It seemed she was putting it on thick. Chelsea flirted like some people breathed—constantly. I detested how she so effortlessly pulled the wool over Adam’s eyes though sometimes I wondered if he was as oblivious as he acted. There was no way he hadn’t heard the rumors about her and some guy from the country club. Apparently, when she was supposed to be working on her backhand, the tennis instructor was just working her over. It was so cliched.
I could see the tightening of his jaw and his smile was brittle as his wife looped arms with the man and all but dragged him across the room to where we were standing.
My eyes homed in on the man instantly. I’d have to be dead or unconscious not to feel a twinge in my lady bits at the sight of his full lips, dazzling blue eyes, and broad, muscular shoulders. I almost understood why my whore-faced sister-in-law was practically salivating. This man was the most gorgeous specimen of masculinity I had ever encountered.
Chelsea was pressed against him, her perky breasts rubbing against his arm. She was definitely doing that on purpose. I watched with satisfaction as the man extracted himself from her grasp, moving to stand on the other side of Adam. Chelsea’s demeanor cooled instantly, clearly affronted at the rejection. She rebounded quickly though, snaking her arms around Adam like a boa constrictor. He gave her a perfunctory kiss on the mouth that was like watching someone kiss their grandma. I wasn’t imagining the way Adam seemed to recoil at her touch. Maybe he was finally seeing the light. Chelsea was like a giant genital wart in the middle of my otherwise awesome family.
The man greeted Adam with an obnoxious dude half-hug handshake. Why did guys do that? It never failed to look completely awkward.
I tried not to stare. It was hard because he was that good looking. He scraped a hand through his thick hair. Was that natural? Was he wearing product? It was like something out of a shampoo commercial.
He smiled at my brother in genial familiarity. Whoever he was, my brother liked him. And the feeling was clearly mutual. Chelsea had been firmly relegated to background noise, which is where she belonged. They talked about some sports game that I didn’t care about so didn’t bother listening.
My mind had started to wander when his eyes zeroed in on me. I felt as if I were caught in a laser beam. I noticed the way his gaze started at my feet and traveled up my legs, lingering there for a while before lazily making his way up to my face. I felt my skin heat under his scrutiny, and I wanted to preen like a peacock. I could tell he appreciated what he saw.
Our eyes met and clung for a heartbeat too long to be casual. There was a zing of instant attraction that I knew I wasn’t imagining.
Damn, he was a fine piece of man.
I licked my lips. Partly because they were suddenly dry and partly because it drew attention to my mouth. I had spent a lot of money on the shiny red gloss and I was going to make the most of it.
The man held out his hand in my direction. “I’m Jeremy Wyatt. And you are—?”
Jeremy Wyatt. One of Adam’s new partners. I had heard the name enough over the past year to know him intimately, even if this was the first time we actually met.
Adam moved away from Chelsea, turning his back slightly—god, I hoped that was on purpose—and put a hand on my shoulder. “Jer, this is my baby sister, Marlena.”
“Lena,” I corrected with a twinge of irritation. I hated it when people used my full name. It grated my very soul. “And I’m not exactly a baby anymore, Adam.”
Jeremy Wyatt’s fantastic blue eyes heated. “No, you’re definitely not,” he all but purred.
“Lena is in her senior year at Penn State, but she’s applied to law school for the fall,” Adam added, and I could hear the pride in his voice. I felt a glow of love for my big brother. He could be incredibly overbearing and extremely overprotective, but I knew he loved me and was proud of me and that meant more than anything.
Jeremy raised one lovely eyebrow. “Ah, the ole’ alma mater. If you need a good word, let me know. I have a lot of contacts at Penn Law.”
“As do I,” Adam interjected. I sensed a long-standing rivalry between the two; an air of competition that practically sizzled.
Jeremy chuckled. A low, rich sound that made my insides flutter. “No one’s disputing your connections, Ducate.”
Adam grinned, clearly used to Jeremy’s banter.
“Adam mentioned that you went to law school together, I hadn’t realized you received your undergrad from there as well,” I said.