“Thank you,” I murmured as I took in the sight of his athletic body in formalwear. He looked torturously good in a dark grey button up and black skinny tie – like he belonged on the red carpet. “You look very handsome yourself,” I offered quietly, a shiver rippling up the length of my spine as Jake leaned back on his heels, still taking me in. He’d yet to take his emerald eyes off of me. But then again, I couldn’t stop staring at him either. The air was thick. Tense.
But to my surprise, we cracked a smile at the same time.
Thank you, Rocha sisters. They were still bickering ridiculously but I was grateful for the comic relief. I hadn’t spoken to Jake since a couple nights ago, when we’d done whatever it was we’d done in the guest bedroom. I hadn’t been sure of how he’d act around me tonight but thus far.
“Nice boots,” he gave me a small but dimpled smile. Taking a step back, he eyed my outfit, his stare so intense that I swore it could peel off my dress and panties right there. “Has Jackson seen you yet?” he asked, shaking his head a little. I wasn’t sure what that meant but even the way he did that was sexy.
“Oh God!” Emily gasped suddenly. “Lara. Has your man not seen you in this outfit yet? Let’s go find him! I have to see his reaction!”
“Perfect. Go do that while we continue the conversation you so rudely interrupted,” Piper drawled, tugging on Jake’s hand.
“Forgive me, I’m actually going to go say hi to my brother,” Jake said smoothly to her glossy, pouted lips. “I’ve barely seen him since coming in.”
I cocked my head at Jake as he headed away with me. Just in time, Emily’s boyfriend came to whisk her away, giving me a second alone with him. “What’s Jackson been doing?” I asked curiously, having expected that he’d be at Jake’s side the whole night. My heart beat fast as I watched Jake’s lips purse into a straight line.
“That’s what I wanted to warn you about.”
My heart fell into my stomach. What? Was it something about Gabrielle? The Winters?
“I’m sorry – I don’t know how, but my stepsister found out about the party and she’s here tonight,” Jake revealed to my surprise.
“Oh.” My eyes fluttered, unsure of what this news even meant. “I… thought she lived in Los Angeles?”
“She does. But Jackson and I had dinner with my mom a few days ago and I have a feeling she told Audra about tonight.”
A million different questions swirled through my head. Your mom and Audra still talk? Is Audra better now? She was in rehab at some point, right? What exactly happened between you two? But I didn’t know which question to ask first and I was fairly certain that half of them were beyond rude. So I didn’t give away the fact that I knew nothing about the mysterious Audra as Jake led me up the last flight of stairs in Buccieri, to the private little mezzanine that was big enough for just one table.
My eyebrows jumped halfway to my hairline when I reached that very table.
Sitting there was Jackson, joined by a slender but unbelievably buxom girl with eyes so light I could hardly see anything but pupil. I was so startled by her appearance that it took me a second to notice her tanned leg entwined with Jackson’s, her heeled foot rubbing the side of his ankle.
“Audra,” Jake’s firm voice broke her away from him.
What. The fuck. I stared at Jackson, waiting for him to notice me.
“Babe,” his eyes widened when he spotted me. Unblinking, he rose to his feet, gravitating straight to me as if I possessed some magnetic pull. “Holy fuckin’ shit, babe,” he breathed, looking down at my body. His eyes gleamed when he looked back up at me, as if he’d just won the jackpot at a casino. “I remember these boots,” he grinned, running his hands from my waist to my back, then down to my ass. As he grabbed two handfuls, I could see Jake look away.
Irritated, I removed Jackson’s hands from me. “Jackson, aren’t you going to introduce me to your stepsister?” I asked, trying to stress the word “sister.” Jackson blinked.
“Uh, yeah. Of course,” he answered hastily, as if he’d completely forgotten that she was there. When he stepped aside, she gave me a wry smile and wiggled a few bejeweled fingers at me. I guessed that it was her version of waving. “Audra, this is Lara,” Jackson said. “My fiancée.”
“Nice to meet you. Audra,” Audra said before whipping out her cell phone and going straight back to her drink. Apparently, that was it for introductions. I flashed a look at Jackson. He was unfazed so I turned to Jake, who shared in my confusion. Glaring at Audra, his jaw flexed.
“That it?” he asked.
She peered up from her phone and simpered at him. No reply. With that, I took Jackson’s hand. “Can I speak to you for a second?”
He blinked at me. “Sure. Jake, can you take Audra downstairs?”
I watched Audra resist for a second before smirking and following Jake down the stairs. Once they were gone, I tilted my head slowly at Jackson. “What was that just now?”
“What was what? Lara, Christ, this dress – ”
“We’re not talking about my dress right now,” I snapped. “I just walked up here to find you playing footsies with your stepsister, who, by the way, I’ve never met once before in our four years together. I wasn’t even under the impression that you were on good terms with her but now she springs up out of nowhere, we barely get introduced and you’re acting like it’s not strange that she was all over you.”
“What? Christ, Lara, she was hardly all over – ”
“She had a leg crossed around yours and was rubbing your ankle with her foot, Jackson. Would you like to see me do that with Sawyer?”