He lifted the whiskey to his mouth once more and took a healthy sip. Even now, with her hip pressed to his thigh, he wanted to hike her in his arms and show her and everyone else in the room how well they would fit together.
In truth, Reagan deserved a man who could give her all of his heart. A man who didn’t view love as a trap with razor-tipped jaws. A man who could offer her security and a name that was above reproach.
He wasn’t that man.
And yet, here he stood beside her, claiming her in front of family, friends and all of Royal.
When had he become so fucking selfish?
Luke cleared his throat, his eyebrows arching high. Laughter lit his brown eyes. And something told Ezekiel that Luke’s humor was at his expense.
“What?” He frowned.
“Your fiancée asked you a question. But you seemed so engrossed in your drink, I think you missed it,” Luke drawled.
A growl rumbled at the back of Ezekiel’s throat, but he swallowed down the curse he itched to throw at his brother. He harbored zero doubts Luke at least had a clue where Ezekiel’s thoughts had been.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Ezekiel apologized, glancing down at her. “What did you say?”
“I asked you to go ahead and confess the truth,” she said, shooting him a chiding glance. “You hired a battalion of party planners to carry all of this off. And they worked all day and through the night like shoemaking elves.”
He smiled, cocking his head to the side. “I help run a hugely successful, national conglomerate. You think I can’t handle the planning and execution of one party?”
She mimicked his gesture, crossing her arms for good measure. His smile widened. Since that day in his office a couple of weeks ago, they’d become a little closer. Friendlier.
And that was both heaven and hell for him.
“Okay, fine. I begged my cousin Beth for help. She and Gracie Diaz attacked it with a competency that frankly scares the hell out of me. And all I had to promise in return was that you’d help with this year’s TCC charity masquerade ball. See? I’m a problem solver.”
“So in other words, you pimped me out for a party. You’re lucky I’m marrying you,” she muttered, but ruined her mock-annoyance with a soft chuckle. “With Dad being a TCC member, I’ve assisted with past charity balls, so I’d be happy to help.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he d
rawled. “Especially since Beth told me if I don’t learn to ask my future wife for her opinion instead of just arbitrarily volunteering her for things, I might need to start Googling for a large doghouse now.”
“Beth always was brilliant.” Reagan laughed. “Oh, I met your cousins Sebastian and Sutton. And I have no idea how you can tell them apart. They’re identical twins, but wow.”
“Oh I know. I’ve known them all my life, and it’s sometimes still hard for me to tell them apart if I’m not looking close enough.”
Luke snorted. “They used to get into all kinds of shi—I mean, trouble—when they were younger, playing tricks on people.”
“I can only imagine. And it’s okay, Luke.” She grinned. “I’ve heard the word shit before. You won’t offend my sensibilities.”
Luke chuckled, holding his hands up in the age-old sign of surrender. “Yes, but even though my mother is no longer here, I think she would come down and smack the back of my head for saying it in front of you.”
“He’s not wrong,” Ezekiel added with a laugh. Nina Holloway had been a stickler for manners. “As far as telling my cousins apart, Sebastian has a scar on his lower back from when we were kids. Whenever they tried to play jokes on us and switch places, I would always grab one of them and look for the scar. I wouldn’t advise doing that here though.”
“I’ll save that for the wedding reception then,” she promised, and both he and Luke chuckled. God, she was sweet. And in ways, too damn innocent for him. “Are you about ready to head into dinner?”
“Yes.” Because this piece of theater allowed him to, he stroked a hand down her long, lustrous waves. Then because he’d already admitted his selfishness, he tangled his fingers in the thick strands and tipped her head back. He noted the flash of wariness in the chicory depths, but she didn’t turn from him, didn’t playfully admonish him and pull away.
Granting her time to do either, he lowered his head and brushed his lips across her forehead. And because the feel of her under his mouth proved to be more of a temptation than he could resist, he repeated the caress over the gentle slope of her nose. Her soft but swift intake of breath echoed between them. “Lead the way,” he murmured.
Slowly, she nodded and as he loosened his hold on her hair, she stepped back. The smile she flashed him trembled before firming. An apology for crossing boundaries lurched to his tongue.
But then he caught the heat swirling beneath the shadows in her eyes seconds before her lashes lowered.
That unintended glimpse arrowed straight to his dick.