“No. Believe me, when he’s here, you’ll know it,” she replied with a nervous laugh. Biting her lip, she paused for a moment, her features smoothing, voice low. “I wish Mom was here, Lisa.”
“Oh, sweetie, I do, too,” she whispered, leaning in for a hug. Emily squeezed her tight, her warmth reminding her of the very woman they were still mourning. The grief swelled in Emily’s chest like a fresh bruise. “But, even if she was here, Emily, she’d tell you to go with what your heart wants. She couldn’t make your decision any easier. I just need to know—just like mom would—that this is what you want.”
With the slightest hesitation, she answered, “Yes, I do want this.”
“Okay then, let’s go enjoy your party.” Lisa grabbed for Emily’s hand and started heading back into the main dining room.
Upon emerging, the amount of guests had doubled in size—the majority consisting of family, coworkers, and friends of Dillon. Sure, Emily had met a few of them over the last year, but most were a distant blur of Dillon’s aunts, uncles, and cousins that she had encountered briefly at family gatherings. Essentially, the amount of people Emily knew in attendance could fit at one table.
In a room filled with people, in that moment, she felt oddly alone—until her eyes locked onto Gavin’s. For Emily, the world seemed to stop. The music whispered in the background while voices became muted and unimportant. Again, the undeniable connection between them was apparent from across the space, even if not witnessed by anyone else. It was there—unwavering and unrelenting through their unspoken words. She found it hard to breathe as the overwhelming tidal wave of emotions took hold and pulled her into the current—pounding and roaring with a power greater than she could ever be.
Her eyes swept over him. He was wearing a charcoal-colored suit that covered his built yet graceful frame. Beneath, he wore a white-collared shirt and pinstriped black-and-gray tie. His lustrous dark hair was sexily mussed as if he didn’t bother fixing it after showering. His impressive presence in the room was that of polished power, economical grace, and unyielding demand. He simply was a force that she couldn’t help but notice. Although he had his arm snaked around what Emily believed to be one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, his eyes were trained on Emily’s, steady and focused. He sent her a smile from across the room that still managed to disarm her, leaving her in a sea of desire, want, and need, struggling to resurface.
Clenching Emily’s now sweaty hand, hazel eyes bright with curiosity, Lisa asked, “Is that him?”
Emily nodded and a lump wedged itself between the walls of her throat as she watched Dillon approach Gavin, motioning her over in the process. Licking her dry lips, she squeezed Lisa’s hand, and with trepidation, she started making her way across the room.
God, she’s so beautiful, Gavin thought to himself as he watched Emily close the space between them. Her body swayed with elegant poise beneath an emerald silk evening gown. His eyes followed her sleek legs down to a pair of silver strappy stilettos adorning her feet. He tried to keep his eyes from traveling back up to her subtle curves and long dark locks of hair because it only brought back that familiar ache. He fought to push it away, but his body continued to respond to her as she drew nearer. He could feel his pupils dilate as she swept her tongue across her lips, causing his blood to pump with brutal force toward necessary extremities.
He had a desire for every inch of her—the smell of her sweet breath on his hungry lips, the taste of her tongue against his, the soft feel of her skin beneath his hands, and the sound of her husky voice whispering in his ears. She was an assault on his senses, a constant thirst needing to be quenched. Although he’d had a taste, he feared the only thing he would have left was his instinct of wanting her more and needing to feel her again and again. With all of this, what captivated him the most was her eyes—those deep pools of alluring green that felt as if they were boring into his very soul. His grip may have tightened around Stephanie’s waist, but in his mind, his hands were on Emily.
When Emily and Lisa approached, Dillon reached for her, positioning her back against his chest. “Babe, this is Gavin’s date, Stephanie.”
With a smile, Emily pulled in a slow and shaky breath. “It’s very nice to meet you, Stephanie.”
“You, too,” she replied, tucking a few errant strands of her honey-hued hair behind her ear. Her porcelain-like features emphasized her large whiskey-colored eyes. “Congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thank you,” Emily said.
Gavin’s gaze captured Emily’s, a smile on his face. “Yes…congratulations.”
With his voice so calm, cool, and collected, Emily couldn’t help but wonder if she was the only ball of nerves standing there. Smiling, she simply nodded her thanks. As soon as she did, her stomach recoiled when she swore she saw a sparkle of amusement in his eyes at her reaction.
“Just an assumption,” Gavin continued, turning in Lisa’s direction, “but there must be some sort of relation between you and Emily. Your features are strikingly similar”
“Yes,” she replied. “I’m her sister.”
“Mmm, younger or older?” he asked casually with his dimpled smile.
“Oh, he’s quite the charmer,” Lisa laughed, looking at Emily. She brought her attention back to Gavin. “I’m older by ten years, but thank you for the compliment.”
“He certainly is,” Emily deadpanned, shifting nervously against Dillon.
A smirk curled the brim of Gavin’s mouth, but he remained silent.
“I’ll keep my thoughts to myself about that one,” Dillon clipped with a smirk of his own. Gavin shook his head. “But, for now, I need another drink. Babe, do you want another glass of wine?”
There was only one way she was going to survive the rest of the night. Emily smiled. “I’ll take a shot of something…strong.”
Dillon nodded and walked away.
Gavin flicked Emily another stroke of amusement with his eyes. She could tell he felt her sinking, and all it was doing was pissing her off.
Before she could dwell too long on her desire to knock him clear across the head, Trevor and Fallon approached. Emily smiled at them, happy that they were working out well as a couple. They genuinely enjoyed being together and seemed to be a perfect match of fire and ice. She guessed Dillon would beg to differ since he laughed at the whole courtship when he found out about it. Nonetheless, Emily was thrilled, knowing he would now have no choice but to accept Fallon as her friend. To seal the deal, she made Fallon one of her bridesmaids.
Formal introductions were made between Stephanie and Fallon before Trevor asked the group if he could steal Emily away for a dance. She obliged his request, placing her hand in the crook of his arm as he guided her out onto the floor.
With the pianists playing “The Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra in the background, they began dancing.
Looking up to him, she said, “I didn’t know you liked slow dancing.”
He chuckled. “I don’t to tell you the truth. I actually hate it.” Emily gave him a questioning look. “I just wanted to talk to you about what I had said the last time we spoke.”
Emily knew he was referring to the mess between her and Gavin. It came as a surprise to her when Trevor called to let her know his feelings on the situation. He wasn’t harsh about his opinion over the whole matter, but one would consider his approach a little less than understanding to say the least.
“Oh,” she nodded. “Well, you’ve explained that it puts you in a bad position. I understand that, but to be honest, nothing more’s going to happen between us.”
His face softened as he lowered his voice. “I consider you my adoptive sister, and I wanted to apologize for the things I had said—well, mostly, the way I had said them. I just wanted you to know that, whether or not you and Gavin decide to carry on anything, it’s none of my business. You’re two grown adults, and it’s your lives. Would it be an odd situation for me because I’m friends with Dillon? Absolutely. But I would have to learn to deal with it.”