He grabs his brother and pulls him in for a hug as well. Luke doesn’t seem to be too receptive though.
“I still can’t fucking believe that the two of you are banging.” Rex glances at us with narrowed eyes. “When Grandma told me that you were coming to the wedding together, I nearly fell to the floor. You sly dog.” He hits Luke in the arm. “Never woulda thought you had it in you.”
He cackles and then looks back at me.
“Who knew you would have a glow-up, eh, Mia?” He lets out a low whistle as he checks me out. I don’t bother reminding him that we both live on the same island and that if he’d had any interest whatsoever he could have dropped by the bookmobile or Cocktails & Chaos to say hello. But Rex lived in his own world. A world that didn’t frequent the same small-town establishments as my friends and I. “If I had known that you’d become this sexy little thing, I might have paid more attention to you when you came over all the time.” He chugs his beer and throws his head back. “Mighta let you sneak into my room a couple of the nights you stayed over.”
He grins at me, and I try not to make a retching sound. Rex is even more obnoxious than normal tonight.
“That’s enough, Rex.”
Luke wraps his arm around my waist and brings me into him. It’s not an unwelcome feeling, but the way he touches me seems way too familiar. I am not used to us being in close proximity like this. I notice that the movement is soft, lingering, and possessive. It’s nice, but weird. Way too comfortable. But I suppose that’s the only way we’re going to sell this.
Rex’s eyes narrow, and he appears to be inspecting us for any indication that this might not be a real union. Luke shifts and is now even closer to me, and my stomach flips. I’ve never seen him like this before. And I’ve never felt this heat spreading at his touch before either. What on earth is happening?
“I must say that Luke is the man I’ve been dreaming of all my life. Who knew that he was under my nose all along?”
I snuggle next to him, and he holds me closer. Rex presses his lips together, and his eyes meet mine for far longer than feels comfortable. I wonder if he’s going to call us out right here and now. Is he going to tell us our acting sucks and he knows we’re only doing this because of his notes?
“Can’t lie. If I had known you were going to grow them big ol’ titties, I woulda let you hit it.” He throws his head back and laughs loudly. “When you were chasing me around, you were just a string-bean, tomboy-looking thing. Never thought you’d grow up to be a banger, Bishop.” He licks his lips. “Play your cards right, and I might still let you?—”
“What the fuck?” Luke steps forward, and for a moment, I think he’s going to hit his brother. In all that is good and holy, I’ve never seen him look so threatening in all my life. “Who do you think you’re talking to, Rex?”
“Can’t you take a joke, golden boy?” Rex pretends to hit Luke in the jaw. “You go to New York like some crybaby in the night and hide your gal. I’m just saying we all know that …” His voice trails off as Mr. and Mrs. Haverbrook approach us with glasses of champagne in their hands.
“Hey, Mom, Dad.” Rex’s voice changes, and his expression becomes friendly.
He really is a chameleon, and I wonder what I ever saw in him.
“I was just telling Luke and Mia how happy I was that they were able to make it and participate in all the fun.” He grins and looks back at me. “And to think, Mia, if you’d played your cards right, this could have been our celebration.” He chugs more of his beer, and his expression changes slightly. “But who knows what could happen, right?”
chapter nine
Luke
“Sorry about that Mia.” I offer my apologies as soon as Rex and my parents walk away to entertain some of the other guests.
I am furious at how my brother spoke to her, and even more so, I was angry at the way he was looking at her. Like she was a juicy steak and he was a hungry dog. He was practically drooling over her. I had to resist the urge to thump him in the eye. He was close to walking up the aisle with one blue eye and one black one.
“That’s okay.”
She runs her fingers through her hair, and I watch as she grabs a hair tie and wraps her hair into a bun on top of her head. Her slender neck is elongated now, and the new hairdo draws more attention to the top of her dress. I will my eyes to stay on her face and not on her chest. I will not be one of those pervy guys, checking out her breasts.
“I will forgive him. I guess he was just drunk.”
“I guess.” I study her face to see if there are twinges of jealousy or regret there. “How are you feeling? I’m sure that tonight?—”
“I’m feeling fine.” Her voice is a little too high.
As I try to make eye contact, she looks away. I’m not sure what that’s about, but I’m not going to push it. The evening has already taken me on a roller-coaster ride.
“I’m surprised your parents didn’t ask us more questions though. Do you think they suspect anything, or are we in the clear?”
“I’m not sure.”
I was also surprised at their lack of questioning about everything. They didn’t ask about our relationship, they didn’t ask about New York,they didn’t even ask about my job. Though I had a feeling Dad was still peeved that I’d walked away from the family company to make it on my own, but there was no way that I was going to play second fiddle to Rex. In any aspect of my life.
She shifts closer to me and lowers her voice. “So, you’re staying with your grandparents tonight?” She giggles girlishly and places her right hand on my chest, all the bangles clanking together as she runs her fingers down.
