I stumbled back into the garden, my cheeks burning and my heart pounding like I’d just sprinted a marathon. My hands shook as I dug through my bag for the crumpled pack of cigarettes I kept for emergencies. This was absolutely an emergency.
The first inhale burned my throat, but at least it gave me something else to focus on other than the crushing embarrassment that was my life.
“You know those will kill you,” came Alex’s voice, smug as ever, from somewhere behind me.
I jumped, nearly dropping the cigarette. “Bloody hell! Do you sneak up on everyone or just me?”
“Just you,” Alex said, strolling toward me with his hands in his pockets, looking annoyingly relaxed.
He stopped beside me, his dark eyes gleaming as he plucked the cigarette right out of my fingers and took a slow drag.
“Hey!” I protested, grabbing for it, but he just grinned and handed it back.
“You looked like you needed rescuing,” he said, leaning casually against the stone railing beside me.
“From what? My own terrible decisions?” I muttered, taking another drag and blowing the smoke out with more force than necessary.
He laughed, the sound low and warm. “You did great tonight, Hollis. You’re going to go far, you know that?”
I snorted, rolling my eyes. “Oh, sure. Right after I finish being paraded around like a walking LinkedIn profile.”
Alex tilted his head, watching me closely. “You’re too hard on yourself. You got us the Princess Anna interview. That’s all anyone will care about tomorrow.”
His words shouldn’t have meant anything—especially after the absolute verbal lashing I’d just gotten from Darcy—but somehow, they settled in my chest like a warm drink on a freezing day.
“Why do you always do that?” I asked suddenly, surprising even myself.
“Do what?”
“Act like I’m something special one minute, then treat me like a joke the next,” I said, my voice quieter than I’d intended.
Alex’s smirk softened into something more thoughtful. “Because you are something special, Hollis. You just don’t see it.”
I blinked, completely caught off guard.
He took a step closer, his eyes dark and steady on mine. “Why do you always limit yourself?” he asked softly. “You drag yourself down before anyone else even gets the chance.”
I swallowed hard, my hands tightening around the cigarette. “So no one can use my flaws against me,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.
Alex stepped closer, his hand brushing mine, sending a jolt of electricity up my arm. “You care too much about what other people think.”
“No, I don’t,” I shot back automatically, even though we both knew it was a lie.
“Really?” he murmured, his voice low as his fingers lightly brushed my waist.
I froze as the cigarette slipped from my fingers, forgotten, as he pulled me just a fraction closer.
“You don’t care about what I think now?” he asked, his lips so close I could feel the warmth of his breath.
Before I could come up with a reply—or an excuse—his mouth was on mine.
The kiss wasn’t soft or tentative. It was hot, insistent, and just the right amount of reckless. I could taste the champagne and smoke on his lips, and for one surreal, mind-numbing moment, I let myself get lost in it.