Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, her pulse strong and fast against my lips. Scott jumped away from me, and I laughed.
“Get out!” she told me, pointing at the door. “Go. I’ll be downstairs now.”
Eventually, the four of us made it out of the house and sat around the table of a small French bistro. I was surprised at how easily the conversation flowed and even Scott had relaxed from her usual uptight self.
“It’s just having to sort out the last few bits,” Sophie said.
“You have plenty of time, darling,” Cassidy assured her.
“We have five months.”
“A winter wedding?” I asked, curious about the choice. The attention of the table turned on me.
Sophie smiled. “It’s when we met.”
The look Sophie and Cassidy shared was sickening and reminded me of Erik and Sloan. Beside me, Scott suddenly seemed more interested in the food on her plate. Uncomfortable with affection in the way I was.
“I’m sure we’ll be seeing you there,” Sophie said to me.
“Sophie,” Cassidy groaned.
“Oh, I’m not sure about that,” Scott said, looking up again.
Beneath the table, I placed a hand on her knee. Her dress choice was relatively short, but it had risen an inch or two since she sat down. Her skin was warm and smooth beneath my palm.
“I think what she means is that we’ll wait to see how this plays out,” I said.
“Exactly,” Cassidy agreed. “And considering that Quen has a lot to do with the ceremony, it’s probably not the wisest decision to bring anyone. Don’t want him to feel abandoned.”
My fingers moved up Scott’s leg, and she tensed under my touch. It was the most contact I’d managed, but I craved more.
“You two are too logical for your own good,” Sophie said. “Tell them, Gray. It would be lovely to see Quentin at the wedding with someone. And what about the reception, Quen?”
“Mmm,” Quen squeaked.
It sounded a little higher pitched than usual because of my fingers drawing small circles on the inside of her thigh, steadily moving upwards, towards my goal. Scott crossed her legs, trapping my hand between them, and I smiled before removing it slowly.
“Well, we’d love to see you there, Gray.” Sophie flashed me a grin, but Cassidy didn’t look so certain.
We continued through the main course as Sophie took control, keeping the conversation on wedding arrangements. By the time dessert arrived at the table, Cassidy had steered it in a different direction.
“So, what do you do, Gray? I don’t think I caught what your job actually is.”
“Biologist,” I replied shortly, and Scott choked on her sip of water.
“Oh, so you’re in the lab with duck, then?”
“Sometimes. I got contracted to work here on the new project. Once that’s done, I’ll need to find something else.”
“Does that involve moving?”
“More than likely.”
He narrowed his eyes at me from across the table.
“Cassidy, drop it,” Scott hissed at her brother. She stabbed her fork into the slice of cheesecake in front of her before taking a bite. “Mmmm.”
The sound that came from her made my trousers snug, and I dropped my full gaze on the woman beside me. Across the table, Sophie and Cassidy laughed, and when Scott opened her eyes, she turned red.
