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“Liam,” Melody began as Claire walked past her, “you’d better hurry, too. The ballet won’t wait for any of us.”

Liam merely hummed, his head still in the freezer as Claire left the kitchen.

Thank goodness for Melody’s timing. Because as much as Claire’s heart said otherwise, she should not be kissing a man she just met.

* * *

Liam paced the rug by the front door, straightening his tie for the hundredth time as he waited for Melody and Claire to come downstairs.

The last thing he wanted to do right now was spend the evening with the girls and Dean, sitting through The Nutcracker. But he wasn’t about to let Claire go alone, even though he had no idea how he was going to survive the entirety of the ballet seated next to her, thinking of how her eyes had fluttered to a close when he’d leaned in to kiss her and how her lips had parted, inviting him to taste of their sweetness.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. He needed to stop this. He and Claire came from two different worlds, had two different futures, two different dreams. Kissing her would have been disastrous because he knew without a doubt in his mind that if he had kissed Claire Frost, he would want to do it again and again.

A knock on the door sounded beside him, and he turned to open it, revealing Dean on the front porch.

Liam opened the door wider to allow him in, though he would have rather invited him to wait in the darkness outside.

“You clean up nice,” Dean said, adjusting his bow tie. “The birds nearly ready?”

Liam grimaced. It was going to be a long night. “They should be down soon.”

They stood in silence in the entryway, Liam pressing his lips shut. The two of them didn’t really need to speak, but apparently, Dean thought otherwise.

“So are you dating the friend?” he asked.

The friend? Had he already forgotten Claire’s name? “No, I’m not. Claire and I are only friends.”

Friends who’d nearly just kissed.

Dean shook his head. “Still as prim as ever. I tell you, if Melody weren’t here, there’s no way I’d be keeping my hands off Claire.”

Liam’s jaw twitched, disgust simmering within him. Here was the Dean he knew. No doubt the guy had been on his best behavior around Melody.

“Although,” Dean continued, “if you and Claire are just friends, maybe I don’t have to keep my hands off her.”

Dean was just having a laugh, trying to wind Liam up. Liam knew that. But heaven help him, it was working. He held his hands behind his back, clenching his fingers around his wrist to calm down.

“You’re assuming Claire would want your hands on her,” Liam returned, his stomach roiling.

Dean chuckled. “I find that most women do. You would find them wanting the same from you, if you weren’t such a prig.”

Liam tipped his head from side to side as if measuring the words. “Prig. Gentleman. They must be one and the same.”

Dean sniffed, puffing out his chest as he drew in a deep breath. “Being either is highly overrated.”

Liam turned toward him, ready to defend himself again, but when a movement flashed at the top step, they both turned toward the stairs.

Melody appeared first in a dark green dress, flashy diamonds dangling from her ears and peeking through her dark curls. Her grin was wide and confident as she peered down at them, her eyes settling on Dean’s.

“Wow,” Dean said, pressing a hand to his chest. “You are simply…Wow.”

Liam stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Yes, Melody looked great. But Dean was so obviously playing an act. He must have seen that reaction on some movie to know just how to pull it off. What a total…

Liam’s words faded from his mind as he glanced back up the stairs, doing a double take as Claire appeared next. He let out a slow breath, all other thoughts vanishing as his heart fluttered at the vision before him.

Unlike Melody’s self-assured grin, Claire’s smile was subtle, humble, but she held herself with an unmatched air of grace as she moved down the steps in a soft pink, floor-length gown. Shimmering crystals fell down the front of the slender dress like silver raindrops, accentuating her figure. Her hair was piled high in an elegant twist, and dainty pearls dangled from her ears.

Liam was utterly captured. Her blue eyes met his as she reached the bottom step, but he couldn’t look away even if he’d wanted to.