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I knocked back the rest of my champagne, enjoying the floaty warmth that accompanied the early stages of inebriation. “Panties for Puppies? Is she for real?” Jeremy asked, leaning against the bar, beer bottle in hand. He looked like an advertisement for GQ. His eyes took another languid perusal of my body.
I felt his gaze like a physical touch. My skin flushed hot. I giggled, enjoying the way he watched my mouth. I purposefully licked my lower lip. Long and slow. His blue eyes smoldered. “Oh, she’s for real, unfortunately.”
“I never understood what Adam saw in her. Except the obvious of course. Ducate should know looks aren’t everything. It’s what’s up here that really matters.” Jeremy tapped his temple before popping an hors d’oeuvres into his mouth.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on, most men only care about a nice set of tits.”
Jeremy’s face grew serious. “I’m not most men, Lena.”
The air heated between us. I noticed how Jeremy had moved slightly closer. So close that our arms brushed against one another. I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. “Oh really?” I said breathlessly.
I wanted to do such bad, bad things to this man. And I got the feeling he wanted the exact same thing.
Jeremy leaned in closer, our faces only inches apart. “I told Adam this party was a waste of time and money. I had thought about blowing the whole thing off.” He smiled, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m really glad I didn’t.”
“Jeremy, there you are. Judge Randall is here. We need to introduce ourselves.” A man appeared, looking slightly disheveled. His light brown hair was on the longish side and fell into his pretty hazel eyes. He was slender and tall. So tall that I felt positively tiny standing next to him.
He was dressed as if he hadn’t bothered to look in the mirror before leaving the house. His tie was askew, and his suit jacket was unbuttoned but there was something nice about his face that made him both handsome and unassuming.
Jeremy gave the man a wry grin. “No need to get your panties in a twist, Rob. Given the honorable judge’s advanced age, I don’t think I’ll miss him before he leaves. It’s not as if he moves very quickly.”
“Just make sure he has his hearing aid turned on. He’s notorious for acting as if he’s listening when in fact, he hasn’t heard a damn thing you’ve said. If he says, ‘that’s interesting’ more than once, you know he’s completely zoned out,” I piped up.
“Thanks for the advice,” Jeremy said. He put a hand low down on my back, the curve of his pinkie just above my ass. “Rob, this is Adam’s sister, Marlena.”
“Lena,” I corrected, holding out my hand to Adam’s other partner.
Rob’s eyes widened. “Lena, of course! It’s nice to finally meet you. Adam talks about you all the time. You’re apparently some kind of wunderkind.”
“Ignore my brother. He’s delusional,” I groaned. Jeremy’s thumb began to rub my skin through the thin material of my dress. I tried not to shiver.
“I don’t know about that. He seems confident you’re going to take the judicial system by storm,” Rob said kindly, but then he looked at Jeremy. Then at me. Then at how close we were standing together. “We should head over there, don’t you think?”
Jeremy turned to me. “Care to join us?” He probably should have dropped his hand by now, but he hadn’t. And I didn’t want him to. I was enjoying his attention. I hoped it would lead to more.
“Sure.” I picked up my glass and followed Rob and Jeremy across the room to where Judge Franklin Randall appeared to be dozing in a chair.
I spent the next hour making small talk with members of the Southport community, acting as a liaison for Jeremy into the inner circle of the town’s more illustrious members. Having not only grown up in Southport but also having parents who were firmly entrenched in the social scene, I knew just about everyone. I was able to share fun tidbits about the people Jeremy spoke to—he particularly enjoyed the story about Janet Ludwig, the assistant district attorney’s pet pig named Gilbert.
“Wait, she actually brought the pig to court? You’re making this up.” Jeremy handed me another glass of champagne. I had lost track of how many I had had, but I wasn’t sloppy. I knew how to hold my alcohol.
We were tucked away in a dark corner at the back of the room. We sat close together on a small couch, Jeremy’s arm slung across the back, his fingers tracing circles on my shoulder. I was genuinely enjoying his company. He was witty and intelligent and charming. But more importantly, we simply clicked. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me all night and I basked in his radiance. I had dated enough guys to know that Jeremy Wyatt was something altogether different.
