Chapter 46

Judy’s POV

I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting, but an actual light show gallery was not it. The entire event was busy with people, and it was completely outside. It was the most spectacular thing I had ever witnessed. There was a ton of artwork created by packmates from all over, and the work was lit up in the most gorgeous lighting I had ever seen. My mind was whirling as we walked around the outdoor gallery.

Walter told me that I didn’t need to dress up for this event, so I settled on a pair of jeans and a nice blouse that showed off a bit of my cleavage, but not too much to distract him. Once again, Max drove, but he waited in the car while we enjoyed the gallery. There were some food trucks parked on the side of the road as well and Walter mentioned trying out some food. I agreed and we walked to the food trucks together.

“How did you even know about this place?” I asked him once I got my corn dog, and Walter got his chili dog. I smiled at the thought of him eating a chili dog; last night we were eating luxury food, and now we were eating basic street food.

He took a bite of the chili dog, getting some on his cheek in the process and then he took a sip of his giant soda.

“Irene mentioned it,” he admitted. I frowned at him.

“What?” I asked.

“She said something about wanting to check it out. I thought it would be fun for us to do,” he said with a shrug.

My heart fell into my stomach as I looked around, a frown marring my lips.

“Did she say something about coming here?” I asked, trying not to sound bothered, but I couldn’t help myself. The last thing I wanted was for Ethan to show up.

“I think she might have changed her mind. Ethan and she have been having some arguments lately,” he murmured. “I don’t think she was in the mood to go anywhere tonight.”

I nodded, biting my lower lip. Ethan hadn’t been exactly subtle lately and I worried that it would start affecting his relationship with Irene. If they broke up, Gavin would blame me and then there would be no doubt in my mind that he’d fire me.

“This is delicious,” he said, taking another large bite. “Who knew sloppy flood could taste so good.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I grabbed one of my napkins. I stepped towards him and started to wipe his cheek.

“Um, everybody,” I told him.

When we finished our food, we threw away our trash and then walked around the gallery some more. There was one sculpture made of white marble that stood out amongst all. It was a carving of a woman with long flowing hair that wrapped around her narrow waist, and she wore a gown that covered most of her body, but in a way that showed off each of her curves. She was smiling up at the sky, her eyes fixed on the moon above and her arms held out like she was trying to reach for the stars. She was wrapped entirely in shimmering lights, and she lit up most of the gallery.

“Who is this?” I asked, my voice breathless as I stared into the woman’s marble eyes.

“I think she’s supposed to be the Moon Goddess,” he told me.

“She’s beautiful,” I whispered.

Walter took hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“She is,” he said thoughtfully, but he wasn’t looking at the statue, he was looking at me. I blushed, knowing he was talking about me.

The evening was perfect; the light jazz music played in the background and the guests talked quietly amongst themselves, not wanting to ruin the essence of the gallery.

“I love this song,” Walter said, closing his eyes and swaying to the soft melody of the instrumental jazz.

I raised my brows.

“You’re a fan of Jazz?” I asked him.

He opened one eye to look at me, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Yes,” he answered. “I listen to it often back in France. It reminds me so much of home.”

“I know you’ve only been gone for a few days, but do you miss it?”

He shrugged.

“Yes, and no,” he answered. “I miss my company and my friends. But there’s something here that I can’t find there.”

I watched him as he continued to sway around to the music, humming along with the instruments.

“And what would that be?” I asked him.

He looked at me thoughtfully as he held out his hand for me to take. I stared at it, hesitantly, not sure if I should take it or not. He gave me a wide and boyish grin that made me smile in return, so I took his hand and allowed him to pull me into his embrace. He wrapped an arm around my waist, keeping my flesh against his body, while he held my other hand delicately in his. We swayed around to the music, and he twirled me, pulling me back into his arms.

“You,” he finally answered, dipping me low. My head fell back as he dipped me but then he pulled me back into him and we continued to sway around. Our dancing caught the attention of others who were smiling and watching us.

Some even started to dance with their partners as well.

“You speak pretty words, Mr. Landry,” I teased as he twirled me around again. This time he twirled me a bit faster, and I nearly lost my footing. I had to wrap an arm around his neck to keep myself steady and it only brought my body that much closer to his.

My breath got caught in my throat when we wound up only inches from one another, our breaths intermingling with one another.

“I only speak the truth, Miss Montague,” he replied, dipping me low again.

When the song ended, we received some claps and I smiled, giving the audience a short wave. Walter chuckled and guided me away from everyone. We took a short walk, staring up at the sparkling stars and the bright moon that shined above us.

“Such a beautiful night,” I said thoughtfully.

“It certainly is,” he agreed.

He wrapped an around me, pulling me into him. I gave him an awkward smile; now that we weren’t around others and we were no longer dancing, the close proximity felt weird.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight. You have made tonight quite enjoyable,” he told me sincerely.

“I had a nice night as well, Walter,” I told him. “Thank you.”

We stopped walking and he turned to face me.

“You are very beautiful,” he told me, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. “I’m sorry if I came off a little strong last night. My intention wasn’t to scare you.”

I blushed at the memory; he tried to kiss me, and I turned my head away from him, shielding the kiss.

“It wasn’t that I was scared,” I told him. “I wasn’t ready.”

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.

“Because of Ethan?”

I was stunned by his words; I wanted to step away, but he was holding me close to him.

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked, my eyes wide and filled with alarm.

“I know about you two,” he admitted. “I had Maxwell look into it. You are mates.”

“Why would you look into that?” I asked in a harsh whisper.

“I’m sorry if I overstepped. But I could tell something was wrong,” he told me quickly. “I am not trying to upset you or hurt you, Judy. I just wanted to understand you.”

“And you couldn’t have just asked me?” I asked, feeling a bit betrayed.

“I did, and you lied to me,” he reminded me, making my face heat again. “You don’t need to be afraid, Judy. I am here and I am not going to hurt you. What he did was awful, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“Walter, Irene cannot know…”

“I know,” he said gently. “And she never will.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat; I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was genuine or not. Once I decided, I gave him a nod.

“You are safe with me, Judy. I promise,” he assured me.

I felt that he was being truthful, so I relaxed into him a bit. He gave me a compassionate smile and leaned his head down, so he was only inches from me.

“I know you say you aren’t ready, but you are being here with me right now says something different,” he told me. He ran his fingers down the side of my face, and I looked up at him. “I want very much to kiss you.”

I bit my lower lip and stared into his eyes; he was looking at my mouth with a hungry expression and my chest tightened slightly. I nodded, giving him permission to kiss me.

A smile tipped the corner of his lips as he bent down and pressed his lips tenderly against mine.

…..

Third Person POV

Ethan and Irene arrived at the gallery; after some convincing, Irene finally relented and went with Ethan. She wasn’t really in the mood to go anywhere this evening, but he insisted that they needed a date night and a better place than the Silver Crescent Light Gallery.

“Get yourself something to eat,” Ethan said, handing her his card. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded and went towards the food cart, not bothering to argue with him. He walked around the gallery for a moment, trying to get a glimpse of Judy. He knew that she was here this evening, and he was determined to get her alone so they could talk. When he found her, his entire stomach twisted.

She was alone with Walter, and they were kissing!

He reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone, knowing he had to begin the next phase of his plan before he lost her entirely. He brought up his subordinate phone number and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Boss,” his subordinate said on the other end.

“It’s go time,” he said darkly. “I need you to do what we discussed earlier.”

There was silence on the other end and then a dark chuckle.

“Gladly.”

His subordinate had been waiting for this moment.