I stared up at him.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to sound like you’re not welcome.You are.I was just surprised.”
“It didn’t seem like a good surprise,” he murmured, studying me.
Tears sprang to my eyes.
“Ugh,” I groaned, my hands flying up to cover them.“I’m fine.It’s fine,” I muttered, digging my heels into my eyes.
Warm hands wrapped around my wrists.The shock of his sure touch startled me into allowing him to pull my hands away.
He held them firmly between us, somehow grounding me.“What is it?”he whispered, his eyes darkening with concern.
Looking up at him, the inherent kindness in his eyes reminding me so much of Hunter, I replied, “The eighth chair.It’s always empty.I can’t pretend Hunter’s on his way if someone is sitting in it.”
“Your brother.”His face softened further as he dragged my hands around his back and nestled me against his chest, one hand cupping the back of my neck, the other splayed across my back.
His heart thumped a steady beat beneath my ear.
I breathed him in.
Against my better judgment, my body melted against his.
What fresh hell was this?
My hands, rolled into fists, ached to touch him.To press against the planes of his back, knead the muscles aligning his spine.
The heat of awareness curled through my womb.My nipples tightened as I felt the shift in energy.
Did he feel it, too?Or was it only me?
Clearing my throat, I gently extricated myself from his arms.I glanced up at him without meeting his gaze and offered a bright smile.“Thanks for the hug.I needed that.”
He didn’t respond other than to stuff his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans.
My eyes dropped to his groin before skittering away.
Oh, God.Did he see that?
I swallowed.Nodded to myself.Blew out a breath.“Well!Uh, we should probably get back out there.”I laughed then cringed as it rang false.“We don’t want Max to eat all the good stuff.”
“No,” he murmured as I studiously avoided his gaze.“We wouldn’t want that.”
Stepping back, finally, he held out his arm for me to precede him.
Did I imagine the weight of his gaze on me?I tucked my chin to my chest and hurried out the door, feeling exposed and unworthy of his attention.I wondered if he found me wanting.
Returning to the dining room, my mom’s worried gaze resting on my face, and my dad so obviously assessing Daire, my inner teenager cringed.
I huffed out a laugh and shook my head.
My dad had the grace to smile, but I couldn’t fool my mom that easily.
In the end, it was Max who filled the chair at the end of the table that I mentally reserved for Hunter.Daire took the seat next to him.Across from me.
Conversation flowed freely, and I learned that Daire’s condo was only one block away from mine.
“What made you pick up and move to Sage Ridge?”My dad asked the question I’d endlessly obsessed over.“Do you have family where you used to live?”
Daire set his fork down and leaned back in his chair.“Years ago, when I visited Max, I fell in love with Sage Ridge.I wanted a change, and after talking to Max, it seemed like here might be a good fit for me.As for family, it’s just been my mom and me since I was twelve.She met a good man a few years ago.He has a home base in our town but spends the majority of his time in Greece.When I realized I was the reason she wasn’t traveling with him, I kicked her out of the family nest.”
