King of Sloth (Kings of Sin #4) by Ana Huang

“Done,” I said. I glanced around the room. “Where’s Isa and Ále?”

“Isa and Kai disappeared somewhere. I figured it was better not to ask. Ále wasn’t feeling well, so Dom took her home early.”

“By not feeling well…”

Vivian arched a perfectly shaped brow. “Right,” I said with a small smirk.

Good for them.

Alessandra and Dominic’s marriage had gone through a long rocky stretch due to Dominic’s workaholism and neglect. They even briefly divorced last year after he missed a major anniversary, but after some time apart and major remorse and lifestyle changes on his part, they’d worked things out and were stronger than ever. “Speaking of couples…” Vivian glanced over my shoulder.

“Incoming.”

My pulse tripped when a warm hand rested on the small of my back. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. The shape and feel of Xavier’s touch was so ingrained in me, I could pick it out while blindfolded.

“Hey, Vivian,” he said easily. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I steal Sloane away for a minute?”

“Not at all.” Her eyes glinted with amusement. “I assume my husband is now free to talk?”

He responded with a grin that was all charm and a hint of bashfulness. “He’s all yours. Sorry for hogging him all evening. We had quite a lot to discuss.”

“I imagine you did.” Vivian winked at me on her way past. “Enjoy the rest of the party.”

“You are such a kiss-ass,” I said when she left.

“Me?” Xavier placed a hand over his heart. “I prefer to think of it as being charming.”

“A charming kiss-ass.”

“I’m simply trying to ingratiate myself with your friends,” he said. “Unfortunately, Alessandra left before I could work my magic on her, and I’m not sure where Isabella went. I think Vivian likes me though.”

“Not after you monopolized Dante’s attention all evening,” I quipped, swallowing a bubble of laughter. “Speaking of which, how did the conversation with him go?”

“It went.” Some of Xavier’s good humor slipped. “He was vague about why my father named him in his will. Just said that they respected each other as businessmen, and my father trusted his judgment. He did give me an earful about the time I got Luca arrested though.”

“So he didn’t answer,” I surmised. “Basically.”

It wasn’t like Dante to be so evasive. Perhaps he didn’t know why Alberto had put him on the committee either.

I would ask Vivian to do some digging for us—if Dante was honest with anyone, it was his wife—but this wasn’t her problem, and she was busy enough with Josie and work. I didn’t want to add to her plate.

“I guess it doesn’t really matter except to slake my curiosity. He’s a judge whether or not I know the reason,” Xavier said. “How did your talk with Kai go?”

I filled him in as we meandered toward the exit. We hadn’t planned on leaving early, but Vivian and Dante were busy entertaining guests, and an unspoken understanding drew us away from the crowd and into the quiet hall next to the ballroom.

“So it went a lot better than mine,” Xavier quipped when I finished. “You think he’ll say yes?”

“I’m ninety percent sure he will.” Kai was a businessman, and my proposal made perfect business sense.

However, my Perry plan wasn’t the takeaway from that conversation.

The blog post about you in Spain. He reached out after it was posted and asked if I could throttle its reach.

The tingles from earlier returned in full force, especially now that Xavier was standing right there, looking more delicious than any man had a right to look with his tuxedo and rumpled hair. He’d eschewed a tie, breaking dress code, but it worked on him.

Everything worked on him. He was the epitome of effortless charm.

His eyebrows shot up when I grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him into the nearest bathroom.

Like everything else at Valhalla, it was spotless. Marble floors, gleaming mirrors, custom-made scents piped through hidden diffusers—it resembled a celebrity dressing room more than it did a public facility, and it would do just fine for what I had in mind. “Remember our office meeting the other week?” I locked the door behind us. “The one we had right after Ayana left.”

Xavier leaned against the counter, his gaze darkening around the edges as he realized why I’d brought us here.

The air shifted, growing heavier, denser, hotter.

“I might recall a thing or two about it.” Desire strung taut beneath his languid drawl. He didn’t move, but his eyes tracked me like a predator’s, dark and hungry, as I slunk toward him.

“Well…” I stopped in front of Xavier, the toes of my heels kissing the tips of his dress shoes. I hooked my fingers through the loops of his belt and pulled him an inch closer. “I thought tonight might be the right night to return the favor.”

My husky whisper didn’t sound like me, but dragging someone into a bathroom so I could have my way with them didn’t feel like me, so it was a night of firsts.

Xavier’s breath quickened, but still, he didn’t move when I undid his belt and dragged the teeth of his zipper down. Electric anticipation hummed in my veins, but I didn’t rush.