Chapter 12
Gabriel
Where the hell did she go? She left with Pamela McGovern and never came back. That was at least thirty minutes ago. I stand up on my toes to see above the crowd. It can’t be hard to spot her. She sticks out like a sore thumb. I scan the room once, twice, and on the third sweep, I spot her in an alcove talking to my sister. Waving over my head like an idiot, she finally sees me. I watch as the two women hug then Lexie walks my way. “Finally.”
“Finally what?” asks the jackass in front of me.
Great. “Chip.”
“How are you this fine evening?” he asks like he’s debonair. Trust me. He’s not.
“Good.” I try to keep my conversations with Chip to a minimum. “The show looks good.”
“It does. It does. She’s sold over half of the pieces already.”
“Good.” I’m not surprised. My baby sister is very talented despite that asshole standing in front of me. Chip and I stand in silence. I’ve got very little to say to my sister’s husband mostly because he’s a leach and a philanderer. Unfortunately, my little sister can’t see it. Or, maybe she can but refuses to deal with it.
When I feel a hand on my arm, I look down and see Lexie next to me. “There you are.”
“Here I am,” she says smiling up at me.
“Lexie, this is…”
“Chip,” she says crisply. “I know. We’ve met.”
“Yes, indeed.” Chip nods. “Well, I’d best be off to see to things,” he says quickly. Too quickly.
I watch him skitter away like the cockroach he is. “That was strange.”
“That guy is creepy.”
“That guy?” I point in the direction he fled.
“Yeah, Chip.”
“Why do you say that?”
I watch her reach into the top of her dress and pull out a crumpled business card. “I’ll be darned, Charles Brooks.” She blinks at the card then looks up at me, “He propositioned me.”
Shit. Great. Fuck. “That’s Victoria’s husband.”
“Nuh, uh!” she exclaims.
Letting out a gust of air I slide my hand around her back and pull her to me. I lean down so that I’m whispering in her ear, “Please don’t say anything to Victoria.”
“Oh, I won’t. I wouldn’t.” She blinks up at me. “But, she doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”
I’ve pulled her in to me so we can continue our private discussion. “I know. I’ve tried talking to her about him, but she’s been…”
“Hoodwinked.”
I chuckle softly, “Hoodwinked is a great word for it. Victoria is sweet and loyal and a little gullible.” I should know. She’s put up with my bullshit her entire life.
With my arm still around her, I walk us to the edge of the room, away from the crowd. I wrap my other arm around her, enveloping her. It feels amazing. Her soft body against mine just like it did in that closet. Her arms that were stiff and down at her sides have slowly wrapped around my waist. I look up and see a photographer snapping photos nearby. I use it to my advantage. “Don’t look now, but there’s a photographer nearby. Let’s put on a good show.”
When her full lips become round with surprise, I lean down and capture them with mine. The kiss starts off slowly. I nibble on her plump bottom lip and then suck it into my mouth. When I hear Lexie emit a tiny squeak, I bring my hand up and tangle it into her silky tresses. Kissing her cheek until my mouth is next to her ear, I murmur, “Open for me, little one.”
A gasp is all I hear, and it’s the opening I need. I take her mouth again in a much hungrier kiss. My tongue sweeps into her mouth meeting hers. Our tongues twist and tangle in her mouth. I feel myself harden with each passing second. Pressing myself into her, I know she can feel what she does to me. Removing my mouth from hers, I say huskily, “Let’s get out of here.”
