Ian kissed his mother’s cheek as she reached the landing, mouthing a silent “thank you” to her before handing her off to Edward. He didn’t wait for Tessa to descend the final few stairs, meeting her halfway as his arm curled about her waist, crushing her against him.

He murmured “Hello, beautiful,” just before taking her mouth in the sort of deeply passionate kiss that one normally would not want one’s parents to witness. Tessa made a feeble attempt to break away, but his arm was like an iron band around her, holding her firmly in place as he kissed her thoroughly.

It was only the sound of Edward rather loudly clearing his throat that made Ian finally lift his head with an impatient sigh.

“Ian, my boy, if you thought the girl looked ravishing all you had to do was tell her so,” admonished Edward sternly. “Your mother and I didn’t need to, er, share an intimate moment with you.”

“Speak for yourself,” chided Joanna teasingly. “I don’t blame Ian for getting a bit carried away. Tessa looks - breathtaking, there’s really no other way to describe her.”

“I can think of several,” Ian declared. “Gorgeous, stunning, just like Cinderella. She is simply - splendid.”

Tessa’s eyes got misty as he whispered the last word to her, the exact same one she’d once used to describe him. But as soon as Joanna saw the shimmer of tears, she clucked in disapproval.

“Ah, no tears, Tessa. You’ll ruin your eye makeup. And thanks to my very amorous son, your lip gloss is already mussed. You’ll need to fix it in the limo, dear.”

But as Ian escorted her out the front door and into the waiting limo he’d hired for the night, he whispered to her in a wicked voice. “I’ve got a feeling you’ll be reapplying that lip gloss all night long, love.”

The benefit ball for the symphony was being held in the grand ballroom of the Gregson Hotel, the same venue where the office Christmas party had taken place. Tessa was both thrilled and terrified at what was really her first major appearance out in public with Ian. They had been out numerous times together, of course, to dinner and shopping, the gym, and even to a few business dinners. But Ian had very intentionally been declining a number of invitations to events like tonight’s ball, wanting to give Tessa some time to get used to his lifestyle, and also somewhat selfishly desiring to keep her to himself for as long as possible.

Tonight, though, it would have been nearly impossible for him not to make an appearance. The ball was being held in the hotel he owned, he was a known patron of the symphony, and his parents were old friends of the conductor. So it had been decided that this would be Tessa’s unofficial introduction into San Francisco society, and she was extremely grateful she’d had both Joanna and Marlene to give her the sort of advice she would need to successfully navigate her way through the evening.

Ian remained glued to her side from the moment they arrived, and seemed more than content to let everyone else in the room come to them, rather than seek others out directly. He kept an arm wrapped possessively around her waist, his fingers splayed over her hipbone, silently sending out the message that she was most definitely his woman. Tessa sipped expensive champagne, smiled politely until her jaw ached, and instantly forgot the name of every person she was introduced to.

“How do you do it?” she murmured to Ian in a dumbfounded voice. “I don’t remember the name of the last person we just met, much less the first one.”

He laughed softly, pressing a kiss to her temple, ignoring the flash of the photographer’s camera that captured the image. “Practice, my love. Years and years of practice. You’ll learn everyone’s name soon enough, especially as you tend to see the same group of people at most of these events. Speaking of which.” His hand gripped her hipbone just a bit tighter. “I was hoping to avoid them, blast it, but unfortunately Alicia’s parents are making a beeline for us. It had to happen sometime, darling, so it may as well be now.”

Even if Ian hadn’t told her who they were, Tessa would have recognized Alicia’s mother instantly, for the two women bore a very strong resemblance to the other. Claire Spencer had the same pale blonde hair, slender build, and fake smile that her daughter did, her voice sickeningly sweet as she greeted Ian. Claire’s smile seemed to freeze in place when he introduced Tessa, especially when she spied the possessive manner in which he was holding her close to his side. Still, good manners insisted that she take Tessa’s proffered hand and give it a brief, polite shake.

Alicia’s father - Bradley - was considerably friendlier, and Tessa wondered if the rather obvious scent of bourbon on his breath had anything to do with that. He took Tessa’s hand in a very firm grip, even bringing it to his lips. Tessa had to suppress a shudder at the feel of his cold, clammy lips on her skin, and she drew her hand away as quickly as possible.

“So you’re the pretty young thing we saw Ian with at dinner that night,” teased Bradley in a booming, jovial voice. He was an attractive man, or had been before age and too much booze had given him a paunch and the sort of florid complexion that came from overindulging. “I was all set to come over and introduce ourselves, but Claire here thought you looked a bit - er, occupied.”

Ian’s fingers bit into Tessa’s waist, betraying his annoyance. “Well, I appreciate your consideration, both of you. And you’re quite right. Tessa and I were rather intent on having our privacy that evening.”

He diplomatically excused them after a few more minutes of polite chit chat, murmuring in Tessa’s ear as they walked away, “Now you can see why I prefer to avoid them at these sort of events. That fat bastard Bradley never took his eyes off your breasts the entire time. Rather revolting, considering his own daughter is several years older than you.”

This time Tessa didn’t even try to suppress a shudder. “Revolting is the word for it, all right. Ugh, he reminds me of one of those fish with the huge lips. What are they called?”

Ian burst out laughing, not caring a whit that he instantly drew the attention of a dozen or more couples in the area. “I believe the species you’re thinking of is a grouper. And yes, I do see a vague resemblance now that you mention it. But if he dares to kiss your hand again, I’ll very happily shove my fist into those fish lips of his.”

She grinned, resting her head on his shoulder as he plucked two more champagne flutes off a passing waiter’s tray. “I wonder how long it will take Claire to spread the news about me to Alicia. She’s probably texting her as we speak.”