I stood there, breathless and wet, my body instantly reacting to even a look from Arlo, becoming soft and so ready. “I need a drink,” I whispered, and he chuckled low before taking my hand and leading me through the crowd of people to the bar at the end of the massive room.

Arlo stepped in front of me to put in our drink order in and scanned the room once more. The women were unbelievably beautiful, the men looking dashing. Yet there was something else lying in wait under all that expensive fabric and powerful bodies. There was something deep and dark, like the very bottom of the ocean where you didn’t know what lived there, where it was too deadly to venture to.

It was the same thing I noticed with Arlo, that violence and aggression… that power to crush anything and anyone who stood in his way.

“I’m surprised you made an appearance.”

The deep voice that came from behind me had a chill racing up my spine, goose bumps moving along my arms. It was the instant sensation of when the prey knew the predator was far too close.

The air was frigid as Arlo slowly turned around, his arm suddenly curled around my waist as he pulled me toward him. His fingers flexed on my side, and I knew the move was wholly possessive, a mark for the man who towered in front of me, all imposing lines and a dark aura.

“Lucian,” Arlo said with unrestrained tension lacing his voice.

A blonde woman came to stand beside Lucian, her grace and beauty breathtaking.

“Will you not introduce me to this gorgeous little gem?” There was no flirtation in Lucian’s voice, but Arlo growled low in warning regardless and pulled me even tighter to his side.

But it was clear Lucian held no attraction to me despite his compliment. He kept the blonde tucked in close to his body, and the way he looked at me was more clinical than anything else.

Arlo was silent for so long, but I felt how tightly he held me, that tension in his body growing as each second passed. “Galina, this is the eldest Morelli, Lucian.”

Lucian smirked as he glanced at his blonde companion. “This is Elaine Constantine.” Lucian didn’t seem like a man who’d go soft in any way, but as he stared at the women beside him, his expression wasn’t as severe, and his voice softened slightly.

“Pleasure,” Elaine said and smiled at me.

“My brother Leo and his partner Haley,” Lucian said and gestured to a man and bookish-looking female across the room.

“The Beast of Bishop’s Landing,” Arlo growled, and Lucian chuckled sardonically.

“His notorious nickname.”

“Excuse us,” Arlo said and pulled me away, and I was shocked by the rude departure.