Forever Ours (The Billionaire Next Door Book 8) Read Online Free Page B

with the masks?” I asked.
    “It’s a masquerade ball.” Jason grabbed two
masks from a table on the side and handed one to me. “Everyone was supposed to
unmask at midnight, but it seems more fun to keep them on.” He pulled on a
silver mask which covered everything above his mouth. His piercing dark eyes
stared at me from the slits in his mask. There was something sensual and
electric about Jason in a mask. It forced me to focus only on his eyes and his
chiseled, masculine chin and lips.
    Those lips.
    A part of me wished we stayed in the car.
    Stop, Sophia!
    No getting excited just yet. There was still a
whole night ahead of us.
    I pulled on my mask, which was bright fuchsia
and covered in sequins. The mask matched my dress perfectly!
    Once we got into the thick of the party, I
looked around.
    “Oh my — there must be a thousand people
here!”
    Jason smiled, pulling me in close to dance
with him. My body pressed against his.
    “You are the most beautiful woman here,” he
whispered.
    “How can you know that? Everyone’s wearing
masks.”
    “Trust me. You’re the most beautiful woman
here,” his deep voice rumbled.
    My hands became clammy and my cheeks grew hot
and pink. I was glad the mask was there to hide my blushing. I smiled. I knew
he could see that. Jason pulled me in tighter, dancing me in a circle along
with the old-school bandstand music.
    As we danced, my thoughts drifted to our
wedding day, wondering what the big day would be like and which song would play
during our first dance. I held onto Jason a bit tighter and he readjusted his
grip. I inhaled deeply — he smelled like a dream and I nearly felt like I was
in one. As the music stopped I awoke from my daydream, remembering that it was
past midnight and I was downtown, celebrating New Years.
    The music picked up the pace as the band
played some funk. People around us let go of their partners and began dancing
wildly. I could tell that the alcohol had been flowing freely all night.
    Waiters ran around with trays holding flutes
of champagne and when one came by, Jason grabbed two for us.
    “Sophia! Jason!”
    I whipped around. Even though Ellie and Ty
were wearing outrageous masks, I recognized them right away.
    Ellie’s mask was large with numerous feathers
poking out from every direction. If her mask was a bird, it would have been a peacock.
Ty’s mask was also made of feathers, but these were short and gray — more
reminiscent of a hawk.
    “So? Where have you guys been?” Ellie look
from Jason to me. Her eyes (which couldn’t be subtle even behind her flamboyant
mask) instinctively flashed down to our hands. “OHMYGOD!” A high-pitched squeal escaped her face.
    I happily held out my hand.
    “We’re engaged!”
    Ellie grabbed my hand and pulled it up in
front of her eyes, which were nearly bulging out of her mask. “Now that’s what
you call a rock! Good job, old boy.” She nudged Jason.
    “Thanks.”
    “So, who proposed to who?”
    Something clicked in my head and I pointed at
her. “ Hey! You knew he was going to propose! That’s why you were
convincing me not to do it myself.”
    Ellie shrugged and took a swig of champagne.
“Guilty.” She smiled sheepishly before looking at her flute and realizing she
only had a gulp of champagne left. “Hey! To the happy couple.” She lifted her
glass of champagne up to the sky. We all followed suit.
    “To the happy couple.”
    “And to the new year,” Jason added.
    “To the new year.”
    We all clinked our
glasses and took a long sip. Knowing Ellie didn’t oppose my marriage made all
the apprehension I had felt from the day before melt away.
    This was the right thing to do.
    Of course it was.
    I smiled, but was glad the mask hid any
lingering emotions on my face. For some reason, things felt right when Ellie
was there to worry for me. It meant one of us was being rational. But now that
everyone thought this was a good idea, there was something strange about it.
    Was it a good