“Julian!” The crowd screamed and begged, photographers elbowing one another out of the way to get a picture of the man of the evening. “Julian, Christina, over here!”
Dressed in black jeans, a crisp white T-shirt, and a black leather jacket, Julian made his way over to Vincent and clapped him on the shoulder.
Christina, dressed in a black gown with stunning fringe detail and fuchsia highlighting, came over and pulled Lexi into her arms, the two laughing, unaware of the media explosion going on around them.
“Julian! Julian!” the crowd screamed.
With a cheeky smile, he wrapped his arm around Christina and snuggled close to her. “Come on, you two, I need a picture with the brilliant design team that’s going to help everyone in America know my name. Grab your girl, Vincent.” Christina winked at Lexi, then turned a brilliant smile toward the blast of flashbulbs as they popped like endless fireworks in the night sky.
“Vincent, get closer to her,” one of them shouted, so Vincent closed the small distance between himself and Lexi.
“Sorry,” Lexi said through her smile as her hand accidentally slipped inside his suit jacket. When she tried to pull it away, Vincent held her arm in place and smiled.
“I don’t mind at all.” It was then that he felt her trembling. “Are you all right?”
“This is just slightly terrifying,” Lexi said through her smile.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” He caressed her back and pulled her more tightly against his side.
“Thanks, Vincent,” she whispered, nuzzling against him.
“Lexi, Christina, give them a kiss,” the photographers called out repeatedly. Christina shrugged, then planted her lips on Julian’s cheek.
Lexi stared at Vincent for a long while, debating what she should do. Then she stood up on her toes. “Sorry again,” she whispered just before she pressed her lips gently against his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her feet off the ground. She gave a surprised squeak, then threw her head back and laughed. More flashbulbs popped.
The two men held the ladies in a variety of positions for the paparazzi, giving them the best shots they could. Christina whispered something in Julian’s ear, and like that, the photo session was over. “Thank you, guys, but I need to get these two in their seats so I can start the show. See you when it’s over.” Julian waved and thanked the photographers quickly, then clapped Vincent on the shoulder and grinned. “Those should be all over the internet in ten minutes and on the cover of every magazine by morning.”
With Jade nowhere to be found, Vincent caught up with Lexi and offered her his elbow. “May I?” he asked.
Her eyes peeked up at him from under her think, black eyelashes. “I’d love to.” She slipped her arm through his, her fingers wrapping around his bicep and suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of … home.
The two walked arm in arm into the building, the paparazzi still documenting their every step until the door closed behind them. Now, it was time for the show to begin.
“That was brilliant!” Sean exclaimed as he ran into Vincent.
The show had been stunning, a huge success based on the chatter going on in the room around them. Reporters jotted notes and made frantic phone calls to meet their deadlines. A swarm of people surrounded Julian, trying to get a word with him and offer their congratulations. The crowd was growing by the second. Pouting because she wasn’t the center of attention, Jade scurried off to talk with some of her modeling friends.
“I think that went very well. The music was the perfect complement to the designs. I’m so proud of the two of you!” Elizabeth beamed and pulled Vincent and Lexi into her arms. “What a huge success.”
“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity, Elizabeth. And Vincent, how do I even begin to thank you?” Lexi felt like her smile was going to be permanently welded to her face.
What a difference a few weeks made. Six months ago, she had moved to San Francisco with nothing but a few items jammed into random boxes and the clothes on her back. She was broken, devastated by Harry’s death, and unsure of her decision to move, but she knew it was something she had to do or she’d never leave. And now, a few short months later, she had a life. A very full life with friends, a job, and a future. That was something she never thought she’d say again. She studied the smiling faces around her and saw people she was starting to think of as family.
While she had been lost in her own thoughts, the rest of the group had wandered away, leaving her alone with Vincent. “You don’t need to thank
me, Lexi. Every second with you has been my pleasure.” He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, never breaking eye contact with her. As his warm lips pressed against her hand and lingered, Lexi felt her body flush with a deepheated desire only Vincent could cause. She knew her cheeks had turned pink when she saw his lips turn up into a sexy smirk. “You aren’t going to slap me again, are you?”
Lexi raised an eyebrow, shocked he would bring up their last kiss like that. Her lips tingled as she thought back to the feel of his mouth possessing hers and the fire between them as his tongue caressed hers. “No, I’m not going to slap you. You can kiss my hand all you want.” She tried to pull her hand back, but Vincent suddenly tightened his grasp.
“Really?”
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth when she saw his mischievous grin as his lips moved back toward her hand. “Vincent,” she warned, but all rational thought was suddenly lost when his tongue darted out of his mouth and swept lazy circles around her hand, his lips gently sucking on her knuckles. Fire raced through her blood, and a delicious tickle settled in her stomach with each seductive stroke of his tongue. Her hand slipped from his grasp and hung limply at her side, every nerve ending tingling with excitement.
“Are you going to slap me now?” Vincent asked again as he surveyed her reaction.
She couldn’t stop the devilish smile from creeping onto her face as she watched him panic. “I’m considering it.”
“Listen, Lexi, I need to talk to you abo—”
“Hey, guys! This was incredible. I can’t believe I was here for this. Who premiers their fashion line in San Francisco and gets this kind of industry turnout?” Hope asked, still checking out all the big names in attendance as they walked past.
“Only Julian Stone could pull this off. The guy doesn’t do anything by the book, and people love him for it,” Sean laughed.