Page 40 of From Grumpy to Forever
“Busted.” There was no way I could tell her what I was really thinking. That I wished—even for a minute—that even a small part of this was real. “I was just thinking that you’re the most beautiful woman in the room tonight.”
“Reid!” She pretended to look horrified. “The bride is always the most beautiful woman on her wedding day. Always.”
All I could do was shrug. “It’s not my fault my wife is stunning.”
The smile on her face, coupled with the flush on her cheeks, melted me.
“It’s true.” Taking full advantage of the fact that at least one person was probably watching us, I bent as I lifted her chin and kissed those soft, delicious lips.
One thing was for sure. The greatest perk of being married to Avery—fake or not—was kissing her. I was never going to get tired of the way she tasted. Or the way a sigh slipped from her every time my tongue met hers. Or the way she pressed her body against mine and tilted her head just so to deepen our kiss.
The music transitioned to something faster, but neither of us moved. I didn’t care if the earth opened beneath my feet, as long as Avery’s lips were on mine.
I don’t know how long we stood there in the middle of the dance floor, lost in each other. We only came apart when an enthusiastic dancer nearby bumped into me, forcing me to take a step back.
But my eyes were still pinned on her and the way her breath came a little faster, the part of her lips, slightly swollen from our kiss, and the flush on her cheeks that had deepened in the last few minutes.
“Avery.” My voice was rougher than I intended.
“Yes?” Her voice was little more than a whisper, despite the loud music that pulsed around us.
My hand slid down her side, resting on the soft swell of her hip, as my thumb brushed the fabric of her dress. “This…this is starting to feel…” I trailed off, not certain I should finish the thought.
“Real.” She swallowed hard, her eyes never leaving mine.
“Real,” I repeated. “Very fucking real.” Real wasn’t even close to what this was starting to feel like.
“Maybe we should…”
“Go,” I finished for her. “Yes. I definitely think we should get out of here.”
The desire that flared in her eyes was all I needed to see to know that she was on exactly the same page as me.
I took her hand in mine and led her through the crowd toward the door. With any luck, we could slip away without anyone noticing. The party was in full swing, and we’d done our duty all night. Poor Avery had been introduced to almost everyone in town. From my high school science teacher to Larissa Clark, who couldn’t wait to tell my new wife that we used to date.
Of course, Larissa and I had very different meanings of the word date, which was the whole reason I’d broken off our friends-with-benefits situation after only a few months. But the flash of jealousy on Avery’s face was an unexpected surprise.
We managed to make it to the front steps of the lodge before we were stopped.
“You two didn’t think you could sneak away without saying goodbye, did you?”
I froze, and Avery squeezed my hand before she spun around to face the source of the voice.
“Brody.” It made me happy to hear the comfortable way she addressed my brother after only just officially meeting him. “You caught us.” She lifted her shoulders in an innocent shrug and turned her attention to my brother’s companion, Lauren Westfield.
I wasn’t surprised to see the two of them together, not really. Despite asking dozens of times, no one could ever get a straight answer out of Brody about what the situation between the two of them was. One minute, they were acting like a couple; the next, one of them was dating someone else entirely. We’d all given up trying to figure it out.
I shot my brother a pointed look, which he ignored.
“The party’s just getting started.”
Avery sighed and pretended to look disappointed. “It’s been great,” she said. “And I’d love to spend more time with you all, but we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
I nodded, even though we’d discussed taking the day off of any actual renovation work.
“Besides…” I pulled Avery close and rested my hand on her hip. “I am desperate to get my beautiful wife alone.”
She tensed a little, but only for a second before she relaxed and added, “After all, we are still in our own honeymoon period.” She looked up at me with a wink and a flash in her eyes that had my dick hard as a rock with the promise I saw in her gaze.
