Page 54 of Healing You
Wow. Yep, that was definitely some alcohol. “You're drunk,” he said, stating the obvious, then looked at Kyra. “How many has she had?”
“Only two...” Kyra paused, lifting the glass in front of her. “And a half.”
He brushed his nose up her jaw, landing his lips just below her ear and giving a little nip. “Lightweight.”
“You're an hour late,” she responded, and he felt her shiver travel through her body, quaking against him.
“I know. I'm sorry—family stuff.”
Cam and Lydia approached, hand in hand, making their rounds with friends and family.
“Great party, guys,” Kyra said. “Well, all except the bartender.”
Lydia pulled Steve in for a hug. “I'm glad you could make it. Thanks for picking up Noah for us.”
“What's wrong with Nick?” Cam asked, looking up to the other end of the bar where Nick Forrester was refilling wine.
“He's a big jerk, that's what,” Kyra said.
Yvonne started giggling. “He called her out for not saying please, and now she thinks he's the world's biggest asshole.”
“It's not just tonight. He's always rude.”
“Or are you always rude to him?” Steve asked.
Kyra snapped her head in his direction, steeling him with a look that should be registered as a deadly weapon. Pointing a finger in his face, she said, “You should be nice to me. I'm one of your only allies when it comes to this one.” She took that same finger and swept it over to Yvonne, whose giggles turned indignant.
Cam's grunt was quiet, but Steve noticed it, all the same.
“Well, consider me an ally too,” Lydia said, smiling at Yvonne. “I'm glad you were able to come tonight.”
Yvonne shook her half-empty glass, the ice clinking the sides. “You should try the Limoncello. It's super delicious, but it’s super strong too. So be careful.”
“It's not that strong,” Kyra said. “You just have the world's worst tolerance.”
As Yvonne raised the glass to her lips, Steve intercepted it, setting it back down on the counter. “How about a little water first?” he suggested.
She looked down at her half empty glass and nodded. “I was only biding time until you got here, anyway,” she said as Nick slid a glass of water toward her.
Steve laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. He shifted a glance at Cam and Lydia, who were now involved in another conversation with Kyra. The hand that had been resting gently on the back of her chair moved hungrily, stroking the back of her neck with a calculated precision, a preamble to what was to come. She shuddered and he saw her crossed legs clench tighter together at the knees. “Besides, I want you to be able to stand upright when I get you home,” he whispered in her ear.
Goosebumps chased from the top of her shoulder down her arms. “You want me standing?”
“Standing, sitting, on your back, on your knees... I want you every way I can get you, Eve. Twice.” His voice was rough, but he couldn't help it. Especially not when she stared at his mouth like that.
He kissed her through his smile, unable to hold it back. He was grinning like an idiot with Yvonne's lips pressed to his and he knew it. But he didn't bother trying to hide how happy she made him. Normally, he was gruff. But not with Eve. With Yvonne, he was a different man—a better man.
She curved her arm around the back of his neck, her skin warm and soft as it glided along the top of his shoulders. “Sounds like I'm in for a long night.”
“You have no idea.”
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looks that she couldn't process... and not because she'd had one more Limoncello than she probably T hey didn't stay too long at the party. Another hour and one more Limoncello— which she sipped between waters, Girl Scouts’ honor. Even though she was tipsy, Yvonne wasn't that far gone to not notice the glaring looks Ronnie was shooting at her. Warning looks. Warning should have. Looks that truly in the deepest part of her guts made that guilt that she'd carried around since the accident surface. The vehemence with which Ronnie still clung to made the knot twist deeper in her stomach. She accepted her part of the responsibility for the car accident. His face, his beautiful face was scarred forever partly because of her. If Steve could forgive her, why couldn't Ronnie?
She wished Steve would have talked to her thirteen years ago before ending things. Talked to her rather than running away. In her alcohol fogged brain, memories whispered somewhere in the back of her mind as Yvonne thought hard, recalling details of the past that she had long buried and for years had forced herself not to think about. Was it more than just her part in the accident that caused him to walk away? Had she said something? Done something to push him away?
They stopped walking and Yvonne blinked, realizing they'd reached his car. His hands fell to her ribs, his thumbs brushing in circles just beneath her breasts. The breeze off the lake was a cool reprieve from the warm summer days and with it brought goose bumps to her body. “Crap. Kyra has my cardigan.” She brushed her palms over her arms. There was a soft rustle and Steve quickly had his jacket off and around her shoulders.
