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“You don’t have to be like me, Harper. You just have to be you. Besides, I think he likes you too.”
“We have sexual chemistry that’s for sure,” I explain.
“There’s that, and there is what I’ve seen,” she argues, walking over to the couch with the bags. “Remember that double dates we were supposed to go on together, but I fell ill?”
I doubt she did.
Mira brings out a gown from one bag and thrusts it at me. “Well, since I’m back in town, I wanted to see you, and I thought, why don’t we go on a double dinner date? So I took the liberty of going shopping for you.”
“You did not have to do that. I don’t think—”
She throws the dress at me, and I have only seconds to think fast, catching it right before it hits the ground.
“This is what best friends do for each other. I get you a dress today, and you pay for my meal tomorrow.”
“Not that. I meant the date. If you wanted to see me, I mean…you’ve seen me already. I don’t want to be a third wheel.”
Mira digs into another bag, bringing out a pair of red-bottom heels. “You won’t be a third wheel when Gabriel is there.”
My eyes widen. “What?”
She laughs and walks over to hand me the shoes. “You are engaged to him, aren’t you? That requires keeping up with the public’s desire to take pictures of the two of you. Also, I want to know how he feels about you. If there’s nothing there, I will let you know.
It’s better than being in the dark, right?”
Do I want to know? Yes.
Am I afraid of what I’ll find out in case it turns out to be the opposite of what I feel, and we are just fooling around like good friends with benefits? Yes. I might die if I don’t find out.
“You won’t die,” Mira cuts in. Then she laughs when I touch my mouth, wondering if I said all of that aloud. “You forget that I can read your mind, my friend. Don’t overthink it. Just go, get dressed, and let’s go out.”
***
Caleb and Gabriel stand as we step out of the elevator onto the rooftop dining area, and they see Mira and me. I barely notice Caleb because my eyes are on Gabriel, who looks devilishly handsome.
If his parents were still alive, I would have thanked them for passing their genes down and making him so attractive that he takes my breath away. He gives me an easy smile as I approach our table and he pulls out the chair next to him, so I can sit.
I nod gratefully before sitting down.
“You took my breath away,” he whispers in my ear. “If we didn’t have company, I would have kissed you. Although I’m thinking about doing it anyway.”
“I thought the same thing.” I blurt out without meaning to.
“No,” I wave my hands when his gaze flickers to my lips. “Not that part. Just…just the first part.”
His eyes only roam down south, taking on a hungry, intimate appeal that makes me swallow hard when they return to my face.
“Did I take your breath away, Miss Quinn?”
I should have kept it together. Now, I’m never going to hear the end of it.
“It is only normal,” I try to sound logical, “with the wind blowing gently and you being the first thing I saw.”
Gabriel leans closer. “Does that mean you only have eyes for me, Miss Quinn?”
Why did I think I could outsmart him? He’s going to find something else to quip. In our battle of who has the last say, he is the master.
“Good to see you, Harper. You look amazing.” Caleb swoops in and saves me.
