“I’m not dressed!”
He flicked his gaze at her. “You’re quite dressed.”
“I mean it’s not the kind of outfit I would wear to your mother’s party.” She’d selected the gray-green sheath dress she was wearing to look sexy, not to meet Ethan’s family. The neckline was way too low to be seen by Ethan’s mother on their first meeting, the hem fell several inches above her knees, and it had no back. She turned toward him as far as the seatbelt would let her. “Okay, seriously. We have to go to a mall.”
“We don’t have to bring anything, but I actually have a bottle of red for her. As it happens, my mother also likes Merlot.”
“No, you doofus, I need to buy a new outfit!”
He made a dismissive gesture. “You’re fine.”
She didn’t think so. She recalled the kind of clothes her mother used to wear when she visited her parents: conservative, tasteful and modest. “I look slutty.”
“If by ‘slutty’ you mean ‘tastefully gorgeous,’ I agree. Now, don’t worry. Please. Don’t you trust me?”
She threw her head back against the headrest. What could she say to that? Ethan was one of the best-dressed men she knew. If he was certain she looked fine, maybe she really was. What did she know about meeting a boyfriend’s family anyway? She’d always made sure the relationships never grew that serious.
God, things were becoming complicated. She rubbed her temple and stared out the window. What had Justin said? Men didn’t bring girls home to meet the parents unless they weren’t proud of their dates. No, that wasn’t quite right. He said men didn’t marry girls they couldn’t bring home to meet the parents.
She couldn’t help smiling. Her panic was absurd. Ethan had no intention of marrying her. Their arrangement had a firm out clause.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She touched his hand. “Just some silly thing I thought of.”
He caressed her palm. “I like you like this.”
“Not working?”
“Well, yes, that. But I was thinking ‘relaxed and beautiful.’”
She flicked her index finger against her bottom lip. “No one ever saw me that way.”
“They’re blind.” He gave her a sideways glance. “If you keep playing with your mouth, we’re going to be late.”
“We spent half the morning in bed.”
“Mmm. Just thinking about it makes me hard. And looking at your lips right now makes me harder.”
She hid a secret smile. He’d been utterly at her mercy, inside her mouth as she moved with tantalizing, excruciating slowness. He would’ve done anything she asked so long as she didn’t stop, and she’d been intoxicated with powerful desire. It felt good making him feel good. But as much as she’d liked distracting him, she wasn’t sure about car sex. And being late to meet his mother for the first time was absolutely out of the question.
Given the kind of money the Lloyds had, Kerri assumed Ethan’s mother would live in a giant museum-like mansion: high ceilings, flawless marble and soaring columns. Instead, her home was a three-story detached single house at the end of a long private driveway, large and comfortable without being pretentious. Cheery red and orange flowers Kerri didn’t recognize bloomed in the large garden. Ethan’s mother must be an excellent gardener, or else had some professional help.
Ethan parked his car, and they got out. She stood and stared at the house. People’s silhouettes were visible through soft rose curtains behind arched windows. Her palms grew clammy. This was far worse than interviewing for a job. With a job, she could always just shrug off a negative outcome. If a company didn’t want her because she wasn’t a good fit, so what? There were other openings out there.
Meeting Ethan’s family was different. She’d met Ethan’s brother in Houston, but that had been business. This was all social. She found herself wanting Ethan’s family to like h
er.
Was that even possible? Gavin had been a closed book in Houston, and she hadn’t gotten a particularly friendly vibe from him. She couldn’t fathom why, except that maybe he just didn’t like that many people in general. He’d seemed completely aloof during both the meeting and lunch, except with his brother.
Hopefully the rest of the Lloyds were more like Ethan than Gavin.
Ethan opened the dark wooden door, and a gorgeous brunette turned around. With her classically beautiful features, she could’ve been a model if she hadn’t been so short. She wore a teal linen shirt and ivory slacks with a pair of four-inch platform shoes, which brought her up to all of five-foot six.
“Hey, glad you made it.” She gave Ethan a hug, then glanced at Kerri while tucking her long brown hair behind her ears. “Who’s this?”
“Meredith, this is Kerri. Kerri, my sister Meredith.”