He cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth.
“For the next two days we’re together, Annabelle, and we’ll deal with what this is when we leave here. Okay?”
“Okay.” She shouldn’t be relieved, but she was, because she had a horrible feeling that whatever this was, it would be hard to walk away from.
“Now turn around and let me look at all of you,” he said, holding her fingers high so she could twirl.
The dress was simple from the front, an emerald sheath with a demure neckline that fell in soft waves to her calves, but the back plunged to halfway down her back. She felt his fingers run the length of her spine, then caress her buttocks, and she fought the shiver his touch created.
“You know, of course, that this is going to cause me huge discomfort,” he whispered against her skin.
Her breath left her body as Ethan placed his lips on her back.
“You, Annabelle Smith, would tempt a saint.”
A knock on the door had him twirling her back to face him. He gave her one more look and then went to open the door.
“Ethan!”
Unlike upstairs, this reunion of the Gelderman siblings, minus Brad, was exuberant. They hugged and slapped backs, Hope threw her arms around Ethan and squeezed him hard, and he in turn planted a loud, smacking kiss on her cheek. Taylor was hugged too, in a bone-cracking embrace that he returned.
It saddened Annabelle that they had to do this in secret, that if their father saw he would be angry. She had always hugged her brothers even when they didn’t want to be hugged. Pushing aside thoughts of Cooper, she concentrated on the Geldermans. It was much easier that way, and she could keep the pain away.
“I’m so pleased to meet you, Annabelle, and thank you for bringing Ethan to my wedding.”
Annabelle accepted the hug from Hope. She was dressed in a pale pink evening dress whose hem brushed the floor. Her hair had been styled, and her make-up carefully applied. She looked young and pretty, and looking at her no one would ever know that she had lived anything but a pampered life.
“He wanted to come, Hope. I just tagged along.”
“Somehow I don’t think so.” Hope laughed and Annabelle saw Ethan in her then, in the smile that lit her face just as his did.
“And I’m Taylor.” He had Ethan’s charm, yet she could see he was shy, and guessed that living with two dominant men had not been easy on this young man.
“Lovely to meet you, Taylor.” Annabelle shook the hand he held out to her.
“So you’re definitely moving out next week, brother?” Ethan said, coming to stand beside him.
“Yes. The job I have is in Dallas, and some friends have a place there with a spare room, so I said I’d take it.”
Annabelle watched Ethan get all the information he needed out of his siblings over the next twenty minutes. He made sure Hope had everything she needed, that her stuff was packed and had been taken to her future husband’s house, and that she didn’t need any money. He then questioned Taylor on what he’d be doing and how much he’d be earning. He offered to buy him a bed, and anything else that was required for his move to Dallas.
He wasn’t bossy, didn’t demand answers but extracted them with a few carefully worded questions until he was happy that both Hope and Taylor were going to be okay.
“We have to go now, but we’ll see you at dinner,” Hope said finally, as she dragged Taylor to the door. “It really is a pleasure to meet you, Annabelle.”
“Likewise,” she said, lifting her hand in farewell. Then the door closed behind them and Annabelle heard Ethan sigh.
“My guess is that sigh was one of relief because you know they’re going to be all right?”
He moved in behind her, his arms going around her, his head resting on her shoulder. She didn’t want to like the gesture, because it was seriously close to a cuddle, but she did, way too much.
“You’re a good brother, Ethan. I can see that right off, so whatever stuff you’ve got going on inside you telling you otherwise, you need to get rid of it. Those two are okay, and they know they have you, which I’m guessing has always been important to them.”
“So you don’t think they have abandonment issues, then?”
She could feel the solid planes of muscle at her back and tried not to focus on how good those muscles had felt when she’d run her hands and mouth over them.
“Hell, no. I have those and I’d spot them in someone else a mile away.”
