"Yes."

She relaxed a little.

"Oh sweetheart." I wanted to ease her angst. "I need you to trust me."

My hug served as reassurance and I caressed her back with affection. Her arms reached beneath my jacket and around my waist. It really did seem like the world had slipped away, if only for a few seconds.

The decor leant an over refined tone. Our host Andrea Buckingham was from the Midwest, and her humble upbringing would mean she wouldn't know the difference between a painting by Sarah Lucas or a sculpture by Damien Hirst, yet from her collection you'd have thought she was an art fanatic. Andrea had evidently handed over her credit card and told the designer to do his worst.

And he had.

One portrait would have blended in well with the cream walls, but this mismatched selection tipped her hand that she yearned to fit in. Some of her guests might have been impressed, but it didn't take me long to extract a profile from Andrea's ornaments and ascertain which ones were those her designer had picked out from trendy overpriced Beverly Hills boutiques.

I'd read about Andrea in a Vanity Fair article, while scanning the pages for more interesting material during a long flight from L.A. to India, six months ago. An annual business trip I'd taken on behalf of Cole Tea. The side of the business I enjoyed.

I turned to check on Mia. She had the ability to stop time in its tracks. Her delicate fingers traced a sculpture, caressing the stone.

"Bo Hadley," I told her.

"You've seen his work before?"

"Afraid so. Took me weeks to recover."

"What do you think this one means?"

"What does it mean to you?"

"Makes me feel unsettled."

"It's meant to evoke an inner confrontation that leads to the deciphering of our inner illusion, or more accurately, delusion that echoes our lives."

Mia looked astounded.

Amused, I pointed to the description on my side of the stand. "In other words a five thousand dollar Hadley."

"I love that you know so much," she said wistfully.

A young couple gave Mia a snarky glare.

I turned away from them after making a quick decision not to verbally eviscerate the couple for their rudeness, preferring to fill my gaze with Mia. Even though she'd caught their arrogance, she hadn't reacted, merely looked up at me with those forgiving eyes.

With her, my mind ceased its endless analyzing, its reckless foray into deciphering human codes during each and every interaction, my thoughts spiraling in demand for answers.

Mia was the only answer I needed.

My pathway to peace.

Still, I was up for some entertainment to repay that couple's rudeness, their snide whispers hinting at their self-absorbed lives.

I threw a smile their way. "This piece reminds me of Freud's theory on art. What was it that Freud thought about artists again?"

Mia looked thoughtful. "Freud believed artists are avant garde psychologists." Her gaze drifted over the sculpture. "And artists understand the laws which activate the unconscious. This is how they reveal their knowledge, through their creations, and as such we are exposed to their comprehension of the human condition." She sucked on her bottom lip as though mulling over her own words.

I looked over at the couple. "Okay, wow, gorgeous and smart too."

Their snide expressions were gone.

More stares found us and we were meant to be keeping a low profile. I hurried Mia through the patio doors and out into the landscaped garden. A burst of fresh air and the scent of lavender caught on the breeze.

To the left was a modest swimming pool and a few guests who'd strayed from the house sat around it. To our right was a carp pond into which a small waterfall fell. Beyond the garden was that dramatic view.

I turned away briefly to accept two glasses of champagne offered from the waiter who'd ventured out here. I gave one to Mia.

We were left alone again.

Careful not to spill champagne, I shrugged out of my jacket and rested it over Mia's shoulders. She fell against me and we both stared out over the sprawling vista. Hugging, it felt like all that had gone before no longer hurt-all the trials, all the confusion, all the denials of love melted into the past.

This, this was different.

A splash pulled our attention toward the pool. A woman had stripped to her underwear and was swimming. She was bathed in blue soft light. Another partygoer removed his clothes and dived in.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Came Richard's incredulous tone.

I beamed back. "Happy New Year to you too, Richard."

He stood a few feet away, holding a bottle of Miller Light. "Thought you'd be at Chrysalis?"

"We chose this instead."

"You know Andrea Buckingham?"

A shake of my head told him I didn't.

He took a swig. "When you asked me what I was doing tonight I didn't think you'd gate crash."

Stepping toward him, I said, "Booth, we haven't spent a New Year's Eve apart in years. It didn't feel right."

Richard patted my back. "Have to admit it didn't." He looked over at Mia. "Pretty dress." His gaze lowered to her shoes and he arched a brow.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He wore ripped jeans and a black J. Crew sweater. His hair was ruffled in his usual don't give a fuck style, oozing privilege-the edgy bad boy kind.

It was good to see he was still talking to me.

"I'll get us some hors d'oeuvres," said Mia, removing my jacket and handing it back.

"It's good to see you, Mia," said Richard warmly.

She looked relieved and wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a big hug. He closed his eyes and leaned into her. "I knew Cameron was visiting the beach house," he told her. "When I dropped you off."

She raised her eyes to look at him.

"It's okay. I need you to know I wouldn't have left you alone otherwise."

Her nod of understanding appeared to comfort him.

This morning now seemed like a lifetime away. Richard and Mia had been on their way to Palm Springs. Only their brief stop at the jewelers to pick up a broken bracelet had changed the course of history.

I'd given it to Mia when I'd trained her and hadn't considered that secret engraving would be discovered. It had been my private declaration of love.

Mia threw me a smile and headed into the house.

Richard stepped up to join me. "Quite the view."

"Richard, I'm so sorry." Words weren't enough.

"Right to the point."

"I fucked up-"

"That bracelet told me everything I needed to know. I suspected you'd fallen hard for her but that proved it beyond all doubt."

"You weren't meant to see what was inscribed on it. No one was."

"Yeah, well, I did."

"You gave her up for me?"

"Nothing's changed, Cam. I'll always love her. Always love you too, you stupid bastard." He took a swig. "That doesn't stop me from wanting to shove my fist through your devilishly handsome face."

"Can't blame you."

"Halfway through her training, I realized how she felt about you. The way she looked at you. And you her. That time I'd snuck into Chrysalis to visit her, the chemistry between you both was off the charts. I hoped it was temporary."

"This was not my intention."

"Promise me you'll take care of her. Don't hurt her, Cam."

"Of course not. Mia's my priority now. Over everything."

His gaze stayed on mine. "She really broke through to you, didn't she?"

Turning to stare through that glass wall, my gaze found Mia nibbling on a bite of food, her expression full of intrigue as she took in the crowd.

God, she was so beautiful.

"You can't tame her, Cam. You know that, right?" he whispered.

"It's fun trying."

"She's so infuriating." Richard followed my line of sight. "Which means she's perfect for you."

I tried to shake off this sense of unease over letting Mia wander around alone.

"She'll be fine," he said.

I gave a nod. "How about you, buddy? How are you doing?"

"Well, wouldn't mind a session with you. Help me dig out this excruciating pain in my heart."

"Richard, I-"

He patted my back. "Have you ever considered I want you happy too? That despite all this confusion, there's actually a good outcome."

"I'll make it up to you."

"Just stop interfering in my life, okay?"

"I really did mean for this to work. For you and Mia..." It hurt to say it.

"You're an arrogant fuck."

I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and he relented and leaned back into me and patted my back firmly.

I'd always been his rock, his guide out of the dark, and here I was causing him pain. But I loved Mia too and protecting her felt primal, a need so raw that being apart felt wrong.

A jolt of uncertainty hit me when I could no longer see her. She'd left the kitchen.

Richard turned and looked out. "Nice house."

"How did you pull off an invite?"

"I was packing my stuff for a jump and debating whether to use a parachute," -he gave a crooked grin a "when I got a call from Andrea Buckingham's personal assistant inviting me here tonight."

"Just like that? Out of the blue?"

"Yeah, we met briefly at a charity event I attended with Hope. We were introduced, but Andrea had an entourage and we didn't talk for long. Didn't think she'd remember me."

"You're very memorable."

His eyebrows rose in that devilish way. "Not sure how they got my number. I was too surprised to ask. Andrea's around here somewhere. I'll introduce you. Tell her you're my plus one so you don't get kicked out." He chuckled. "Might just drink Andrea's beer and take a dip in her pool. No doubt Mia will be in there by the end of the night."

"Where's our host now?"

He shrugged. "Andrea summoned me into her office to talk privately."

"About?"