Page 81 of Loving You

“Oh, well, hell. Now I’m gonna be picturing that while I try to take it off in the stall, and that’s probably only going to make it worse. You wouldn’t wanna come in there to help me, would you?”

Laughing, he shook his head and kissed me lightly before stepping back. “I probably shouldn’t. Not yet, anyway. But good luck.”

“Thanks, I’m gonna need it.” I grinned at him before spinning away, feeling that not-alcohol-related buzz again as I went.

“Hey, there you are,” Rachel said as she met me in the doorway that led from the reception space to the B&B. “Congrats on the amazing night! I heard all about your big success when Sammy finished dancing with the woman from the magazine.”

I giggled when she fluttered her fingers and batted her eyelashes—classic expressions worn by women in Sammy’s proximity, includinghersometimes, though she’d roll her at eyes at me if I called her out on it.

“Thank you,” I said instead, patting her arm. “Yes, it’s been great. And I love that she’s a normal person without that ominous camera in her hand. Look at her out there.”

We both turned to watch Amanda dancing her designer-clad booty off with some friends of Jake’s from high school, and as much as the woman had scared me before this night began, I couldn’t help but feel like she’d fit right in at Granite Springs B&B if we had any use for her skills. She was actually really cool, and it was a shame she lived in Seattle.

Like a magnet, my eyes wandered away from Amanda and landed on Eric. He was standing off to the side of the dance floor with Jake and Ellie, and he looked like a dream in that tux.

A dream I never wanted to wake up from, and one I’d happily endure a hundred more nightmares just to reach.

Okay, maybe not that last part. But it was comforting to know that if Ididever have some messy, nightmarish situation again… Eric would be there.

“They sure are an abnormally attractive group of guys, aren’t they?” Rachel asked with a laugh, obviously catching me staring at Eric and then joining in as Sammy sidled up next to him and the others. “It makes sense since they’re brothers, but yeah. I feel like that level of collective hotness should be illegal or something.”

It was a fact—one that pretty much the whole town knew—so it wasn’t even weird for her to be married to one of them and yet praising them all. And with the way those boys looked in their tuxes tonight, I agreed wholeheartedly.

Sure, Eric’s jacket was still buttoned up, where the other Walker men had long since ditched theirs along with the ties and had opened a few of the top buttons. But that was Eric. He would always be the buttoned-up one, and as much as that used to drive me up a wall, I now saw it for what it was.

Hot. As. Hell.

Why? Because I’d discovered the one thing that got him to loosen up, which was whatever existed between us that had been simmering beneath the surface for way too long.

I didn’t want to rush the happy couple’s night or anything, but images of yanking open that shirt and watching the buttons fly flooded my brain, and suddenly I couldn’t wait for this night to end.

And as if he’d felt my thoughts from across the dance floor, Eric met my eyes and gave me the clearest silent command ofget your ass over herethat I’d ever seen.

“Oh,wow,” Kate said with a laugh as she walked up and caught us ogling our men. “April, you might want to head that way before Eric comes over here and makes you.”

“No kidding,” Rachel quipped.

I mouthed “Bathroom” to Eric, laughing when he replied with a single slow blink, then turned to my friends. “Come inside with me? I have to use the restroom, and then I want a glass ofchampagne, and then we’ll go party.”

“The magazine lady won’t care?” Kate asked as they followed me.

I felt Eric’s gaze on my back as I went, and sure enough, when I looked over my shoulder, I was met with the broodiest half-smile I ever did see.

Such a baby,I thought at him, and he smirked, able to read me well enough to know it.

Then I remembered Kate’s question and waved a hand. “I’m not talking about getting plastered. I’m high on life right now, my friend. I’ve only had one glass since the reception started, so one more won’t have me falling-down drunk. Besides, she appears to be off the clock now.”

As we rounded the large staircase to head down the hallway where the bridal suite and bathrooms were, my feet stuttered to a stop.

The front door was open. Wide-ass open, perfect for summer-night mosquitos to come in here and hide somewhere so they could snack on me while I worked in the coming days.

“No, thank you,” I said, closing the stained-glass door since apparently everyone else who worked here was too busy to do it. Then I turned back to my friends with a chuckle of disbelief. “Sheesh, do people think this is a barn or something?”

They giggled, and we all passed the staircase and went down the hall on the other side, then ducked into the ladies’ room, chatting about the wedding and the general awesomeness of the night.

“Kate, honey, you in here?” Jenna’s voice called into the bathroom, and even though I was in a stall, still struggling with my shapewear, I heard a distinct edge of urgency in her tone.

“Yes,” Kate replied. “What’s going on?”

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