“They really do. A match made in hot mess heaven. It’s hard to believe that all this started with a bet.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter how it starts. When you know, you just know.”
“You really think it’s that easy? That you can look at someone and just know?” My eyes slide to Everett’s handsome face.
“Maybe not right away, but I don’t think it takes too long to figure out whether or not someone is worth putting your whole self into.”
There’s something about the way he’s looking at me that sends a rush of heat through my body. It starts at my cheeks and quickly spreads all the way to my feet.
“Spoken like a true romantic.” I swallow hard, trying to dislodge the knot that has formed in my throat.
“Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far.” He chuckles. “It’s our turn now.”
I stare at him for a good ten seconds, my heart thudding violently in my chest as I try to process his words.
It’s our turn? Our turn for what?
Is he saying what I think he’s saying? Certainly not. Who would sit down next to someone they barely know and make such a statement?
“You ready?”
“Huh?” I manage to spit out.
“To dance. It’s our turn.” He gestures to the dance floor. As if on cue, the DJ announces it’s time for the wedding party to join the happy couple on the dance floor.
A mixture of embarrassment and disappointment seeps through me.
“Oh, yeah.” I look away, hoping to hide the pink hue that creeps across my face.
Standing, I turn and head toward the dance floor. Everett’s hand settles on the small of my back as we reach the center of the floor. It’s not the multiple people watching us that has my skin heating, but the hazel eyes that nearly take my breath away when they meet mine.
What is wrong with me?
It must be the champagne.
“You want to know a secret?” Everett pulls me close, his nose grazing my ear as he speaks.
“Okay,” I stutter out, my voice too low to carry past the music.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” His admission has me drawing back to meet his gaze. He smiles, seeing that he’s caught me off guard. “I thought maybe I was crazy. That I had dreamt up how beautiful you are. But then I saw you standing in the church looking even more beautiful than I remembered and I thought, wow.”
“Are you drunk?” I study him for a long moment, realizing he seems a little inebriated. Not that I’m judging, because I’m rocking a pretty decent buzz myself.
“No.” He grins, his hands sliding from my hips to the small of my back as he pulls me closer. “I mean
, I am intoxicated, but it’s not because of the alcohol.” His breath tickles the side of my neck as he speaks.
“Oh my god.” I sputter out a laugh. “You really are Harris Avery’s brother, aren’t you?”
At that moment, I lock eyes with Blue as she glides past us. She lifts one perfectly shaped eyebrow in my direction. A clear indication that she’s curious as to what’s going on. Yeah, me and her both.
I can’t say anything so I simply smile and quickly look away.
“You know what I think?” Everett’s cheek slides against mine as he pulls his head back.
“What?” The word catches in my throat.
“I think we should get out of here.”