Free Bound to the Greek by Kate Hewitt

the kitchen several times to check on the food, and just fifteen minutes ago she’d finally retired to the Ladies to freshen up and change into her cocktail dress. She’d bypassed her standard LBD, classic but boring, in favour of a spangled silver sheath dress that glittered when she moved. By the time the party rolled round, event planners were meant to fade into the background, not take centre stage. Yet Eleanor hadn’t been able to resist this dress. It made her feel like a snowflake. And she needed to feel good, craved that little pleasure because ever since she’d seen Jace last night she’d been out of sorts, emotionally edgy and drained at turns. He’d thrown her completely off balance, and she hated it. One minute she felt coldly furious, the next aggravatingly aware. She hated the flip-flop of her moods, her own body. She hated that Jace had caused this, that he was the source of her weakness.
    She straightened a few napkins, moved a few of the freshly cut pussy-willow branches that made the stark yet elegantcentrepieces for the table. The colour of the soft grey buds reminded her of Jace’s eyes.
    Forcing her mind away from that train of thought, she glanced outside at the terrace, where snow had been carted in to make playful mounds, ready to be turned into snowmen and igloos. A special kids’ cocoa bar with four different kinds of hot chocolate and several flavours of marshmallows and whipped cream had been set out by the electric heater.
    Family-friendly.
    She didn’t normally do parties with children, and she’d been surprised how much she had enjoyed it. Surprised and a little sad, for children surely were not in her future. She’d accepted that long ago, had had years to live with it, yet now, with Jace back in her life—for however short a time—the pain was fresh again. Did you ever
truly
heal?
    She heard a sound at the door, and with both relief and a little anxiety she realised the first guests were arriving. The party had started.
    Jace stood at the threshold of the Lake Room, gazing in amazed wonder at the transformed space. The dining room was the epitome of understated elegance, strung with fairy lights, everything silver and white and crystalline. Like snow. He took in the long, graceful branches of pussy willows in their crystal vases, the snowflake ornaments at every child’s place, and then glanced outside where children were delighting in playing with the mounds of snow, their faces already happily smeared with chocolate.
    It was perfect.
    He was only sorry to have missed the beginning, both for Eleanor’s sake and that of Leandro Atrikides. Already he saw the speculative, sideways looks employees slid him, wary and uncertain. It had been Leandro’s damn son Talos who had kept him from being prompt; the greedy bastard was still angling for a bigger payout.
    Jace suppressed a sigh. Sometimes he wished he’d never involved himself in this unholy mess; Leandro’s avariciouschildren had made a near ruin of his company. Jace’s buyout had been little more than a mercy mission.
    Yet if he hadn’t come to New York, he wouldn’t have seen Eleanor again…
    And he was glad he had.
    Wasn’t he?
    He realised he was searching for her through the crowds, had in fact been doing so since he’d arrived. He’d been thinking about her since he’d seen her last night, since she’d damned him with those words:
    That Ellie? The one you think you knew so well? She no longer exists.
    And it was all, utterly his fault. He was to blame for making Eleanor Langley the woman she was now.
    You’re the kind of person you never wanted to be.
    Harsh words, and he knew he’d hurt her by saying them. But he couldn’t take them back. He wouldn’t. Yet what could he do about it? How could he help her?
    And even if he did help her, somehow, wasn’t he just doing it to make himself feel better? Still selfish.
    Jace moved through the crowds, scanning the throng for a glimpse of Eleanor.
    And then he saw