It doesn’t take me long to spot her.
Her long brown hair is pulled back into a sleek bun, showcasing her shimmering cheekbones. There’s a piece of silk from her dress that wraps around her neck, and the only thought that comes to mind when staring at it is what would happen if I untied it.
I pull out a chair for Rebecca, purposefully leaving the one next to Tessa empty, and scoot her closer to the table.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
I linger behind Rebecca’s chair, playing Russian roulette with my choices.
Left or right?
I eye the empty space on the other side of Rebecca, and I know it’s where I should sit.
Yet, my body has a mind of its own as I sink down into the seat beside Tessa.
I’m aware of every little thing she does.
Her breaths.
The effort she makes to scoot closer to her date.
The fleeting glances out of the corner of her eye, like she’s trying not to look at me.
I reach forward and grab the bottle of exclusive tequila. My leg brushes against Tessa’s bare leg, that high slit in the side of her dress drawing my attention. The exposed part of her dress shows how her ribs expand, and they don’t deflate until I settle back in my chair, no longer touching her.
Interesting.
“Good tequila,” I say to the table but really to Tessa.
Anything to get her to look at me.
Jasper leans past Tessa to nod in my direction. He reaches forward for the bottle and pours some into Tessa’s empty glass and then pours a much larger amount into his own before downing it in one swig.
I chuckle. “Better slow down, Casper.”
Tessa flicks her eyes to mine with her eyebrows drawn together closely. “Casper?”
My mouth twitches with humor, and I turn away.
Quinn and Beck make it to the table just as the speaker is garnering the room’s attention. Beck whispers something in her ear, and she shushes him, causing Jasper to snicker loudly.
Tessa shifts in her seat again.
Her date is pouring himself another drink, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him down it just as quickly as the first.
The room erupts in a round of applause when the curtain opens up to a line of Rosa Negra Couture formal wear that the majority of us are dressed in tonight, courtesy of the event. Jasper moves toward Tessa, his mouth hovering over her ear. My chest constricts, but I keep my focus up front.
“You should be the model for their line,” he whispers, except it isn’t a whisper at all. “‘Cause you look smokin’ hot in that dress.”
Quinn turns around and shushes him with her eyes alone.
Tessa clears her throat, and I swear she moves closer to me.
Rebecca elbows me gently.
“He’s drunk,” she mouths.
Clearly.
