“Are you ready?” he forced himself to ask.
She glanced around the office. “Sure. Let’s go and get me all fancy.” She winked.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Evelyn wrapped the hair tie around the end of her braid before she put the small floral clip over it. There was no way she could get her hair to look as nice as some of the heiresses and trophy wives who would undoubtedly be there tonight, but she could at least try.
The French braid was simple, but elegant. She liked her hair down when she was going to black-tie events, but having it back made much more sense considering she’d have to maintain a good range of visibility to watch out for Luke.
And she couldn’t help but feel as though she’d need to be on high alert. Ever since she’d left Hotchins and gone back to Luke’s office, something had seemed strange. The last-minute event. Rushing her out of the building.
But if Luke Devereaux wanted to party, there wasn’t much she could do to stop him without hard proof that he was in immediate danger. Well, she could handcuff him to the bed. As appealing as that option was, Hotchins would be pissed if she took such drastic measures. He was still seeing visions of a lawsuit in his mind.
Evelyn had to forgo a fashionable clutch for a small handbag where she could fit her firearm and ID. Along with her bright red lipstick. Between her simple black dress and her ankle boots with reasonable heels so she could move as needed, she needed something to up the drama of her outfit. But the shorter skirt on the dress combined with the flattering cut of the shoes made her legs look really long. It was black-tie, but Luke assured her that it didn’t require a floor-length dress.
She took one more look at herself in the mirror and let out a sigh. This was as good as it was going to get if she wanted to leave right now. Luke sounded as if he wanted to be out the door fifteen minutes ago, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting any longer.
When she left the bathroom and headed down the stairs, Luke was on the phone. It sounded as though he was scheduling a meeting with one of his clients for later in the week from what she could hear. She hated to eavesdrop, but she always tried to hear what was on his radar, especially considering she had felt as though he was hiding something from her all week.
Luke turned as she reached the bottom of the stairs, and he abruptly went silent as he saw her.
“I’m going to have to call you back tomorrow, Douglas,” he said as the phone fell to his side. “You look...”
“I know. Not really fancy enough, but I have to work with what I have.”
He let out a little laugh. “You look fucking fantastic.” He set the phone down and approached. “I’ve never seen anyone look as good as you do right now.” Luke set his hands at the curve of her waist and pulled her in closer. “All I can think about is dragging you right back up those stairs and taking this dress off,” he breathed.
Funny. That was exactly what she wanted too. “Let’s blow off this whole thing.” She leaned into him. “Spend the night in with me.” And don’t do whatever fishy thing you’re planning to do...
But she must’ve said exactly the wrong thing because he pulled back and picked up his wallet and phone from the counter. “We’ll make an appearance and then get out of there. Super quick, I promise.”
“And who should I tell people I am?” she asked as Luke pulled on his formal suit jacket. She had to take a deep breath to keep from swooning. His black hair was slicked back, but whatever product he wore made his hair look completely natural and not oily at all. Evelyn wanted to run her fingers through it and was only spurred on by the fact that she knew exactly what it would feel like against her skin.
Despite the clean-cut clothes, his strong jawline was covered with just the right amount of stubble to give him a rough look.
“Tell them the truth,” he said.
“That I’m an FBI agent watching your every move?”
“That you’re my girlfriend. We met while I was consulting with you on a case. If they ask for details, we’ll just say that we aren’t allowed to give specifics quite yet. The truth.”
His girlfriend? Was he serious or did he just think that would cause fewer questions from the partygoers? Before she could ask for clarification, Luke set his arm around her waist and ushered her to the elevator. At the same time, he dialed the car service to make sure that their ride was ready and waiting downstairs.
Her suspicions about his motives only increased as he avoided any serious topics on the drive there, instead making jokes about the city as they drove, and every time she tried to broach the subject of the investigation, he’d make a sexual comment or lean in to kiss her. As much as she enjoyed those kisses, she didn’t like his manipulations.