“This dress may look proper but with you inside it, wrapped up like a tempting package, trust me, it’s anything but,” I added.
She stared at me, her eyes wide, her cheeks painted the same shade of pink as the dress, just as I’d pictured. Sparks of need zapped through me everywhere we touched.
How had I never realized exactly how hot my best friend was?
The elevator pinged and opened.
I cleared my throat. “Come on. We’d better get down there.”
She followed me into the elevator, her eyes slightly glazed. Perhaps my misguided attempt to reassure her had affected her as strongly as it had me.
Neither of us spoke as we rode the elevator down, gathering another pair of guests on the second floor before reaching the lobby. Signs directed us to the waterfront restaurant, and when we reached it, I paused to admire the view.
The restaurant projected out over the water and the sides were open. The roof was made of some kind of thatched material, and a waterfall rose behind the building, spotted with greenery and tiny pink flowers. It looked natural, but surely, it must be man-made. It was too odd a location for a naturally occurring waterfall.
Rectangular tables were positioned end-to-end along the center of the part of the restaurant nearest to the water. Our party was gathered there, chatting and laughing. The open air was warm, and birds chirped from somewhere out of sight.
I was relieved to see that Thad and Coral were seated at the nearest end of the tables, with Lake and her fiancé, while the empty chairs were all at the opposite end.
We greeted the happy couple. I shot a warning look at Thad, and noticed that I wasn’t the only one to do so. Coral did as well. We managed to escape without Tally’s ex saying a word, which was better than I’d hoped for.
We claimed a pair of seats opposite two men I didn’t know. I pulled a chair out for Tally, and she smiled at them as she sat. We exchanged greetings.
“How do you know the bride and groom?” she asked them, reaching for the ice water and filling both our glasses.
“Chris is an old college friend of ours,” the guy opposite Tally said, his gaze locked on her as if he’d just seen an angel.
My eyelid twitched. Yes, I’d just finished telling her how irresistible she was in that dress, but I hadn’t realized I’d have to scare off horny guys quite this soon.
“I thought the dinner tonight was for family,” I said tersely.
Tally elbowed me.
The guy just laughed. “It was supposed to be, but Lake’s family is bigger than Chris’s, so he invited us to make up numbers. I’m Jackson, and this is Ben.”
“Tally,” she replied, stretching her hand across the table. “Short for Tallulah.”
He accepted her hand with a flourish. I narrowed my eyes. If he kissed it, I’d be forced to kick him under the table. Tally and I might not actually be together, but for the purposes of this wedding, everyone had to think that we were.
“That’s an interesting name,” Jackson said.
I coughed. “I’m Alec.”
“Right winger for the Colorado Dragons.” The words burst from Ben as if he’d been holding them back since the start of the conversation. His face turned red. He had one of those freckledcomplexions that meant when he blushed, he did it with his whole body. “I love hockey. I play in a rec league.”
“Oh, yeah? What position are you?” I asked.
“Center.”
“Nice.” There had been a time when I’d thought I might like to be center but then I learned I prefer to zip around the sides of the ice and slip past the goalie rather than launch head-on attacks.
“So, how do you know Chris and Lake?” Jackson asked. His gaze still hadn’t left Tally.
“Lake is my cousin,” she said.
He turned to Alec. “And you?”
Ah. I got it. He wanted to know if we were related or here as a couple. As if me pulling out her chair hadn’t been indication enough.
