Page 15 of Father of the Bride
“Tonight, then? When it’s quiet,” he said as he brought her hand up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “When all of this wedding shit is over. Can we go out there on the beach and have dinner?”
She inhaled a quick, shaky breath. “Absolutely. I guess you can message me when everything is ready. I’d give you my number, but it doesn’t seem like you need it.”
He nodded. “And we’re on the same page as far as—“
“Nobody needs to know. There’s already enough going on.”
“Right.
His eyes were fixed again, this time on her neck. Her collarbone. Her full breasts straining against the thin red fabric of her dress. Her nipples, poking ever so gently, so slight, she probably didn’t realize. But he knew every inch of her body backwards and forwards. He could read every expression. Decipher subtle changes in her breathing. Best of all, or worst, he could physically feel her desire. Even after all these years.
He licked his lips, swallowing hard.
She dropped her gaze to her hand, still nestled tightly in his.
“Can I get my hand back?” she teased.
He ran his thumb across the back of her hand, relishing the silky softness of her skin.
“You can,” he said as he released her. “For now.”
Without another word, because she didn’t need one, Cici turned and switched out of his kitchen—and right back into his heart.
He blew out a breath, shaking his head as he relished the sight of her.
And he thought this weekend was gonna be boring.
Chapter 8
Sunny’sreturntotheparty didn’t go unnoticed. Orion, on his third glass of champagne, stood quietly on the fringes of the get together. He didn’t think of it like a party. Parties have music you can dance to and new women to push up on. This shit here was a stuffy, boring gathering of people who had no interest in talking to him.
He was used to being the center of attention. He was a fun guy. Charming, he’d been told. So charming, he could cheat on his ex-wife and still talk her out her panties.
But she was being difficult tonight. He couldn’t figure it out. Being near the ocean always brought the animal out of both of them. They almost killed each other on their honeymoon in Trinidad. Every time she had one of the boys, they’d wait a year and jet off to another tropical destination to be freaks near the water.
He’d fucked all that up, though.
It was still hard to acknowledge. He’d been drinking it away for the past couple of years. This weekend would be the first time they’d all be in the same place together, and he was on edge just thinking about it. Davion was the only one of the boys who knew about Fallon, but evenhedidn’t have the full story.
What a mess.
And now, Sunny was avoiding him, and he was almost tipsy enough to forget he deserved it.
It did make him wonder, though.
As she put her clothes away in the mahogany dresser in her room, Sunny vetoed every piece. Nothing seemed adequate for what she was about to do, which was—well, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed monumental.
Her phone buzzed.
Go out the back door and walk down the path. Hook a left and look for the lights
She smiled involuntarily.
Then she grabbed the first dress she saw—a yellow halter sundress that tied around the back of her neck.
She couldn’t figure out why she’d been overthinking it. This wasKez. Her first love. She had nothing to prove, and no reason to impress.
And yet…she desperately wanted to look beautiful for him.
