Page 79 of Fierce-Gabe

When her eyes landed on her mother the row behind her father watching her with a tight-lipped expression until she walked by and got the nod of approval, her tears went away and she had to take a deep breath.

No freaking way her mother was going to ruin this for anyone.

Including her.

Elise felt pretty and special today and she hoped her boyfriend thought so too.

She was determined to stay in a good mood and avoid her mother at all costs.

24

PEOPLE WILL SEE US

Gabe was on his second beer while they sat through dinner.

He’d watched Elise walk down the aisle and was pretty sure his heart froze in his chest faster than liquid nitrogen being poured over water.

There was something about the color green on her. Maybe it brought the green out of her hazel eyes, he wasn’t sure. But she was just glowing in her dress.

No way she was strapped down with a sports bra on either.

The dress was sleeveless and had straps that covered her shoulders and dropped down to a modest V in the front. There was a thick band showing how tiny her waist was, then the material just flowed to the tips of her nude pumps which had his blood racing, proving his heart hadn’t really froze at all.

No way. Not with the heat filling his body. His palms might even be sweating and he found himself wiping them on his pants to be sure.

The fact she’d danced one dance and it wasn’t with him kind of sucked.

But she had to dance with Zander Conway. The dude was Royce’s best man and it was all part of the wedding.

He’d been told Elise had known Zander for years. That Royce and Zander had been friends in high school.

Seeing the two of them laughing on the dance floor and talking shouldn’t have made him jealous, but there was part of him that was seeing red as another man had their hands on his woman.

Probably because no one knew Elise was his woman.

Nor would she tolerate being thought of as that either, he was sure.

“You’re staring,” his mother whispered in his ear.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re staring at Elise.”

“Shit,” he said and looked away.

His mother had been asking him questions on and off about his relationship with Elise. He knew what was going on and didn’t care all that much.

She was the inside mole and reported back to the Fierces and Richard. It didn’t seem to matter though because no one was able to get through to Elise. Not even him.

He’d been trying to let her call the shots on when to make their relationship public knowledge, but she hadn’t broached it yet and he figured he’d do it next week.

One of them had to make the first move.

Best to get past this wedding. As she’d said more than once, it was about her brother.

“Are you going to talk to her?” his mother asked.

“Not now,” he said. Walker and Stella Olson, along with Robert and Bridget Olson were at the table with them. No one was supposed to know about him and Elise and he didn’t want to risk that getting out.

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