She froze and stared like I was a ghost, mouth wide, eyes even wider. Speechless, her lips quivered as she fought back more tears and searched for the words lost in her bobbing throat.
I winked. “You didn’t think I would sit around and not find out what the hell was happening with my favorite cousin, did you?”
No words, just her plowing into me again, squeezing me in another tight hug and releasing that I-love-you-forever crying. Her body started hiccupping against mine. Desiree easily released her emotions, where I often dug a hole and buried mine—except with her. After a moment of shared affections, I stepped back.
“Okay. Enough of that. Go and be with your husband.”
“Thank you, Mecca. I love you,” she choked out.
“Love you too,” I whispered back, fighting the lump clogging my throat. Desiree was the only one who could get me all in my feelings and shit. Although she was a few months older than me, I acted like her big sister.
Arjen was heading back in my direction, and Lord make me a liar, I couldn’t deny that the man was sexy. He had swagger, the kind that drew a woman’s attention and kept it.
The tempting image he projected had me unable to stop myself from skimming his low-cut dark blond hair, before I took in his handsomely stubbled face, and glean his chiseled jawline. His eyes sparkled with hints of his devious nature and lured me in more than any of his other features.
At a glance, I could tell that he took good care of his body and his appearance. Considering the type of lifestyle I was brought up in, I made it a point not to slack in that department either.
There was something about Arjen that I couldn’t put my finger on, that spoke to me, but for the life of me, I couldn’t decipher the language. He stood beside me again, his muscled arm brushing my shoulder as we watched the happy couple.
Khane and Desiree clung to each other’s hands like their lives depended on it. Seeing them together was an enlightening experience. Witnessing an Evans experience that level of happiness inspired a different kind of hope, outside the hope of staying one step ahead of my enemy.
My smile deepened when a man tried to put his hand on Desiree’s waist, and Khane knocked his hand away so smoothly that no one around them noticed. The gesture was proof that my cousin had become the safest Evans on the planet.
“I’ll admit, fire raced through my veins when I thought you were about to embarrass my cousin on that stage. But, I believe you made the right decision with those two.” I stated, finally glancing at Arjen.
The statement pulled a smile from him. I didn’t like many people right away, but I liked Arjen, based mainly on the decision he had made today. Time would tell if he would take away the positive spark he had put in me.
“Did I?” he asked. “Make the right decision?”
“Look at them. There’s enough happiness flowing off them to strangle and kill everyone in this building. They are actually in love with each other. The fact that I can see it, sense it even, is astonishing.”
I was not easily awed but watching those two inspired the emotion.
“I can also rest assured that if anyone tries to come for my cousin, he’s going to gift them with a toe-tag,” I added, chuckling and sorry for whoever thought they were getting anywhere near Desiree. Arjen didn’t reply, only allowed a crooked smile to rest on his face at the sight of his brother with Desiree.
“I’m happy for them, but that is one devastating emotion I’m glad to be immune to,” I announced, causing him to put his gaze back on me.
“I fully agree. I was willing to allow myself to try with Desiree, but I do believe I dodged a bullet. Never again.”
“Never say never, future husband. My irresistible charms have gotten me stalked a time or two.”
He let loose a hardy burst of laughter at my remarks. If he hadn’t figured it out, I embraced my self-esteem, took it to a level below arrogant.
Who the hell was I kidding, my ass was arrogant as fuck? Needed to be, since I was surrounded by testosterone producers twenty-four-seven, ones that not only wanted me to fail, they expected me to.
“We’ll see,” was all he said. There was more meaning behind those words, I could sense it, but I didn’t comment on it.
All I could think while getting swallowed by his potent energy was, what have I gotten myself into with Arjen Vallin?