Page 93 of Terms + Conditions
But tonight at the reception, I have found it hard to differentiate between what is real and what isn’t. I haven’t heard her laugh in months, but she giggles and clings to my arm as we sit in conversation with other party guests. And when she drags me to the dance floor, I feel a high like never before…
Holding her in my arms, dancing beneath the starry sky…it feels like a dream. I cradle her hand in mine between our beating hearts and sway to the gentle beat of a country ballad aboutfalling in love. Her brown eyes tell a different story than her actions the rest of the weekend, and without saying it, I’m sure she feels that tug between us, too. When the song ends, I can’t fight the urge to swoop down and kiss her.
She doesn’t retreat like I thought she would, and it’s not just because everyone is watching. Her right hand threads through the hair at my nape and pulls my mouth back to hers when I pull away—only to be interrupted when a cough sounds behind us. We turn to see none other than the bride.
“Mind if I steal your…husband for a moment?” Nina asks with a hesitant smile, looking between the two of us.
She knows the truth; I know she does. The subtle hints she has been dropping all weekend tell me she knows. It’s a weird feeling knowing that someone knows something about you, but on the off chance you’re wrong about it, you don’t want to say anything. I mean, imaginethatconversation.
“Shouldn’t you be off doing married woman things?” I chuckle, but she doesn’t reciprocate it.
“Everything okay, Nin?” Elizabeth asks, our hands still intertwined between us. I give her hand a gentle squeeze, which she reciprocates.
“Fine. I might suggest you find your way to the hotel though. Before Finn leaves,” Nina says, looking over her shoulder when Nick calls to her. He stands at the edge of the dance floor with a pair of older gentlemen I think he said were from the Villa Inc. board.
“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asks.
“Just try to catch him before he’s gone.” Nina ignores Elizabeth, directing her demand at me before she finally meets her husband and their guests.
Elizabeth and I share a questioning glance. Why is it so important I catch him before he leaves? I just spoke to Finn not even an hour ago. I caught up with him before he left thereception. He mentioned he wasn’t going to make it to brunch tomorrow, something about needing to get back to the city for some Sheffield House plans. That didn’t seem out of the ordinary. Since the launch, he’s been inundated with all things Sheffield House. So, why was Nina so adamant I needed to catch up to him?
When we get back to the hotel, I practically run straight into the man I’m supposed to be looking for. Heeding Nina’s warning, I suggest we have one more drink before he leaves for the airport. He’s about to decline the invite, but I insist and push him toward the hotel bar. It doesn’t take long for the floodgates to open, and he lets it slip that my sister has decided to go back to what should have been her soon-to-be ex-husband, David.
“What the fuck do you mean, she’s going back to David?” I hiss. “You guys just started dating! I thought everything was—”
“We haven’t spoken since the launch gala. Tonight was the first time I’ve seen her. ” Finn scoffs, staring into the amber liquid in his glass. There’s a sadness in his voice I’ve never heard before. “Found out about Oliver and his little wager, said I wasn’t honest with her about my intentions.”
“Finn—”
“No, Josh. It’s okay.” He sighs, downing the rest of his drink. “Probably for the best, anyway.” He slaps a fifty on the bar and claps me on the back, heaving his bag on his shoulder and walking out of the hotel.
“What was that about?” Elizabeth asks when I walk back into our hotel room.
I sit on the ottoman at the foot of the bed, still trying to comprehend what my best friend just told me. How can my sister do this? Why would she do this? I need to talk to Michaela. To try and knock some fucking sense into her.
Elizabeth calls my name from the bathroom doorway. Her blonde hair has been unleashed from the mess of rubber bands and bobby pins that held it together earlier, brushing against her shoulders. I miss the longer length she used to keep, but this new length accentuates her facial features better. Either way, she’s fucking beautiful. The most beautiful woman on the damn planet, and she’s all mine…
Or she was.
It won’t be long before I’ve lost her for good and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
Elizabeth says something else, but I can’t hear her over the thoughts running through my head or the pounding of blood in my ears.
What happens next occurs so quickly that I don’t realize I’ve crossed the room and reached the threshold until I feel my lips on hers. She doesn’t resist; she doesn’t even seem surprised. She meets my kiss with her own, gripping the front of my shirt to pull me close.
God forgive me, I know this is going to make things worse between us, but I’m going to devour her tonight if she allows. I may never be allowed to be with her again, toshowher how much I love her…I need to grasp the opportunity while it’s right in front of me.
“Josh,” she whispers, pulling back just enough to put a small gap between us, but she has yet to let go of my shirt.
“Do you want me to stop?”
She takes in a soft breath but doesn’t reply.
“Sugar.” I plant my left hand against the doorframe and grip her chin to lift her gaze to mine. Her body presses forward involuntarily as her tongue pokes out to wet her lips. “What do you want?”
Her brown eyes darken.
“We can stop right now,” I say.
