Carefully setting her down on the sidewalk, I took a big step away and sighed. “Look, Caitlin, I like you. I’ve always liked you, but do us all a favor and stay away from the wedding tomorrow, okay? I get that you’re pissed at Reece, but please don’t take it out on my little sister’s day. You guys can sort it all out after, but just not at the wedding. Please? I’m begging you to let my sister have one day of peace. I don’t know who’s done what between the two of you and who’s to blame, but I do know it’s not Teddy.”
I paused, wondering if she’d even heard me. She was looking at me with those wild eyes now. Her nostrils flared as she breathed in and out rapidly.
“When I get back inside, I’ll call you a cab. Wait right here.”
Finally, I had a stroke of luck when I walked back in to find Reece passed out in his seat. There were more than enough people keeping an eye on him, so I pulled my phone out to call the cab and headed to the bar.
Once I’d hailed her a ride, I motioned the bartender over and checked that no one was listening in before I asked him a favor. “You have someone out there watching the door right?”
He nodded, and I pointed discreetly at Reece. “Did you see what went down between him and that girl a few minutes ago? I’m really trying to avoid more drama, so we’d truly appreciate it if you could make sure she doesn’t come back in.”
“I’ll tell him,” he replied, brow puckering in concern as he peered past my shoulder. “One of you should see your friend home when you’re ready to leave. He’s in no state to get himself there and he can’t sleep it off in here all night.”
“We will,” I assured him. “We’ll have someone go back to his hotel with him.”
“You want a drink?”
“Two beers, please.” I waited for him to hand them over, grinning as I realized that my night could continue now. When I left the bar, I could finally do what I wanted again and what I wanted was to dance with Emma.
I found her chatting to one of their friends from high school and offered her the beer. Her blue gaze snapped to mine when I let the drink hover in front of her face. She smiled and took it from me.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “Everything okay with Caitlin?”
I held her gaze for a long minute before I gave a small shrug. “To be honest, I don’t know. I want to say yes, but I don’t think so. Same with Reece. There’s a lot more to that story, but I’m not going to worry about it now. She needs to cool down and he needs to sober up. I’ll check on them both in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said. “I’ve checked in with almost everyone else, but no one is going to let that showdown ruin the night.”
“Good. Do you want to dance?”
She nodded, and when I held out my hand toward her again, she took it. Several drinks later, we were still going strong on the dance floor, until Teddy tapped on my shoulder. Without knowing it was her, I turned to scowl at whoever dared to interrupt us, but I smiled when I realized it was her.
“Scott and I are going to make sure Reece gets back to the hotel,” she said, glancing between us but not seeming surprised to see us dancing together. Her gaze settled on Emma’s. “Will you give Colt a ride home later?”
Yep. My luck is definitely looking up.I hid a smile as Emma nodded. “Of course. Good luck with him. Let us know if you need us.”
I sure as fuck hoped they didn’t, but I echoed the sentiment before Teddy, Scott, Reece, and some of Scott’s other groomsmen took off with a mostly passed-out Reece being carried between their shoulders.
We went back to dancing, and now that I knew my sister wasn’t watching, I held Emma a little closer. I moved a little more meaningfully. I let my hands explore a little more—not enough to bescandalousabout it, but enough that I eventually felt shivers passing through her.
As we drove home later, I finally made my move. Leaning over until the sweet, vaguely lavender scent of her shampoo drifted over to my nostrils, I blew in her ear. She swatted at me, giggling as she tried to dodge. “Knock it off. I’m driving. Do you want to get home safe or not?”
I put a hand on her knee, slowly moving it upward and watching her reactions closely as I did. Her lips twitched into a surprised but not displeased smile and she pressed the leg my hand was on a bit closer to the center of the car—toward me.
“We’re going to crash if you keep doing that,” she threatened, pausing for a beat before she glanced at me. “What are you playing at here, Colt?”
“I’m not playing at anything,” I responded, withdrawing my hand as we took the last few turns to our houses.
As she pulled up, I turned in my seat and slung my arm around the backrest of hers, my gaze sweeping over her face. Lit only by the faint glow of the lights in the dashboard and the streetlights filtering in from outside, she had her lower lip sucked into her mouth, her eyes focused dead ahead as she gripped her steering wheel like she was nervous about what came next.
“Are you going to invite me in for a nightcap?” I asked.
When she nodded, I knew I had her. Emma wanted this, too. Whether it was for old times’ sake or to make new memories, I didn’t know and I didn’t care.
I followed her in once she got out of the car, and when she turned to me after the front door closed behind us, her eyes were filled with both heat and uncertainty. “I, uh, what would you like to drink? I have a few beers and a little bit of wine left in the bottle Teddy and I opened the other day. There’s also coffee, tea, cocoa, or lemonade. And water, obviously.”
Instead of answering, I closed the distance between us and stalked up to her, taking her face in my hands and lowering my head slowly enough that she had time to push me away if I was wrong and she didn’t want anything to happen between us after all.
Her blues caught on mine and a soft whimper fell from her shiny, parted lips when I stepped into her, pressing my body into hers before stroking my thumbs along her cheekbones and making that final descent to her mouth. When my lips crashed into hers, she froze, and for a second, I thought she might just push me away now that it was actually happening, but she didn’t.