Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I turned and looked at her, eyebrows lifted.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” she snapped, smacking me in the arm.
“So he’s the courtesan and you’re his mistress, just like we would’ve been.”
“Except that every woman in here has stopped by to say hello, because apparently we’re popular all of a sudden, and comment on how good he looks and how fun it is to see buttoned-up Dane Harcourt let loose, and could they steal him away for a dance.”
I laughed and got smacked a second time, as I knew I would.
“Jory, so help me God, the next person who comes over here and tries to grope my husband is going to lose her teeth.”
“Like Dane even sees them.”
“I don’t care.”
“He came because first, he loves you and he likes spending time with you.”
“He does,” she agreed, smiling.
“And second, he didn’t trust these men not to hit on you.”
“No. He knows I don’t see anyone but him.”
“Yeah, but it makes him crazy when other people try and get your attention.”
“Well,” she growled as a woman intercepted Dane and started talking to him before touching one of the buttons of his vest. “I feel the same about—Dane,” she called over to him.
The woman turned, Aja gave her a fake smile, and Dane excused himself and joined me and his wife.
“Here you go,” he said to her, passing her what I suspected was an amaretto sour because Aja loved those. “Hey, look at you,” he said, grinning at me. “This reminds me of your clubbing days, without the fake lashes and makeup, of course. Oh, and the boots.”
“I think it’s very interesting that both Harcourt brothers came to this party dressed as courtesans,” I told him. “I think this says something about us.”
“Well my outfit speaks a last-minute raid of my closet.”
A few minutes later, I noticed Aja scowling at a woman who walked by, checking out my brother hard, just as Dane asked her if she wanted him to go grab her something to eat.
“No,” she said, turning to look up at her husband. “I want to dance.”
I walked with them to the edge of the floor and then watched as they began to waltz. Ballroom dancing I had never learned, but I loved to be a spectator. The gown made Aja look like she was gliding on a cloud, and the way it clung and flowed around Dane’s legs was like water, the fluid movement so graceful.
They came off the dance floor, mingled, dragging me along, but after an hour, my feet were starting to ache. The truth of the matter was, I preferred my sneakers.
Several people asked me to dance, which was terribly flattering, but I declined, as I didn’t want to follow their lead and make an ass of myself. I was watching Dane and Aja again when there was a hand on the back of my neck. The touch was surprising, overly familiar, and I turned to tell whoever felt like they could just put a hand on me to back the hell up.
Sam Kage standing there dressed as—I had no idea what he was dressed as—rendered me momentarily mute.
“You expected me to let you go out alone dressed like that?”
“I…is that a pith helmet?”
“Yes,” he said as though that were the stupidest question ever, and then kissed me. “And I like lip gloss, as long as you're the one wearing it.”
He was finishing a conversation we’d started an hour ago.
“You came across town for a kiss?” I asked breathlessly. Kisses from Sam Kage had that effect on me.
“I came for you,” he made clear.
“Who…” I snickered because he looked like something out of a Jules Verne novel. Like some steampunk explorer back from an expedition to discover a river or a mountain range. “Who did this to you?”
“Hannah and Kola fixed it so I could come to the party.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. It was still mostly his Captain Mal costume, but the coat was now buttoned over a white shirt and a vest, the red scarf was now hanging loose, and really the pith helmet just…it was amazing. “You look like you just came home from serving in the French Foreign Legion or something.”
“That’s what Hannah was going for.”
“Where on earth did you find a pith helmet?”
“Remember when Kola, Harper, and Jake were O’Connell, Jonathan, and Ardeth for Halloween a couple of years ago?”
I started chuckling.
“I told Harper that he needs to start getting rid of things, but at the moment, I’m very glad he held on to the pith helmet.”
I nodded.
“Why was that part of the costume to begin with?” Sam asked me, reaching out to put his hand back on the side of my neck and ease me close until I was tucked into his side. “I don’t remember Brendan Fraser wearing one, even at the beginning of the movie.”