CHAPTER THREE
Arlo
I restedmy hands on her waist, afraid to pull her too close, though I desperately wanted to. She smelled like she always did, of honey and lemon, fresh, clean, and perfectly edible.
Her manicured nails rested on my shoulders, massaging the muscles there before clasping them behind my neck. “You must be exhausted.”
“Yeah, but it was all worth it.” I smiled at her lazily as we twirled around the dance floor. “Seeing my sister’s face was the best part.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Arlo Gilmore.”
“It wasn’t just me.”
“I hardly did a thing. Besides, Annie’s lucky. She’s got awesome people who stick by her.”
“No, we’re the lucky family. We get to know you.” I was more flirtatious than usual, but damn, the woman impressed me. Without her, tonight wouldn’t have gone off as smoothly. What would I have done without her around?
“I think I’m the lucky one.” Amethyst said, and I spun her around, her brown locks flying behind her. We danced and danced until the song ended, the DJ switching it up to a faster song.
But we kept dancing, having a grand time as different tunes came on includingHey Macarena!, The Electric Slide, and the YMCA.
We laughed and hugged along with my sister and my parents like one big happy family. We took pictures and sweated our asses off, but it was more fun than I had in a long time.
I took a break here and there, stopping for a drink or to nimble on another piece of cake. I watched Amethyst dance with Annie, my parents dance with each other, and Annie dance with her new husband, Jared.
As night drew to a close, we wished the newlyweds farewell with rose petals and sparklers, as they headed off to the town’s inn before catching a flight to Hawaii the next morning.
I said my goodbyes to family and friends, including Amethyst before I stepped away to clean up the kitchen and say goodnight to my staff.
Eddie, my assistant, was the last one to leave before me and after he took off, I did my final sweep of the kitchen. It was something I always did at the end of every gig, as a way to go over what went well and what didn’t. Since the rain and the food not arriving was a given, I went over how the night ran from that point forward. I took notes on my phone and walked around, taking down anything I could remember.
“Working hard at the end of the night?” Her voice echoed through the kitchen and my insides twisted.Amethyst? I thought she left.
She strode over to me with a grin on her face, looking sexy and flirtatious. Her brown locks were now pinned back, frizzypieces circling her face, her cheeks flushed and her beautiful eyes wide and sparkling.
I chuckled and tucked my phone in my pants pocket. I left my suit jacket hanging by the entrance and had unbuttoned the top of my shirt and rolled my sleeves up, ready to be done with the tux. “Yep. It never ends.”
Amethyst’s eyes scanned over me, and she ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “You look relaxed. I like it.”
“I’m ready to bust out of this suit.” I said with a laugh, mainly to hide my growing desire, especially my dick. He wasn’t behaving. “I’m surprised you’re still here.”
“Yeah, I didn’t feel like calling it a night. I was hoping I could find someone to go have a drink with. The rain cleared a couple hours ago, so the roads shouldn’t be too bad, I hope.”
“You want to find someone to go have a drink with? Since when?”
Amethyst rolled her eyes. “You, dummy. I want to go have a drink with you.”
“You better have said me.” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.
The air between us shifted as the silence grew, the only sound the humming fridge in the background.
“You’re confusing, Arlo.”
“Why’s that?” I challenged. She’d never said that to me before. She was bold at the end of the night and I liked this side of her.
Amethyst stepped closer. “Because I can never tell if you’re just being nice or flirty or if you really mean it.”
Fuck.
