Her brows pulled together and she turned her attention to the guests as if she’d find the answer. Then she brought the glass to her nose and sniffed before taking a sip.
It was like watching a masterpiece, the way she closed her eyes and hummed her appreciation for something so simple. A faint smile graced her beautiful lips and he found himself wanting to trace the full, pink cupid’s bow there.
Wendy’s eyes fluttered open and she stared at him with what could only be considered wonder. “This is actually very good.”
At that, he beamed. “I thought you might like it.”
Once again, she searched the crowd. “So who’s recipe is it?”
He took another pull from his drink. “Yours truly.”
Wendy stiffened, then slowly, she turned to face him. “Liar.”
Tripp couldn’t help it. He tossed his head back and let out a loud laugh.
“You?” she demanded, a smile forming on her lips as well. “Come on, Tripp. Tell me really.”
“I’m being honest. I went to school in Georgia. Lived off campus in a cute little neighborhood and my neighbor was the queen of sweet, iced tea. I learned everything from her.”
Wendy’s mouth fell open and the way she was looking at him now? It was otherworldly. Who knew that learning how to make the perfect sweet tea when he’d been in college would be the thing to knock this girl off balance?
He shook his head, another rumble of laughter tumbling from his lips. Then he reached for her glass and placed it along with his on a nearby table. “Dance with me,” he murmured, taking her hand.
She resisted but only for a moment. Then she allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor.
They didn’t need to talk about the war that had been brewing between the two of them. He didn’t even want to ruin this moment by discussing how she knew more about him than he realized—the fact that he’d never truly had a serious girlfriend.
Right now, all he wanted was to hold her close and pretend.
Pretend that they’d just met and neither one of them hated the other.
Pretend that the way his blood practically sizzled beneath his skin when she touched him was a sign of even better things to come.
Tripp slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her against his body. They swayed back and forth. Every so often she’d lookup at him. Just when he thought she’d remain tight-lipped, she spoke.
“You’re full of surprises, Tripp Gilley.”
“Oh?”
“Full of secrets, too. Perfect s’mores. Perfect sweet tea that would knock the socks off Elizabeth Maury.”
He cocked a brow. “Elizabeth Maury? Do I know this woman?”
She let out a laugh and the sound was absolute music to his ears. “No,” she shook her head, “she’s my mother’s best friend. And she’s the one who decides whose tea is good enough to bring to the barbecue.”
“Ah, Elizabeth Maury. I’ve met one or two of her in my day.”
Wendy laughed again. This side of her was intoxicating and he was quickly becoming addicted. He craved it so much he feared one wrong word would have her scrambling behind the wall she’d built between them.
“Talents. Secrets. That’s me,” he mused. “But you’re full of them too.”
She stiffened and for a second he thought he’d messed up. But then she gazed at him with question, keeping the dialogue open between them.
“How’s that book coming?”
Wendy flushed but she didn’t pull away and she didn’t bite back with her words. Instead, she sighed. “I feel like I’ve hit a roadblock.”
He could have been knocked on his backside by her confession if he wasn’t so focused on holding her close. Was Wendy actually opening up to him?
