Page 62 of Digital Desire

Will was still laughing as they left Fortis for the final time that year.

Epilogue

As they walked into the magnificent ballroom at the Cunningham Estate, Aubrey couldn’t help but gasp and stare in delight. The entire room looked like a magical wonderland. Beautiful ice-white swaging adorned the ceiling and the outer walls, with fairy lights strung throughout.

High tables with gorgeous displays of winter white roses with pinecones, evergreen, and cranberries were dotted around. A large bar was at the far end with a glass front and back panel that reflected the lights from above.

“Wow, this is stunning,” she said, gripping Will’s arm with glee as she looked around at everyone dressed in their finest. All the men wore tuxedos, and the ladies wore sexy, elegant gowns. It had taken her an age to find the right dress, but it had been nice to spend some time with Madison.

She and her sister had talked, and she had agreed to back off and let Madison make her own way in the world which had come as somewhat of a shock to her sister and not entirely a happy one if she wasn’t mistaken. It made her wonder if having her ready to catch her every time she cocked up had enabled her sister to be so reckless.

Madison, although only a few years younger than her at twenty-seven, had a lot of growing up to do. Aubrey didn’t think it would happen soon, but she truly believed in her heart that she would get there. She had even talked about going back to college and finishing her degree in pharmaceuticals.

“Yes, it really is,” Will said, and Aubrey looked up at the tone of his voice and blushed deep at the sensual appreciation she saw there. He had not kept his hands off her since he had picked her up and he had told her at least five times how beautiful she looked.

Aubrey felt beautiful when she was with him, not like the dowdy cop she actually was. Not that she minded, she loved her job, but it was nice to feel glamorous for a change. The dress she had finally decided on was a sleeveless champagne beaded silk sheath dress with a high slash neckline. Split to the mid-thigh, it gave her free movement and added a touch of sexiness to the otherwise modest dress. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant chignon, and her shoes, her one real luxury in life, were black satin pumps she had found in a boutique in Paris a few years ago with a clutch to match.

“Let’s get a drink and say hi,” said Will with a wink.

He looked absolutely delicious in a tux. She thought he looked best in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, but this tux, the way it fit across his chest, with his hair slicked back off his face, the tattoos on his neck peeking out the top made him look like the sexiest fucking bad boy she had ever imagined. The thought made her smile because he was all hers.

He placed his arm at the base of her spine, just above her butt as they walked to the bar making her shiver in anticipation of what was to come later tonight. He had already whispered what he wanted to do to her while she kept her dress on as they drove here in the limo he had hired. It had taken every ounce of control not to just let him go ahead and do it in the car, but she was looking forward to this. There first official outing as a couple.

“Will, Aubrey, great to see you,” said Celeste as they moved up next to her and Zin at the bar.

Celeste looked stunning in a sexy green off-the-shoulder gown of lace. Zin was equally handsome in that dangerous, slightly scary way that made her wonder how the hell Celeste relaxed around such dark energy, but it was apparent to anyone with eyes that he adored her and would do anything for her.

“Lovely to see you too,” Aubrey said as she kissed Celeste on the cheek. “You look gorgeous,” she added.

“So, do you, I love that colour on you,” Celeste said.

“Thanks, it only took me four hours to find the perfect dress,” she laughed.

“Well, it looks great. Have you met everyone yet?” Celeste asked looking around and obviously spotting a few people she wanted to talk too.

“No, but you go ahead, Will and I are going to get a drink.”

Celeste smiled at them as they moved away.

“Vodka and cranberry?” Will asked.

“Yes, please,” she said as she watched the stunning women of Zenobi walk in and blend into the crowd.

They were magnificent but then so were the men of Eidolon who had walked in just before them. Stunningly handsome men who would make any normal woman swoon at the sight of them all done up in their tuxedoes. She spotted Alex who was standing at the far side of the room with a drink in his hand watching the French doors and the woman who stood there in a dark red dress. Her black hair was swept to the side and cascaded down her neck showing off the daringly low back of the dress that skimmed her ass. Siren! Again, Aubrey wondered what the story was there but knew it was not her business. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t keep her eye out—after all, Alex was her friend.

* * *

Alex Martinez stood watching the woman he had loved since they were six years old as she laughed and chatted with Zack and Ava. She had changed so much and yet hardly at all. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever met, still had that dimple in her left cheek when she smiled, still quirked her head the way he loved when she was listening to someone, and yet she was not the same.

The woman he had loved had been soft and gentle and wouldn’t hurt a fly much less kill a man in cold blood and then walk away. Evelyn had disappeared a little under fifteen years ago, taken from their village on the same night he had proposed and had never been seen again.

He had spent years searching for her with no luck and then suddenly, she popped into his life from nowhere throwing him into chaos. It made him inexplicably angry that she seemed so unaffected. As if what they’d had was insignificant, worthless, when he’d spent his adulthood pining for her, missing her goofy laugh and the way she made him feel.

But Siren as she was now, acted as if he was nobody and nothing to her, and yet he still felt his body stir every time he caught sight of her. Alex took a swig of his gin and tonic and then slammed the glass down, almost smashing it as she flirted with Gunner. He needed another fucking drink. He stalked to the bar and felt eyes on him as he passed by them, deliberately ignoring them all.

“Alex!”

Fuck, her voice, the way she said his name made his body ache to touch her, to make her remember how it had been between them when they were barely seventeen. Even after all this time, he could hear the sweet sound of her voice as she came, her hands clinging to him, a look of love so intense in her eyes that it almost blinded him.