Page 29 of Last Minute

“It’s meant to be a way for us to connect to our ancestors—to remember where we’ve come from so we can better lead into the future. The idea that if we carry the names of our predecessors, we will be more conscious of our actions so as to continue their legacy.”

I remember Mother telling me the same thing every time I complained about my name when I was little. I didn’t have the luxury of meeting my Grandmother Wilhelmina—she passed away before I was born—and I was always jealous that Bash has personally known everyone whose name he bears.

“When I was a teenager, Mother encouraged me to learn more about Wilhelmina, and the more I learned, the more I found I wanted to be like her, to walk in her footsteps and continue her legacy.” I pause, a small smile coming to my face. “Grandmother Wilhelmina was a chemist.”

I glance back at Erik’s tattooed forearms, the physical manifestation of his shared passion with his father. I guess we have more in common than I initially realized.

When I look back to Erik’s face, the open admiration I find there is almost too much. My cheeks heat, and I pull my blanket over my face.

“Okay, your turn. Is there anything special with your name?”

I peek my eyes over the edge of my blanket when I hear Erik shift on his bed. He’s moved to sitting, facing me, with his legs over the side of the bed. “No,” he says. “I don’t even have a middle name. Just Erik Donovan.”

I throw the blanket back and sit up, mirroring Erik’s position. “No.”

“Yep.”

“I…I don’t even know what to think of that,” I laugh and flash a bright smile at Erik. He just shrugs and drops his eyes to the floor.

“Well,” I say, leaning forward and catching his gaze. “You can be the first of your line. The Erik Donovan Legacy.”

Erik laughs, and the low, husky sound sends waves of shivers along my bones. His smile is captivating, and the soft curves of his lips are tempting me from where I’m sitting only a handful of feet away.

I know I’m staring. And I should stop. But what would it feel like if Erik kissed me right now?

“You have one more question, Ellie,” Erik softly prompts, pulling my eyes away from his mouth.

He’s looking at me with the same intensity of attention I was giving his mouth seconds ago. Can I use my last question to ask him to kiss me? Is that allowed? It’s just the two of us here, and no one else needs to know. We’ve already been dancing around each other, two steps forward, one step back. But that final step, acting on this harmless flirtation, would only lead to complications. Messy feelings. Regrets.

So I ask the next closest question.

“Will you dance with me tomorrow? At the wedding?”

Erik tilts his head, considering my question for only a second. “Yes.”

Butterflies fill my chest, and his eyes dip to my lips. My mouth goes dry, but I manage to get out a whispered, “You have one more question, Erik.”

His eyes darken with desire, and when he moves to speak, I lean forward, expecting the question I so desperately want to come out of his mouth.

“I think I’ll save my question for tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 20

Erik

Ellie and I are almost late to my mother’s wedding.

I could blame it on the traffic getting out of Boston, or my own reluctance at coming, but the fact of the matter is that we are almost late because I spent too long staring at Ellie in the hotel room instead of getting ready. Between the lingering looks we traded back and forth, and my tendency to stop doing what I was doing to watch Ellie do her hair and makeup, it took us nearly twice as long to get ready as we had planned.

Last night changed something between us. Like Ellie’s question was the permission I needed to allow myself to consider her as more than a client.

If any of the agents at the office knew what I was doing here with Ellie…if Boss knew what I was doing…

I push the thoughts of an even grumpier Gideon Taylor out of my mind and slide into the last row of chairs on the bride’s side of the room. If I were here with anyone else, I might be observing the white, orange, and olive decorations or keeping my head on a swivel for anyone who might know me, but with Ellie by my side, it’s hard to notice anything but her.

If I thought the woman was beautiful when she tried on the dress, I am in the presence of a goddess now that she’s completed her look with a pair of sparkly heels, an artfully styled updo, and makeup that accentuates her green eyes and makes her petal pink lips look utterly kissable. My only thought that filled the silence in the car as we drove the half hour from our hotel to the wedding venue was how much I wanted the day to go by quickly so I could get Ellie into my arms at the reception.

After we take our seats, the doors close behind us, and everyone’s attention goes to the string quartet at the front of the room as they begin playing gentle instrumental music. A few minutes later, the doors open and the wedding party begins to file in. While Ellie leans across me to watch, I face forward and try not to make eye contact with my mom’s fiance as he takes his place at the front of the room.

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