He winced. “Yeah, about that. I saw my surgeon in London while I was there. I told him about the pain and he took a look. Knee’s fine, I promise, but worry away if it’ll make you feel better.”
“Oh,” Penny said, the flurry of information making her mind whirl as much as his arrival. “You could’ve said something.”
Alex shrugged. “Might have been a little embarrassed about how I snapped.”
“Next time talk to me, okay? Don’t disappear.”
“Promise,” he said, pressing his lips against her forehead. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the kiss, but her mind was still spinning; she was still unsure if she could let go enough to trust him completely.
“I stand by what I said, you two make me want to vomit,” Indy called from the opposite end of the room, balancing against the dresser to put on her black heels, which were paired perfectly with an emerald-green halter dress with a metallic sheen that hugged her long, lean figure tightly. Penny couldn’t help the soft snort of amusement against Alex’s neck. He hushed her lightly.
“You look lovely tonight, Indy,” Alex said, and Penny lifted her head in time to see her friend blush.
“Thanks. Are you guys actually going to the party, or should I finish up here and leave you to it?”
Penny rolled her eyes. “We’re going. Do you want us to wait for you?”
Indy grabbed her makeup bag and waved them out of the room. “No, go ahead. I’m almost done.”
They walked hand in hand toward the elevator bay, but once there, Penny couldn’t resist. She stood on her toes, leaned against his chest, and kissed him lightly once, twice, then, slowly opening her mouth beneath his, she nudged her tongue against his bottom lip. They broke apart and came together over and over again, neither willing to stop until they both pulled away, gasping for air, shaky breaths matching the trembling in her body.
“Jesus,” he breathed. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” she asked as his hands fell to her waist, squeezing gently.
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Do it again.”
Laughing a little, she pressed her lips to his again. “Your flight got in early?”
“Took an earlier one,” he said, reaching around her to push the elevator call button. “I wanted to get here in time for the gala.”
“So you could go with me?” she asked, only half teasing him. “We can’t even stay that long. I have my first-round match tomorrow.”
“So I could see you in a dress like that, and I don’t carehow long we stay. In fact, I’m all in favor of making an early night of it.” He stepped back and let his eyes travel up from the floor over every inch of her body.
Penny laughed. “You’re so smooth.”
A deep chuckle echoed from his chest. “Apparently not that smooth.”
“Smooth enough,” she said, then grasped the front of his crisp white dress shirt and pulled him in for another kiss.
A ding from the elevator’s arriving registered in her mind, but she didn’t care.
“Damn it, could you two not do that in front of me, ever?”
Alex pulled away at the sound of her brother’s voice. She fell back on her heels, turned, and glared at Jack.
“Can we hold hands or is that too much for your delicate sensibilities?”
“Jack, good to see you, mate,” Alex said, extending his hand toward her brother.
Jack frowned but shook his hand. The handshake lasted longer than it probably should have. Penny watched as the knuckles of both men’s hands turned red and then briefly white before they both released their grip.
“Are you done?” she asked Jack sharply.
He ignored her question. “Is Indiana ready, too? Dom’s downstairs holding a car for all of us.”
As if on cue, Indy appeared around the corner looking like someone who belonged on a runway rather than a tennis court, long blond hair in wild waves hanging down her back, smoky eyes, and gloss making her lips shine. Penny saw Jack suck in a breath and a sudden heaviness cut through thesmall space. She glanced between her brother and her friend, but as quickly as she felt the tension, it was gone again.
