Lucy rose to stand beside him. “That was—” She took a long sip from her champagne glass. “Better than expected.”
Joel grinned at her. “Get used to it, baby.” Before he could think better of it, he pulled her close and kissed her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The first time Lucy had been kissed by Joel, she’d been drunk. They both had been. And not just the tipsy, one-too-many-kinds-of-cocktails drunk, but the zero inhibitions, shit-faced drunk that she’d never been before and hadn’t been since.
One moment they’d been celebrating a win at a blackjack table in Vegas, and the next they’d woken up, spooned in a hotel bed, the mother of all hangovers pounding in her head and a gift shop wedding ring on her finger. Her biggest regret was having very few detailed memories of that night, but she did remember the first instant his lips had touched hers.
They’d met by chance at aBuilders of the Futureconference in Vegas. Joel had taken her to dinner, and they’d spent a perfect evening talking over decadent food and expensive wine. When dinner ended, Joel had asked what she wanted to do, and already tipsy on the cabernet, she’d said dancing. They’d strolled the strip until they stumbled upon a club blaring music and a dance floor with strobe lights inside.They danced and drank for another couple of hours until Lucy told Joel it was his turn to pick an activity.
He’d taken her to the Bellagio, where he’d been staying. They’d found themselves in a private room, at a blackjack table, a Scotch in his hand and a martini in hers. Every time he rolled, Joel asked her to blow on his dice for luck. They’d laughed and joked, and before she knew it, he’d swooped her up in his arms because he’d won. She didn’t remember how much money or how much he’d bet before he’d won it, because as soon as his lips landed on hers, everything else fell away.
At first, they’d yanked apart, shocked apologies falling from their lips. They’d stood wide-eyed with chests heaving. Out of nowhere he’d said, “Fuck, I should’ve done that years ago” at the same time as she’d said, “Do it again.” And then they were kissing ferociously.
The kiss now, in front of thirty people, in his sister’s backyard garden gender-reveal party was much the same. Joel devoured her like he was starving. Another inappropriate kiss at an inappropriate time, but she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. Not after everything he’d just said. Not when her emotions were scattered all over the place, and the only thing anchoring her to sanity was him. It didn’t even matter that the engagement wasn’t real. It didn’t matter that he’d likely exaggerated most of what he’d said. All that mattered was that he was here, holding her, his pulse thrumming frantically against hers, like they were having a conversation in heartbeats.
Somewhere in the crowd, came a deep clearing of a throat. A hum of murmurs followed, buzzing into her consciousness.
“Mom?” A little girl’s voice cut through everything,jolting her back to reality. “Uncle Joel had his tongue in her mouth. He didn’t even use any hand sanitizer.”
Lucy tore her mouth away from Joel’s, setting her palms firmly against his pecs as a barrier between them. His chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. His gaze was lit with a flammable kind of desire, and she recalled how that look had her flat on her back within seconds, once upon a time.
“Well then.” Hope’s voice cut through the garden. “Congratulations to the happy couple. Can’t wait to hear all the details, big brother.”
For a moment so brief that Lucy wasn’t sure it even happened, she caught the shock of truth in his eyes. Those steely grays were wild and chaotic, a maelstrom of emotions so very unlike Joel. With a slow blink, his familiar mask of restraint fell over his features, shuttering anything she thought she might have seen. The composed businessman was back in control.
He gave his sister a curt nod, signaling the end of this portion of the party. The guests immediately went back to chattering amongst themselves, happily moving on from the display they’d just witnessed. Lucy marveled again at his ability to control a room with one look alone. He held such power, and most of the time, he didn’t even realize it. His presence demanded obedience, but he lacked the arrogance of a bully, maintaining respect by staying humble. So much like his father, Lucy thought as she turned her gaze to Walter Morgan.
The older man stood by his wife near the back of the garden, watching her and Joel with an unreadable expression on his face.
Walter Morgan had always treated her well. He’d treated her entire family like an extension of his, inviting them to important events, remembering birthdays, sending herflowers when she graduated college. Over the years, she’d acquired a deep respect for him and felt she earned his in return with her work ethic and dedication to family.
Knowing that she was deceiving him this way sat uneasily in her chest. He’d never cheated his way to anything. That sense of integrity he shared with her father was too deeply engrained. Guilt nudged her.
“I have to say, Joel, I never thought I’d see the day.” Ivy appeared beside them. Petite and fine featured, her pale skin looked extra translucent against her raven-colored hair cut short to brush her neckline. “I mean, I won’t say I wasn’t surprised. I was, but…” Her pale-blue eyes scanned Lucy from head to toe, as if trying to size her up. “I’ll withhold my judgment until after the party.”
“Party?” Lucy echoed.
Ivy smiled devilishly. “Oh hell yes, a party. No engagement is truly official until it’s been posted online or there’s been a party. Since I know Joel doesn’t have any social media accounts, we’ll have to settle for a party. How long are you in town, Lucy? We should throw it before you leave, and more importantly, before Hope pops out the latest Walsh descendant.”
Lucy cocked her head toward Joel, who was shooting an exasperated look at Ivy. “You don’t have a single account?” She should have known, since she’d run his name through every social media search available in the Webiverse, and yet for a man of his level of achievement, she was surprised. When she’d come up empty-handed, she’d figured he’d blocked her. She never considered that he had no online presence. That just seemed absurd.
He shrugged. “The Morgan Construction PR team runs our social media accounts, I think. What would I need one for?”
“I don’t know,” Lucy said, still incredulous. “To promote your business using your personal platform, show off your latest vacay destinations, get followers by sharing pictures of your ripped abs as you lounge on your couch in your Morgan Construction penthouse? Tons of reasons.”
Joel snorted. “You don’t get followers because of your abs.”
“Yes, you do,” Sean said in his raspy baritone as he came up beside Ivy.
All eyes swiveled his way, and it was his turn to shrug.
“My regularMonday Musclesposts bring in new followers each week, and some of those buy memberships for my gym or my online fitness programs. I’ve even received requests for collaborations with different companies in the fitness industry that way—protein shakes, athletic gear, that kind of thing.” He shrugged the boulder of his shoulders again. “Lucy’s right. People love that kind of shit.”
Everyone continued staring at Sean. Lucy couldn’t speak for the others, but she was going to cyberstalk him when she got home. She wanted to see the abs in question, for the sake of curiosity, of course.
“My abs won't bring in customers in the same way,” Joel commented.
