And I wanted him.So fucking bad.
I leaned in, my pulse thundering?—
“What are you guys doing?”
33
IT’S JUST US
DYLAN
Ipulled away to see who had interrupted our sweet, intimate moment.
It was Amanda and Caleb with their arms crossed.Caleb was even smirking.
Fuck.Just my luck.
He was my senior at university and one of the best ethical hackers I knew, who had helped me a lot with my start-up.
“Well?”my sister asked, raising her brows.“What was going on?”
Katie cleared her throat, but I said, “There was something in her eye.I was helping her remove it.”
“Uh-huh,” Caleb drawled, glancing at Katie, who had glassy eyes.
“The dinner must be getting cold.”I coughed into my fist.“I’m really looking forward to the dessert.”
I barely glanced at Katie.My chest was tight with a mix of desire and frustration, because I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep pretending.I wanted to grab her, kiss her and shout to everyone that she was mine, like some caveman.
I walked past the narrowed eyes of my older sister and Caleb.But before I could go back to the party, someone called my name.
“Dylan.”Caleb jerked his chin for me to follow him.
Great.Just what I needed.
He led me down the hall and into one of the guest bedrooms.It was a simple space with cream walls, a queen bed, a wooden dresser topped with a lamp.
Caleb shut the door and crossed his arms, planting himself in front of it as if he wanted to stop me from escaping.
“Why are you messing around with Katie?”he asked, getting straight to the point.
I should have seen this coming.He was one of the husbands of Anna, her older sister, and also my senior.
“I’m not messing around,” I said, running a hand through my hair.“She’s just my sister’s friend.That’s all.”
He laughed, rolling his eyes.“Please.I know bullshit when I smell it.You’ve got it written all over your face.You look at her the way I look at Anna and Kyle when I think no one’s watching.”
“That’s flattering, Caleb,” I said with a cheeky smile.“But I think you’ve had too much champagne.”
“Don’t play dumb with me.She’s sweet.Innocent.And she means a lot to Anna—and to all of us.If you hurt her…” He tilted his head, his voice dipping low, “You’ll wish you’d never been born.”
“Wow.That escalated fast.From concerned brother-in-law to threatening your favorite junior for fun?I should complain to Anna.”
“Don’t test me, kid.”His words made me scoff.A kid?He was just a year older than me.“I’ve got a baby on the way, and my patience is already thin.”
I wanted to snap back, to tell him Katie wasn’t his business, but before I could, he uncrossed his arms and turned.He paused with his hand on the knob, throwing a stern look over his shoulder.“Remember what I said.”
Whatever.There wasn’t a single bone in my body that wanted to hurt Katie Martinez other than mild spanking.
