“You came on my hand, Faith.” I kept my voice low, for her ears only. “And I’ve spent every night since then imagining all the other ways I could make you fall apart.”
Her champagne glass trembled slightly. “We agreed?—”
“We agreed to a lot of things. Doesn’t mean I’ve stopped wanting you.” I took her elbow gently and guided her away from the main room, around a marble pillar that blocked us from view of the reception. Here, in this alcove, it was just us and the distant sound of music. “Doesn’t look like you’ve stopped wanting me either.”
“You’re Blake’s best friend.” She said it like a mantra, like she was trying to convince herself. “This is complicated.”
“Life’s complicated.” I reached out, my fingers ghosting along her bare arm. She shivered. “This? This is simple. You want me. I want you. Everything else is just noise.”
“It’s not noise. It’s my brother.” But she hadn’t pulled away. If anything, she’d swayed closer.
“Your brother who wants you to be happy.” I brought her wrist up, pressing my lips to the spot where her pulse hammered. “Tell me this doesn’t make you happy.”
Her eyes fluttered closed. “That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point?” I let my lips trail higher, to thesensitive spot inside of her elbow. “Because from where I’m standing, the only point is that we’re both adults who can’t stop thinking about each other.”
“Ryker.” My name came out shaky. “You can’t just …”
“Can’t just what?” I lifted my head, catching her gaze. “Can’t just tell you that I want to taste every inch of your skin? Can’t tell you I’ve imagined hiking up this dress and making you come on my mouth?”
Her breath caught audibly.
I leaned in until my lips brushed her ear. “Can’t tell you that I want to bury myself inside you until you’re screaming my name so loud that the entire reception can hear?”
“Jesus.” Her free hand clutched at my jacket like she needed the support.
“Say no.” I pulled back just enough to look at her, to give her an out even though it would kill me. “Tell me to walk away, and I will. But if you don’t …” I let my hand slide from her wrist to her hip, my fingers finding the slit in her dress, touching bare thigh. “If you don’t, Faith, I’m going to make good on every single promise.”
She bit her lip again, and I could see the war playing out in her eyes. Desire versus duty. Want versus should.
“I can’t think when you’re this close,” she whispered.
“Good.” I flexed my fingers against her thigh, and she made a sound that went straight to my groin. “Stop thinking. Just feel.”
“This is insane.”
“Probably.” My other hand came up to cup her face, my thumb brushing across her bottom lip. “But you’re still here. You haven’t walked away.”
“I should.” But even as she said it, her hand slid up my chest to my shoulder, her fingers curling into the fabric.
“Should and want are two different things.” I drew her bottom lip down with my thumb. “What do you want, Faith?”
Her eyes darkened. “You know what I want.”
“Say it.” I needed to hear it. “Tell me.”
She held my gaze for a long moment, and I watched her resistance crumble piece by piece. When she finally spoke, her voice was rough with need. “I want you to make me forget every reason this is a bad idea.”
Heat flooded through me. “I can do that.”
She glanced around the reception, and I realized her hand was still on my shoulder, holding on to me. “The bridal suite. Give me a minute head start.”
I released her before I could change my mind and kiss her right there in front of everyone. “One minute. Then I’m coming for you.”
She turned and walked away, and the sway of her hips was absolutely deliberate. At the base of the staircase, she paused and looked back over her shoulder, her eyes locking with mine. Then she disappeared up the stairs.
The next sixty seconds were the longest of my life. I had to hide my growing erection as I slowly made my way up the stairs. When I found her in the bridal suite, she was standing by the window, moonlight painting silver highlights in her hair. She’d already taken her hair down, and it tumbled over her shoulders in waves that made my fingers itch to touch.
