Page 69 of The Only Heart that Matters
“What makes you say that?”
“Uh, you’ve met her, right? She knows everything. She can probably smell our pheromones. At the very least, she can read our minds.”
“And what would she read in your mind?”
“Before or after I saw you in that dress?”
She giggles and swats at my arm. “You’re so stupid.”
She’s trying to keep things light between us, and I can’t blame her. We’ve drawn a line. One I’ve been determined not to cross. But something happens when it’s just the two of us. Our walls tend to crumble, and things feel easy between us. Right. Like we’re already a foregone conclusion. When it’s just us, I don’t care that she deserves better, or that she has a secret so big she thinks I would run for the hills. Instead, I hop right over the line, keeping us apart.
“And you’re too scared to ask what’s been going through my head since I first saw you in this dress.”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head before going quiet, her attention focused out the window, proving my statement to be true. She’s too scared to ask what’s going through my head, because she knows that imaginary line will be obliterated before we make it to the party if I tell her the truth.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mia
“Iremember when my little Archie was two. He wouldn’t eat anything but Cheerio’s.”
“Not Sawyer,” Angus says, continuing his conversation with my co-worker, Blakely. “Don’t get me wrong, he could eat Goldfish all day, but he loves his mama’s cheese quesadillas or any kind of fruit you throw at him. Luckily, he’s a good eater.”
He’s not lying.
Nothing we’ve said has been a lie. Angus could talk about Sawyer all night and not tell a lie, because he loves my kid. Clearly, he’s paid more attention than I ever noticed. Angus didn’t study for tonight, because he didn’t need to. He knows us as well as my parents. He cares about us. Listening to him talk to my co-workers makes that crystal clear.
When I saw him watching Sawyer in the hallway tonight, he took my breath away. He looks like a model in one of those fancy cologne commercials. Wearing a sleek black suit, white shirt,and black tie. He even wore shiny tuxedo shoes that can’t be comfortable compared to his usual work boots. I kinda wish he had worn his boots, because they're hot as hell, but I’ll take him as he is.
Because as he is, is magnificent.
It’s not that I’ve never seen him dressed up, but knowing he’s decked out formeonly adds to his hot factor. The man oozes sex appeal. Yet the hottest thing about his look tonight is that, as elegant as he appears, I know the details of the intricate tattoos covering the chiseled body hiding under his expensive clothes.
His manners are an aphrodisiac all on their own. After covering me in his jacket to keep me warm, he opened the truck door for me and didn’t shut the passenger door until I settled myself and he had secured my seat belt.
After teasing me about not wanting to know what was going through his head after seeing me in my dress, things went quiet. My heart was pounding and my stomach was somersaulting from his care, attention, and unexpected playfulness.
I was feeling way too much. Like I always do when the two of us are alone together. It’s not as easy for me to share what I’m feeling, yet he seems to have no issue voicing his thoughts.
We were silent on the drive, while we parked and as we walked hand in hand into the hotel lobby. But once we strolled through the ballroom doors where everyone believed we were married, some sort of switch flipped.
He’s been polite and engaging with everyone and hasn’t left my side for even a heartbeat. His hand rests on the small of my back as we walk through the room. When we stop to chat with others, he pulls me to his side, lowering his hand to my hip.
And the kisses to the cheek... Oh... dear... Lord.
He knows what he’s doing, and he’s doing it well.
Putty in his hands, that’s what I am.
So I follow his lead, enjoying his gentle caresses while I’ve got them.
Dinner is over and we’re chatting as the dancing part of the evening begins. I’m tucked into his side while he brags about Sawyer like he’s the proudest dad on the planet. I can’t help but feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
As he holds court, I examine his features and honestly, can’t imagine there is anyone more handsome than Angus McKinnon. His nose is straight with a barely detectable bump from being broken on more than one occasion. Long lashes frame his caramel eyes. His perfectly shaped lips have been innocently kissing me all night long, though they feel more like a branding iron. With every brush of his mouth, I lose a little more of myself to him.
He catches me watching him, and I don’t look away. Instead, I relish in the freedom the night is giving me. Tonight, I’ll let him see everything I’m not willing to admit to either of us out loud. Heat flashes in his eyes, and I know he sees exactly what I intended him to.
He is the most beautiful man I have ever known. Inside and out. I appreciate his presence in my life. I care about him, and God, I want him.
