Orion Thorne leaned closer, his voice was low and smooth. "A simple date would suffice. You ruined my night, but there's still time to make up for it."
Evangeline blinked up at him, utterly dumbfounded. A date? So suddenly?
She didn't know what to say.
"Come," he said, already walking around to the passenger side of his sleek black car. He opened the door with ease, like a proper gentleman. "Have a seat."
For a split second, she hesitated, sure he was just faking the charm. But her legs moved on their own, her body betraying her. The car's interior was like something out of a billionaire novel—sleek leather, polished metal, and that faint, intoxicating scent of power and money.
Orion slid into the driver's seat without another word and with a shaup flick of his wrist, he shifted the car into reverse, and they were off, two glossy black SUVs full of bodyguards trailing behind them.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, Evangeline's gaze moved to some models standing outside the venue. Clarissa stood there as well, laughing about something—or maybe at someone… she wouldn't know.
However the smile fell from her face and the wine glass she held in her slender fingers fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces when she saw Evangeline in the car with Orion.
Evangeline winked at her in an attempt to be playfully annoying and get under her skin, she regretted it immediately because the look on Clarissa's face spoke of scornful vengeance and Evangelibe couldn't help the wave of fear that washed over her.
But she did not dwell on it for too long as Orion Zoomed off with a speed that terrified her and she strongly resisted the urge to scream out in fear.
Soon enough she realized that he was a very skilled driver and people like him were probably used to driving as fast as they wanted without any fear of getting speeding tickets because they practically ruled the city.
What wound she know? She was used to public buses and even when her parents were alive they only had a rickety car that couldn't go above thirty miles per hour.
After a long moment, Evangeline swallowed her nerves and decided to speak. "If I'm having a date with you," she began, her voice sounded steadier than she expected, "I'd like it to be at your family chateau."
Orion's sharp eyes flicked away from the road to glance at her, his brow arching in suspicion.
"How do you know about my family chateau?"
Shit. Think, Evangeline. Think fast.
She scrambled for an answer. "It's… not exactly a secret. Don't all rich people have some grand estate tucked away somewhere?"
He made a low humming sound, clearly unconvinced, but his lips curved into a smirk. He turned his attention back to the road with his perfectly chiseled jawline on full display.
"Whatever you want, babygirl," he said, he voice was low and seductive.
Evangeline stiffened. That nickname did things to her, and she hated how her cheeks burned at the sound of it. She hoped he didn't notice.
"But first," he added smoothly, "a quick stop at my penthouse. I need to change into something more suitable."
Of course there was a catch.
When they finally pulled into the underground parking lot of his building, Evangeline's jaw nearly hit the floor. The place was massive, more luxurious than anything she'd ever seen, even more extravagant than Rivera's penthouse in Clover City.
She followed him into the elevator, the enclosed space suddenly felt too small. His presence was overwhelming, the heat of him, the scent of him, the way the air seemed to shift around him.
Her heart raced, and she bit her bottom lip as her mind wandering to places it shouldn't… she thought about all the things he could do to her in this enclosed space. Stop it, she scolded herself internally to stop being a pervert.
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open into what could only be described as a palace in the sky. High ceilings, walls of glass with a view of the city lights, and furniture so sleek and expensive it looked like art.
"Make yourself at home, darling," Orion said with a casual tone it his voice.
Evangeline turned to him just as he shrugged off his tuxedo jacket. Her eyes immediately dropped to his lean, muscular frame, the way his neck moved when he pulled his tie loose. She swallowed hard, her mouth had suddenly gone dry.
He disappeared down the hall before the tension in the room could explode, leaving Evangeline to sit on the plush cream sofa. It felt like sinking into a cloud and she let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, but her relief didn't last long.
She sensed him before she saw him.
His warm presence at her back made every nerve in her body light up.
"If only you knew how ravishing you look in that dress." his voice was low and soft and it seemed to caress her skin.
She froze as his fingers brushed the sensitive spot at the back of her neck, tracing a loose strand of hair that had fallen there.
It sent shivers down her spine.
"I can't stop thinking about ripping it off you," he murmured, his voice thick with something dark and hungry.
Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't move, couldn't speak… she was fully trapped between the heat of his words and the fire that had ignited low in her belly.