Page 98 of Succeeding Love

“Told her what?” I asked, smoothing the front of my dress.

“That Kevin was smitten.” Emma hooked her arm on her husband’s. “Oh, I’m parched after our walk. Let’s go find our table.”

Vin kept a hold of me as we wove our way out of the gardens and back into the main event room. It was quitecrowded now, and I knew the event was close to starting. The hospital the fundraiser was for had slides going on a giant projector above the stage. Images of sick kids in hospital beds were currently flashing brightly on the giant screen. One little girl smiling while cuddling a teddy bear made my eyes burn and my chest get all tight.

“Aw, baby,” Vin rubbed my back. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

“She’s just so little and cute. She’s too little to be in that big old bed.”

“That’s how they get you.” Al looked back at me with a crooked grin. “Playing on your heartstrings.”

“They can take all my money,” I murmured as Vin wiped the few drops of moisture that were leaking under my eyes.

“You’re fucking adorable. You know that?” Vin smirked.

“I’m telling you, I’m sneaking out of here with her in my pocket,” Emma said, grabbing two wine glasses off a tray and handing one to me.

“And I’m telling you, I’ll fight you for her,” Vin said, flagging down a server with a tray of beer. He held two fingers up and the server nodded, indicating to give him one minute.

“While you two are fighting, Lynn and I might sneak out of here and get some actual food. Did you see this menu?!” Al held up the menu card from the table. “Last year we got prime rib. Who eats eggplants?”

“Well,” Emma smirked, pushing her finger to her lips, then glancing down the front of Al’s body. It took me a second to understand what she was looking at. “I’ve devoured an eggplant occasionally.”

Al caught on right away, wiggling his eyebrows and pulling her close as she tried to act aloof, coolly drinking her wine. Meanwhile, my face felt like it was burning, and I let out a bashful laugh.

“What are you laughing at? You like eggplant too, don’t you?”

I bit my lip, staring into his heated gaze. “Only one, but it’s a little too big to eat all the way.”

“Lynn!” Emma acted outraged, clenching her pearls. “What in the heavens are you talking about?”

“The same thing you were,” Al snickered.

The server came back with two beers for Al and Vin, and when the lights flashed, we took our seats. The table fell into a steady conversation over dinner. Al begrudgingly ate his eggplant parmesan, making a brief show of pretending it was meat. I thought it was delicious, and so was everything else brought to us. When the last course, a fruit tart with vegan whipped topping, came, that was when the hosts began their presentations.

Throughout the presentations of the good work these donations have done for the hospital in the past, Vin was distracting me, feeding me bite after bite of the rich dessert. I ate all mine and most of his, which he seemed to find more than a little amusing.

His eyes kept traveling over my body, and I felt like he was undressing me where I was sitting in this room. I could feel the racy thoughts behind each of his looks, and it was getting to me. I pressed my thighs together, but that only worked while he wasn’t touching me. When he rubbed slow, sensuous circles onmy knee, I knew my poor panties would be soaked through by the time we got home.

I need to fix myself now before it gets too bad.

“Where are you going?” Vin whispered as I discreetly stood up.

“Bathroom,” I grumbled.

He smirked, sitting back in his chair, all smug and proud. Damn it. Why did he have to look so good all the freaking time? My panties were done for.

“Hurry back, or I might have to go looking for you.”

Emma and Al gave me a knowing look that made me blush wildly. I hurried off before Vin could say anything else.

In the deserted bathroom, I grabbed a handful of paper towels and headed straight for the stall. I didn’t know how effective they would be for the sheer lace I wore, but I had to at least attempt to dry them off.

When I felt more calmed down, especially in the southern regions, and my panties felt mostly dry, I fixed them back in place and went to wash my hands. As I was scrubbing with the sweet-smelling soap, I heard the door to the bathroom open and looked up absentmindedly.

My heart hammered in my chest, seeing Nick there in the doorway with a grim expression on his face.

“Nick?”

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