The crowd began to tap their glasses to get the future bride and groom to kiss, pulling Gillian’s attention from him. With a flourish, Alex dipped Willow low, bent over her, and planted a long, deep kiss on her lips that resulted in a round of cheers and whistles. The tapping resumed, and it seemed like every eye in the room became focused on them.
“Now this is a tradition I’m familiar with. Everyone’s watching. I think they want us to follow suit—prove that we’re a real couple. We should probably oblige the crowd.” He leaned closer and wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck. “Think of this as a dare.”
Shock crossed her face, and she pressed her hands to his chest. “You’re not going to kiss me right here in front of everyone?”
“No,” he said, angling his head closer to hers. “You’re going to kiss me, and if I were you, I’d make it look good.”
* * *
Gillian hesitated for a split second, then closed her eyes and pressed her mouth to his. At first, the kiss was soft and sweet, tentative, but when Garrett nipped at her bottom lip, a soft moan bubbled up from the back of her throat. It was like lighting a match to tinder. His hand tightened around her waist, and she molded against him. Her lips absorbed him like a drug. They tasted soft and sensual—purely male with a hint of scotch and mint. His tongue tangled with hers in slow, wicked laps. She met him stroke for stroke, losing herself in the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his erection pressed against her thigh, hard and incessant. Considering where they were, and what they were doing, her first instinct was to pull away, but she couldn’t. The kiss was just too good, and she’d been fantasizing about this for months. Her breasts grew heavy and aching, her nipples tight.
But then the voice in her head whispered,this isn’t real,which meant this ridiculous sexual attraction could only lead to one thing—heartache. With a gasp, Gillian broke the kiss and pulled away, panting.
The whole room erupted in a chorus of loud whoops and claps. She laughed, embarrassed and aroused. “What have we done?” she murmured, trying to catch her breath.
When her eyes met Garrett’s once more, she couldn’t mistake the smoldering heat burning in his. “I think we’ve proved our point.” He linked his fingers with hers. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 20
When they got back to Garrett’s apartment, he shoved the key into the lock, opened the door and let it slam shut. After he punched the numbers into the keypad on the wall, he made a beeline for the liquor cart. He poured half a glass of scotch into a sniffer and took a long swig. Sadly, it did nothing to tame the swirl of emotions raging inside of him. He held up the decanter. “Would you care for an after-dinner drink?”
Her expression grew weary. “No, and maybe you shouldn’t either. Haven’t you had enough to drink tonight?” A sudden heaviness filled the air, dampening the light mood from the party. Only a few hours ago he’d seen her laughing and smiling. He didn’t want to be the one to cause the tightening around her eyes.
“Liquor doesn’t affect vampires the same way it does humans.”
He wanted to caress every inch of her body, taste her beautiful lips again, and steal every breath. He wanted to claim her over and over again, give her unimaginable pleasure until she could take no more.
But he simply stood there brooding instead.
Gillian set her evening bag on the chair and took a step closer, resting her hands on her slender hips. “Garrett? What’s eating at you? I sensed something was wrong the moment we left the party. You didn’t say a word to me in the car.” Her beautiful brown eyes latched onto his and filled with hurt. “Is there something you’re not telling me about this op?”
“It’s nothing,” he snapped, and immediately regretted his tone.
Now she thought he was angry with her. The truth was he was angry at himself for being weak. Why couldn’t he leave well enough alone?
“I don’t believe you. You’re slamming doors and walking around here with a scowl on your face,” she pointed out. “What’s wrong?”
“All right, something is eating at me. I don’t know how to say it without shocking you.” He glanced down at his hands, and they now shook with lust. He imagined her lush flesh beneath his fingertips, learning every curve of her body. He looked up and concern flashed in those beautiful eyes, leaving him helpless to do anything but tell her the truth. Hell, he owed her that much. He left his glass on the cart and stalked closer to her.
“Try me,” she whispered in a soft, feminine voice.
He moved closer still, until they breathed the same air. Her delicious lavender scent invaded his nostrils, adding further to his torment. “Fine, you want the truth? Here it is. I can’t keep up this charade any longer. I know it hasn’t been easy for either of us, but all this pretending is killing me. The truth is I want you, Gillian. So damn much it hurts.” He exhaled and waited for what felt like an eternity for her to respond.
Her pulse pounded at her throat. She reached out to grip the arm of the barstool for support. The rush of her blood moving through her veins became music to his ears. Even if she couldn’t say the words, she felt it too. “Garrett, please don’t. What happened back there won’t happen again. I can’t do this with you.”
“You can’t? Or you won’t? I realize what I’m saying goes beyond the limits of professionalism. You’re a witness in a case involving family. But I just can’t keep this to myself any longer,” he said on a ragged breath. “I think about you all the time. When I hear your name or you walk into a room, I’m captivated. I have been since the very first moment we met.”
She swallowed hard and her eyes filled with desire. “This is too much to take in right now.”
“You need to hear this. In all my years on this planet, I’ve never met a woman with your strength or your courage. Your compassion and loyalty to your family and friends makes me want to be a better man.” His gaze swept over her, taking in the freckles across the bridge of her nose and the sculpted angles of her face. If he admired her for an eternity it still wouldn’t be enough. “You’re so damn beautiful, you turn me inside out,” he whispered, and pushed a silky strand of hair behind her ear, needing to touch some part of her.
“I don’t know what to say. There’s no denying your charms, Garrett.” Her breaths came out in soft, little gasps. She bit down on her full lower lip, and he wanted to do the same, devour her…explore that lush mouth of hers when no one else was around.
“Whatever you’re thinking I don’t like it.”
“I’d be lying if I said your reputation with women didn’t make me cautious.” She placed her hands on her temples and rubbed, looking torn.
“Gillian, there’s something you need to hear, something I’m not proud of. I started dating a woman right after we met.”
