He walked off to wrap his arms around Kate, and the way she leaned into him made something twinge inside me.
I downed the rest of my bourbon, squared my shoulders, and made my way toward Orla.
Kate and Jordan slinked away to find their table so she was alone now, sipping her wine like she had all the time in the world.
“You clean up alright, Sheehan.”
She smiled sweetly before her eyes flicked down to my bare cuffs. She reached out, tugging lightly at one sleeve. “Tennis pro can’t even manage cufflinks?”
I grinned. “Couldn’t find any. Guess I’m hopeless.”
Her eyes landed to my mouth for half a moment before letting out a warm laugh, and it felt like the room fell away.
I leaned closer, voice dropping. “You can mock my cuffs all you want. Doesn’t change the fact you look devastatingly beautiful tonight.”
Her smile faltered, just slightly, her chest rising as though she needed to steady herself before she rolled her eyes, attempting to hide the way her cheeks had flushed pink.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
“Can I get you another drink?” I asked, already knowing I’d do anything just to keep her there.
“I probably don’t need more.” She tilted slightly on her strappy heels that made her legs look divine “I might be half a glass from dancing on the table.”
I laughed. “Alright, maybe some fresh air, then? Come on.”
She nodded and followed me out to the terrace. It was quieter there, strung with lights and the distant noise of traffic beyond the gates. The night air was warm, faintly sweetened by jasmine from the garden below.
She leaned against the railing, breathing deeply and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a small, nervous tell I’d started to recognize.
“So? Where’s your head at this week, Tyler? You must be feeling good.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I am, actually. For the first time in… I don’t know. I feel like something clicked.” I looked over at her. “And I owe a lot of that to you.”
She glanced up, surprised. “I just massaged your leg and yelled at you a bit.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but I wanted to get better. Because of you.”
She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes dropped at the compliment, then slowly lifted back to mine.
I stepped closer, reaching out, my fingertips brushing her toned arm that had a delicate sheen this evening. “Orla.”
She didn’t move.
“Tyler…” she whispered, but it wasn’t a warning. It sounded more like was a plea she didn’t know how to finish. I raised a hand to her chin, gently tilting her face to mine. Her deep hazel eyes shimmered under the overhead string lights, the golden hues highlighting every perfect feature of her face. Her breath caught as I dipped my head and found her lips softly with mine.
I kissed her slowly. I wasn’t trying to take anything from her, I was offering it. Everything. Whatever the hell this was between us.
I hadn’t planned on doing this. I knew what we’d agreed but I couldn’t keep away from her. She lived in my head constantly and I had to let her know what she meant to me. She didn’t pull away. Not right away. For a moment I thought I had her.
“Tyler…” she whispered, stepping back. “We can’t.”
I blinked. “What?”
She shook her head. The look in her eyes almost devastated me. “I said I’d keep things professional. We’re going on tour together. I can’t blur that line. Not with you.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. She didn’t wait. Just turned and slipped back through the terrace doors like she hadn’t just shattered me.
I turned and gripped the railing, knuckles whitening.
