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“I’m so happy you’re here,” Samantha whispers, barely loud enough to hear over the swelling music. Her eyes are a little glassy, and her smile tells me she’s experiencing the same surge of emotion as I am.

“Me too,” I rasp, daring to let my hand slide down her back and press her a little closer.

Her breath hitches, and my nostrils flare as her scent strengthens.

Fuck, I want to kiss her.

“Nathan,” she breathes, wetting her lips.

The sound of Elle’s laughter nearby has us jolting apart, and Samantha gives me a desperate, despondent look.

That won’t fucking do. “Meet me in the groom’s changing room?”

She nods furtively. “Give me a minute so no one sees us leave at the same time.” Before I can reply, she laughs loudly and shakes her head at me. “Alright, that’s enough dancing for me. I need another drink before I attempt any more.”

She heads off toward the bar, and I try in vain not to stare at her ass in that slinky gold dress as she walks away.

“You look good.”

I startle at the voice beside me, and Elle chuckles.

Fighting to tamp down my nerves, I force a self-deprecating laugh. “I do?”

She nods, her dark curls bouncing with the movement. “Yes. Love looks good on you.”

My brow furrows for a moment, forgetting that I’d talked to my friends about being interested in someone. “Oh! Right. Yeah. It’s a shame she couldn’t make it tonight, but like I said, I wanted to make sure she was okay with all of me before I, uh, introduced her. Besides, a wedding isn’t the best place to debut a new relationship.”

“Of course.”

I swear her keen violet eyes bore into my soul, and sweat drips down my neck as I wait for her to say something else. For her to call me out, or yell at me for defiling her daughter, or⁠—

“Samantha looks happy, too.”

“Yeah, uh, I guess she does.” I let out an awkward laugh. “Must be from the big bonus she got recently,” I lie.

Elle’s lips quirk into a half-smile. “Must be.”

Fuck, if I stay here any longer she’s going to sense how godsdamn weird I’m being. I need to get away from her.

Unable to think of anything else to do, I reach out toward a server walking by with a tray of champagne and fumble the glass, spilling the bubbly liquid on my suit jacket.

“Oh shit, sorry!” the server says with a wince, and I feel like a total asshole.

“No, no, it was absolutely my fault.” I chuckle and give Elle a sheepish shrug. “My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be.”

She frowns at my terrible lie, and I grimace down at my jacket. “Better go try to dry some of this off. If you’ll excuse me…”

I don’t wait for her to reply, heading toward the hallway with the bathrooms and the dressing rooms, stripping my wet jacket off as I go. My only hope is that she’ll assume I’ve had a bit too much to drink, and that’s why I’m acting so weird.

Checking to make sure there’s no one in the hallway, I open the door to the dressing room. A hand darts out from the darkness and grabs my tie, tugging me inside. Lips meet mine, hot and desperate, as Samantha shoves me against the door and locks it.

“Fuck,” I grunt as eager hands claw at my shirt, Samantha’s arousal flooding the air between us and pulsing through my veins.

Her lips fall to my throat, teeth scraping against my fevered skin, and I let out a growl.

“Gods, I wanted to kiss you so bad,” she moans. “It was torture.”

“I know, baby,” I murmur, kissing her hard and deep, sliding my hand under the high slit of her gown to touch her. She’s soaked through her panties, wet and ready for me already. “When we get home, I’m going to take my time with every inch of you, but right now this pussy needs to be fucked, doesn’t it?”