Images of him sucking his finger clean enter my thoughts, and I quickly shove it back down. I’m handed another full tray as I pass the empty one to a helper.
“Lyla!” I turn to the table next to me and see the mother from the restroom earlier smiling at me. She’s surrounded by big, tatted men, and with their dark hair and grey eyes, there is no mistaking they are related.
“You guys know each other?” A deep voice fills the air, sending shivers down my body. I force myself to stay in place as I turn to look at him. I blink, surprised when I see him holding the little girl with auburn hair and big blue eyes on his lap.
“We met in the bathroom earlier. Lyla, this is my husband, Ryder.” She beams over at the guy sitting next to her. His big tatted arms are holding a sleeping newborn. He smiles over at me, and I can’t help but smile back.
“Hi, Lyla. If those desserts taste half as good as they look, then we are in for a treat,” he says, eyeing the tray in my hand.
“Thanks.” I feel the heat creep up my cheeks when I feel everyone’s eyes on me, especially the one I’m avoiding looking at. I don’t need to look at him to know he’s watching my every move. I can feel it deep in my soul. I quickly start passing outthe desserts to keep myself busy, so I don’t have to think about how he’s making me feel.
“Don’t keep her all to yourself, Eve. I didn’t get my introduction.” I hand him his dessert, and he gives me the most award-winning grin that has probably earned him a lot of panty drops. “I’m Miles, Ryder’s brother and clearly the better-looking one at the table.” I bite back my grin at his playfulness. There’s something about him that you just can’t help but want to smile.
“Oh please,” the dark-haired girl says beside him, rolling her eyes. “Do those pickup lines actually work for you?”
“Yeah, they do,” he laughs. “Every time.” He takes a bite of the dessert, and his eyes get wide. “Holy shit, that’s good. You’ve got to marry me so I can enjoy this whenever I want. You being gorgeous is just icing on the cake,” he grins up at me, and a small laugh escapes.
“For fucks sake, Miles, leave the girl alone.” I look over at him, and he’s got his big hands over Ryland’s ears so she doesn’t hear him cuss. I can’t stop the way my heart flutters at how unbelievably cute that is. He’s glaring at Miles, which is only making his brother grin wider.
“I’m Savi, the sister who has had to put up with all of them my entire life.” She takes the dessert from my hand. She is beautiful with her raven hair and big blue eyes. I can’t imagine what it’s been like to be surrounded by all this testosterone her whole life.
“You deserve two,” I say, giving her an extra as a small smile plays on my lips.
“Yes, I do,” she laughs. “I love you already, Lyla, and I haven’t even tried your amazing dessert.”
“And last but not least is Jake. He’s the one brooding in the corner over there, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why,” Eve studies him from across thetable.
“I’m not brooding,” he mumbles. “I just don’t want Miles to scare her off before I get my piece.”
“You may not make it out alive once Jake tastes it. He’s been known to fight me over the last piece of chocolate cake in the fridge. Maybe you should give me your number just in case you go missing, and I need to rescue you if he kidnaps you.” He watches Jake for a reaction and laughs when he gets daggers thrown his way.
“Trust me, if I were to kidnap someone, the only thing they would be begging for is to stay.” His eyes land on me, and for a brief second, I find myself wanting to know how it would feel to be at his mercy. Something flashes in his eyes that causes my legs to go weak. I have a feeling he’s thinking the exact same thing.
Miles throws back his head and laughs as he gets another eye-roll from Savi. “I’m going to have to steal that one from you.”
I reach out and set the chocolate next to Jake, making sure it’s out of reach of the little girl on his lap. She looks up and hands me the paper she had been drawing on. I glance down, and the princess is covered in stickers, and crayon marks are scribbled all over it.
“Pwincess,” she says, giving me another one of her toothy grins.
“It’s beautiful, Ryland. You did such a good job on this drawing.” I swallow down the lump in my throat and hand it back to her.
“I think she wants you to have it,” Jake says, studying me. It’s unnerving when he looks at me like that. He has a way of seeing things that can’t be seen.
He takes the paper and folds it before sliding it into the pocket of my pants since my hands are full. His fingers briefly linger on my thigh, leaving a burning on my skin that I know I’ll feel for days after. His eyes darken to a cloudy storm before he places his hand back on the table.
“Thank you.” I don’t know how I manage to get the words out when he always seems to steal the oxygen from my lungs. I slide another dessert next to him, and his lip turns up at the extra piece I gave him. “For Ryland,” I say, not wanting him to get any ideas but knowing damn well I’m lying to myself and him. I secretly love the way he enjoys my desserts and want him to have more.
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking anything else,” he chuckles. I quickly glance around the table and push down the emotions this family has a way of making me feel. Things I don’t want to feel…things I’m afraid to feel.
“It was nice meeting you guys. I better get back to the kitchen and help clean up.” I don’t give anyone a chance to say anything because I’m passing my tray to the first available staff I see, then I’m out the balcony doors and running down the steps to the beach on my next breath.
I don’t stop until my legs are on fire and I feel some of my control come back to me. Running is the only thing that has saved me. When I run, I can let go of all my fears, making me feel…free.
“Jesus, you're fast,” he pants out behind me.
I whip my head around at the sound of his voice. “You followed me?”
“Not one of my greatest ideas since I had no clue you were an Olympic runner.” He has his hands on his knees and tries to catch his breath.
