I turn.
She’s standing near the food table, talking to an older woman. Her dark hair catches the sunlight, and my eyes automatically find the curve of her hip I’ve memorized. She's gesturing with her hands as she talks, animated and alive.
Bailey.
My chest constricts.
No. It can’t be. I must be thinking about her too much. My mind is conjuring her face in crowds, seeing her where she isn’t.
I blink. She’s still there.
She's now laughing at something the older woman said, then reaching for a chip and turning slightly—
Our eyes meet across thirty feet of lawn.
The recognition is instantaneous.
Her smile freezes, and the color drains from her face.
Adrenaline floods my system. Bailey turns away quickly, cheeks flushing pink, her hand coming up to tuck her hair behind her ear. I realize I'm not breathing.
Bailey is here. At Trevor’s family reunion.
Which means—
No.
“Daniel!” Trevor appears at my elbow, grinning. “Come on, I want you to meet someone.”
He starts walking toward the food table. Toward her.
Every muscle in my body locks down.
“Actually, I should probably—”
“It’ll just take a second. Come on.”
He doesn’t wait for agreement; he just strides across the lawn. Bailey sees us coming, and her eyes go wide with panic. She shakes her head slightly, a tiny movement meant only for me. But before I can fake a work emergency, a sudden illness, anything, Trevor reaches her and slings an arm around her shoulders.
“Daniel, this is my sister, Bailey. Bay, this is Daniel Williams, the guy I’ve been telling you about.”
Sister.
Trevor’s sister. The one he has mentioned a hundred times over the years. The one he’s fiercely protective of and threatened to kill me over if I ever looked at her wrong.
The one I fucked a week ago.
Bailey extends her hand with remarkable composure, considering the circumstances. “Nice to meet you, Daniel.”
Daniel. God, the way she says it.
I force myself to take her hand. Her skin is warm, soft.
“Bailey.” My voice comes out rougher than intended. “Trevor has told me a lot about you.”
“Has he?” She extracts her hand quickly, tucking it behind her back. “He has mentioned you, too. The brilliant businessman who saved his life in college.”
“I wouldn’t say saved—”
