“Well,” Ken said, breaking the awkward silence. “I think it’s time to carve this bird. Everyone finish up and make your drinks.”
The family scattered again, Molly reluctantly returning to her duties and leaving Wade and Tori alone. He looked back to her, and his chest suddenly felt tight and uncomfortable. The white collared shirt under his sweater was choking him. He was unpleasantly warm, despite being on the opposite side of the room from the fireplace.
Maybe it had nothing to do with his clothes. It was her. She looked more beautiful than she ever had. Her pale skin was flushed a rosy pink. Her lips were moist and slightly parted. The light blue of her eyes seemed darker around the edges than before. Maybe it was the dark blue of her scoop-neck sweater that drew out the color. It highlighted the long column of her neck and the delicate line of her collarbones. Between them, a small cameo hung on a gold chain. It was the ivory silhouette of a woman set against a blue background that reminded him of his mother’s Wedgwood.
Wade wanted to sweep the necklace aside and plant kisses in the hollow of her throat. He wanted to know how her skin would taste and smell. He sucked in a deep breath to draw in her scent. It was a smoky mix of sweet flowers, like honeysuckle, and the herbal undertone of burning incense. It was surprisingly seductive.
“What was that?” Tori’s voice was small and without the biting tone she normally hurled at him.
“Just a kiss,” he answered, dismissing the powerful feeling that had set fire running through his veins when they touched. He wasn’t ready to let her know how it had affected him. How she affected him. That would put him at a distinct disadvantage in their negotiations.
Her blue eyes searched his face for a moment before she sighed and looked away. There was a touch of disappointment in her expression as though she’d expected him to acknowledge it was more than that. She nodded softly and took a step away from him. “I’m going to wash my hands before dinner.”
Wade pointed out the small half bath beneath the stairs and watched her walk away. The sweater was enticing, but more so were the charcoal-gray skirt and knee-high leather boots she wore with it. There was a sway to her hips when she walked that was deliciously outlined by the fit of the skirt, and the slit in the back offered him a momentary flash of thigh with each step. It made him wish the bathroom were farther away so he could continue to watch her walk.
Brody stepped into the path of his view just as she pulled the door closed behind her. A frown lined his brother’s face as he thrust a mug of mulled cider into Wade’s hand. “Here. There’s no whiskey in it. I figured you were being dumb enough without alcohol.”
Wade scowled at his brother but accepted the drink. “You worry too much. It’s all part of my plan,” he lied, hoping it sounded like forethought on his part. “I’m softening her up. Then, when you dig up some good information on her I can use, she’ll be putty in my hands.”
Heath came past them to put his own coat into the closet. “Hey, Wade, I thought you were supposed to be buying Tori’s land, not checking her for tonsillitis.”
“Both of you just cool it. I know what I’m doing.”
Brody’s dark blue gaze narrowed at him. Wade often wondered if his brother’s personality would be different if he had been born into better circumstances. Would he be less serious? More open to life?
“Try not to scowl at her, Brody. Make her feel welcome, more at ease. It will help. You said you wanted to do something. Here’s your chance.”
Brody sighed. “I know. I just wasn’t prepared to see her walk in. I wish Mama had told me she was coming. She knows I don’t like those kinds of surprises.”
Wade nodded. “Neither do I.” He knew his brother didn’t like to meet new people. It was a painful ritual he had to repeat every time someone came face-to-face with him for the first time. “How did she do?”
“Better than most. She didn’t run screaming or anything. Although, I need to tell Julianne not to sit her across from me at the table. I’m sure it wouldn’t help her appetite to look at me the whole time.”
Wade sighed and took a sip of his cider. “Stop it. No self-flagellation during the holidays. Would you rather she sits across from me?”
“Hmm,” Brody said thoughtfully. “You two might end up playing footsie at this rate. Maybe across from Xander or Heath.”
“Dinner is ready,” Molly announced from the entryway to the kitchen. “Is everyone ready?”