is amazing.”
“It’s pretty neat. The pictures really didn’t do it justice.” He shrugs out of his jacket then sits down beside me. “I hope it’s okay, but given the time difference, we are having breakfast rather than dinner.” He lifts the dome, and my stomach rumbles, reminding me I’ve had nothing but a protein shake all day.
And as I eye the gorgeous arrangement of scones and fresh fruit, my mouth waters. “This is perfect, Ridley.”
“You didn’t strike me as the go out to dinner and a movie type.”
“Well,” I start before plucking a plump grape from the tray. “While I do love a good movie, you would be right about the dinner part. I’m not a fan of forced conversation, and when you are sitting across from someone, it becomes a necessity so you can avoid staring awkwardly into their eyes.”
He throws his head back and laughs then reaches over and grabs a scone. “I completely agree. Though, I will admit, I haven’t been on many dates.”
“No?”
He shakes his head. “Typically, it’s always been a ‘pass the time arrangement,’ though there was one woman—a fae from my home—that I was rather serious with when I’d been younger.”
“What happened?”
“I realized Faerie was not where I wanted to spend my life, and she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving. Truth be told, we’re better off friends anyway. No one else can look after my brother like she does.”
“Rafferty? I think that’s what his name is, right?”
Ridley snorts. “That would be correct, though it’s not just Raffe. Honestly, he’s the only sibling I have left I give a shit about.” His mood darkens, a heavy shift in the air that I feel all the way down to my bones.
Even as I know I should proceed with caution, I can’t help myself. “You have other siblings?”
He nods. “Another brother; he’s a piece of shit though. Taranus is nothing but a stain on our family. Why Rafferty bothers putting up with him I’ll never know.” Ridley falls silent, his gaze shifting from the ocean beyond the glass to the fruit. “And I, uh, I had a sister. “
Had. My heart aches for him as a wave of pain shoots through my chest. “What happened?”
“She was killed. Back in Faerie.”
“Oh, Ridley.”
“It was a long time ago, but that’s why I left. I needed space from my family. They were just trying to move on, and I wasn’t ready. I’ll never be ready.”
Unsure what else to do, I reach over and rest my hand over his. He stares down at it then smiles tightly. “It was a long time ago.”
“Time doesn’t help everything.”
“True.” He turns away from me, but I don’t move my hand. Instead, we sit together, fingers interlocked, as we stare out at the ocean that grows brighter and brighter by the second.