Lena

The invitation came by text.

8 for as Bridget released me and stepped back and turned to Julian with the full warmth.

"And Julian." The smile adjusted slightly for him. Warmer. More careful. The specific calibration of a woman who understood that this man saw through performances and was choosing to perform anyway because the alternative was showing him something she didn't want him to see. "We're so glad you could join us."

"We're glad to be here," Julian said.

He was doing the thing. The Julian Blackwood in a room thing, where the surface was impeccable and the interior was completely unavailable and the specific combination produced something...