Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

LUNA

" N o need. Thanks, though." Zach leans forward from our seats in the back of the limo and places a hand on the driver's shoulder. He pushes open his door and walks around to my side, flashing cameras following his every move. Opening my door, he holds out a hand, and I slip my palm into his, slowly rising to my feet and finding my balance in these crazy-high heels. The cameras continue to flash from where the media is lining the red carpet entrance. It's blinding, overwhelming, and like nothing I've ever experienced before.

Zach leans down and whispers in my ear, the shimmer of his breath sending goosebumps across my skin. "I don't need to enter that building to know you're the most stunning woman here tonight." He leans down and kisses just below my ear. The noise from the crowd erupts, mimicking the way my body screams at the contact. "Fuck it. You're the most stunning woman. Period. Just relax for me, Luna; imagine we're back home on the veranda, and you're giving me shit."

I let out a nervous giggle as he interlaces our fingers and turns confidently toward the press, raising a hand as he acknowledges other high-profile guests and those screaming questions at him.

Panic races through me. I haven't prepared or even thought about the questions.

"Mr. Evans!" one reporter shouts above the rest. "Is this your new girlfriend?"

Zach smiles and gently squeezes my hand in comfort. "If only I were that lucky."

Turning his attention to me, the reporter smiles. "A woman who keeps the Zach Evans waiting. Tell me your name."

Zach holds up a hand. "Okay, buddy, let's talk about what we're here for tonight."

Frozen in place, my eyes dart around, the conversation between Zach and the reporters passing me by in a blur as I fight to stay in touch with what I'm seeing. The glitz and glam are more overwhelming than I could've ever imagined. Zach moves his hand from mine to the small of my back as we make our way down the line of reporters and photographers, and I fight to maintain a plastered-on smile. It comes so naturally to him, but for me, I'm almost certain they can tell I don't belong here, in this world.

"Hey, babe!" Like a beacon in a stormy sky, Felicity comes to stand next to me. Wearing an emerald dress that pools around her chest, hugs her tiny waist and full hips, and rides high on her right thigh, she looks every bit the goddess her fiancé describes her as.

"You look absolutely stunning."

She chuckles. "Thank you. It's just a dress from a high-street store in London, nothing too fancy or designer."

My eyes nearly bug out of my head. "It looks like a Prada to me."

"Angels look spectacular in anything," Jon chimes in, placing a chaste kiss on top of Felicity's head. She looks up at him and smiles.

Turning to me, he offers a reassuring smile, and I know he can tell I'm way out of my comfort zone. "You look stunning, Luna. No wonder you've got my AC all twisted up."

Zach pauses his conversation with one of the reporters and whips his head toward Jon. Scanning down my body with a heated look in his eyes, he throws me a cheeky wink and then looks back at his friend. "You really blame me?"

Jon's shoulders shake, and he leans down to speak to me as Zach goes back to the media. "He's like a puppet on a string. And I'm here for it."

"I can already tell this is your foundation," I say to Zach as we enter the main room.

He leans down to hear me over the music. "Oh yeah, and why's that, Rocket?"

"Because everything is gray. Well technically gray and silver, but still, there's a lot of gray on display."

Guiding us over to our table, where I immediately spot Kate and what must be Tom in deep conversation, he laughs. "Trust you to notice. It's the colors of my foundation."

I lift a shoulder as I set my clutch down, and he pulls out my seat. "Just saying what I see. It's gorgeous though, really special."

Across the walls, there are prints of children I assume the Hockey Now foundation has helped. Some of the pictures include Zach, but one in particular catches my eye, and I point to it. "Who's that?"

He smiles broadly. "That's Lucas. He was eight when his dad passed away in a car accident, leaving him and his family in turmoil. He's an incredible winger, but without his dad around, his mom was struggling to pay for hockey and find the time to work, care for the rest of his family, and get him to and from practices and games. She reached out to Hockey Now via his school, and we were able to offer a grant. He's a talented kid with a bright future." He smiles and wraps his arm around the back of my chair as we take a seat. "He's eleven now, and I can already tell he has a solid shot at a full ride in college if that's what he wants."

My senses tingle with emotion. "Wow, that's quite something. To be able to support the dreams of young people like that."

Bringing his face closer to mine, he opens his mouth to reply when Kate shouts across the table, "So, this is Tom. Sorry…" She giggles. "I meant to introduce him, but we got a little distracted."

"Welcome to the group, Tom." Jon raises his glass from where he and Felicity are sitting a few chairs down.

"Thanks; it's a pleasure to be here," Tom responds before getting right back to eye fucking Kate.

Zach casts his gaze around the room and then turns to Jon. "Where's Jensen?" He looks down at his watch. "He should be here by now."

"Right here. Sorry I'm late." A tall, dark-haired guy comes to stand behind our chairs. He's handsome, like really handsome.

Is it a prerequisite for signing with the Scorpions that you have to be hot?

"All good, man?" Zach asks, looking up and over his shoulder at his teammate.

Keeping his stare firmly fixed on Kate and Tom, he takes a sip of his drink and then looks at Zach. "Yep. Got caught on a call with my agent." His eyes flick back to Tom, and I don't need to be a mind-reader to work out there's a story there somewhere.

Leaning toward me, Zach rests his hand on my upper thigh, the warmth of his palm radiating throughout my body. "I need to set up for my speech, but what can I get you to drink?"

Thinking back to the champagne we had at Jon and Felicity's, I still feel slightly light-headed. "Maybe an orange juice?"

Chuckling, he stands from his chair. "You got it, Rocket."

"Last year we raised an incredible amount of money which has already changed the futures of over a hundred kids and their families. Ice hockey should be accessible for everyone, no matter your background or ability."

Zach casts his eyes out across the crowd as they clap in support. His attention finally lands on me, sitting only ten feet away from the stage. "I want to thank everyone who has turned up tonight, everyone who donates, and finally on a more personal note, I want to thank one of my closest and oldest friends for showing her support and agreeing to be my date to tonight's event. I have some incredible people in my life, and I've never been more grateful for her than I have these past few months." He raises his glass as everyone mirrors his gesture. "So, let's get this year's auction going and raise a record amount."

Rejoining the table, Zach comes to sit back down next to me. My face still feels hot from his personal speech. "I hope you don't mind me mentioning you. I just want you to know how stoked I am you're here with me tonight."

I place my hand over his on the table, and I watch as a smile pulls at Kate's lips. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Oh shit, man." Jon breaks our trance as he flicks through pages of the items for tonight's auction. "You put your first Scorpions jersey up."

Zach nods. "Yeah, it's signed too. I have plenty and figured this would fetch a few dollars."

Jon cocks a brow. "Yeah, I'd say a few thousand ."

"What have you donated?" Kate turns to Jon.

He leans back in his chair and smiles. "My signed gloves from our Stanley Cup win."

Felicity screws her nose up. "I bet they smell delightful."

Jon pulls back in mock hurt. "Everything about me smells incredible, Angel." He points across to Jensen. "And if you think they smell bad, our boy here wanted to donate his cup. I managed to talk him out of it though. That's gotta be a public safety hazard."

"Ew, gross," Kate responds.

"Hasn't always been your reaction," Jensen says from across the table as the rest of us fall silent. He pushes his chair back and goes to leave before turning back once more. "Does anyone want anything from the bar?"

The auction has been underway for the past half hour, and hundreds of thousands have already been raised. Jon's gloves went for over thirty thousand dollars alone.

"I think people will go crazy for your jersey," I say turning to Zach.

I can tell he's relaxed a little since we arrived, surrounded by his friends and with beers flowing. Raising a suggestive brow, he pins me with a heated stare. "Would you go crazy over it?"

I get it. I know the obsession hockey players have with their girls wearing their jerseys. So even though I'm not his girl, I decide to play along with the flirtation. "Oh yeah, definitely. I could even get up on stage and model it for you if you like."

With his beer to his lips, he almost drops the full glass in his lap. "That's a very kind offer, Rocket. But you see, the thing is..." He sets his glass back down on the table and turns fully toward me, resting one of his dress shoes on the rung connecting two legs of my chair. "How I want you to model my jersey is almost certainly not appropriate for this event." The look in his eyes tells me he's imagining how inappropriate it would be right now. "Besides, there's no way anyone else here will ever get to see what should be for my eyes only."

He runs the back of his hand gently down my thigh, igniting my whole body until heat pools at my core. For once in my life, I'm speechless, and by the smug smile pulling at his lips, it's clear Zach knows just how affected I am by his words.

The woman running the auction then introduces the final item, and her assistant moves around the stage holding Zach's framed and signed jersey. "I think we can start the bidding at ten thousand dollars."

Paddles fly up across the entire room until soon the highest bid reaches fifty thousand. "Are there any more bidders in the room?" The auctioneer asks one final time. "This is for a great cause, and it's a once in a life?—"

"Sixty thousand dollars." A high-pitched female voice rings out and all heads, including mine, turn her way.

Standing from her chair but sitting a fair distance away, the tall blonde waves her paddle in the air, eyeing the rest of the room. "Sixty thousand dollars for the original signed jersey of Zach Evans."

"You have got to be kidding me," Kate drawls from across our table.

"The fuck is she doing here?" Jon adds, an incredulous tone to his voice.

My heart drops. It's Amie.

Feeling the tension flowing from him, I spin around in my chair to see Zach's face twisted with anger. "How in the hell did she make it past security?" I bite out.

Amie is awarded the highest bidder, and the auction wraps up. All the while, our table remains stunned into silence—apart from Kate, who is clearly ready for a battle. "I swear to God that woman is the devil incarnate."

Zach stands from his chair and makes for a couple of employees in his foundation, clearly wanting answers as to how his evil ex-girlfriend has not only managed to gain access but successfully bid at the auction.

"Ah shit—she's coming over," Jon confirms.

I feel my entire body tremble with nerves. If she was here for Zach's speech, she'll know I'm his date, making me public enemy number one.

"She's clearly had the baby," Felicity offers.

I carefully look her way as she walks with purpose, her royal-blue gown skintight to her body. She can't have had the baby long ago, but her figure is perfect.

"Don't worry, babe. We have this handled," Felicity offers me in a reassuring tone.

"I'm good. Don't worry about me," I push out with confidence, feeling anything but at this moment.

"Hey, guys," she says when she finally reaches our table. She's standing behind Jensen's chair, and I almost double over in laughter as he mocks her face, knowing exactly what she looks like as she delivers her condescending greeting.

"I thought you took the trash out before we left your place?" Kate looks to Felicity.

I fight to keep my face straight as Amie looks to her left and directly at me, disdain pulling at her pouty lips.

I'm not a bitch, but seriously, what the hell did Zach see in her. All that beauty is marred by her god-awful attitude.

"How did you get in here, Amie? I can't imagine Zach invited you," Jon asks.

She tips her chin up at him. "I didn't need an invitation; my company is this year's main sponsor."

"Oh please," Kate drawls. "You took absolutely fuck all interest in it last year. Yet this year, your tiny health and fitness business is somehow the main sponsor?"

I know Amie owns a far from "tiny" health and fitness business; in fact, it's more like an empire. There's no doubt she's an astute businesswoman with a lot of financial clout and influence on social media. It's amazing what money can buy you access to if you offer enough of it.

She scoffs at Kate. "Girl, I don't even know who you are." She then looks to Felicity. "I've seen you around before, but tell me, are you still crying over that time in the bar bathroom?" She looks down at her engagement finger and points. "If ever there's a ring that screams, ‘She forced me to marry her,' then that's it."

Jon rises from his seat, anger twisting his features. "Don't you dare speak to my wife and her friends like that. I'm not into threatening women, but since you barely pass as one, I'll make an exception."

Zach comes to stand behind my chair, resting his hands on my shoulders. "I don't need your sponsorship or your money, Amie. Get out and never come back. I never want to see you again."

She doesn't look up at him as she keeps her focus lasered on me. "You're right, Zach. You don't need the money. And neither do I. That bid was personal. After all, I doubt a random stranger would want that hanging on their wall if they knew the last time it was worn wasn't in your first game." She flicks her eyes up to him as she takes a sip of her champagne. "I hope you cleaned it up before you framed it. We got it very dirty that night."

I want to vomit, and I feel Zach's hands begin to shake with what I know is a mixture of rage and bitter memories.

I might be a trembling mess underneath, but I've about had my fill of this woman. I steel my shoulders and look her straight in the eyes. "From what I hear, Amie, it's highly likely there will already be one, or maybe several jerseys , you've worn framed and on some random stranger's walls." Leaning back in my seat, I take a sip of the champagne I decide I need after all. "It must be hard to keep track."

"I think I might be in love," Kate announces, a proud smile spreading across her face. Turning back to Amie, she points toward the exit. "Best get chasing those jerseys."