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He was all man.
And damn if I didn’t want him.
I leaned into him, positioning my body so he had a clear view down the front of my dress. My cleavage was epic and from his frequent glances, I knew he liked what he saw.
“She did. She told the judge that he’d been ill, and she couldn't leave him at home. Now, this was Judge Latner, who also happened to be her neighbor. So of course, he let Gilbert stay. At least until he took a crap in the middle of closing arguments.”
Jeremy threw his head back and laughed. It was a rich sound that made my thighs clench. “I’m so glad to have met you, Marlena Ducate,” he said, his hand coming up to cup my cheek.
“It’s Lena. I really, really hate the name Marlena,” I told him, my eyes feeling heavy as his thumb ran along the curve of my lips.
“You shouldn’t. It’s a beautiful name for such a beautiful woman.” He leaned in and this was it. He was going to kiss me.
I sucked in a breath and tilted my head back and waited—
“Jeremy, there you are. I need to speak with you.”
The interruption was like being doused with cold water. Jeremy dropped his hand and sat back.
Adam stood there, a goddamn vag block in the flesh. I had never wanted to punch my brother more in my life.
“Lena, Mom is looking for you,” Adam said, his tone frosty. What the hell was his problem?
Jeremy, clearly picking up on Adam’s mood, stood up with a frown. “Okay, sure.” He turned back to me. “I’ll come to find you when I’m done.” His words held the note of a promise.
“I’m holding you to that,” I teased with a grin. The dark blue of his eyes smoldered for an instant before my brother cleared his throat. He really was the worst.
Adam and Jeremy walked off. I could tell by the set of my brother’s face that he wasn’t happy. My curiosity was in overdrive.
I saw my mom and dad talking to their friends and made my way over. “You were looking for me?” I asked my mother once I had reached her.
Her expression was one of surprise. “No, I wasn’t. Why would you think that?”
“Adam said—” Then it hit me what my brother had done. He was such a dickhead. “Never mind.” I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek. “You having fun?”
She wiped a hand across her brow like an eighteenth-century lady. “I am but I’m so tired. I think we’re going to have to call it a night. Are you coming home with us?”
I looked around the room. Adam was back with Chelsea, but there was no sign of Jeremy. I was sure he was around somewhere. I didn’t want to leave with unfinished business hanging between us. I had plans to get that kiss Adam interrupted. And maybe more. “No, I think I’m going to stay a bit longer. I won’t be late though; I need to get back to school first thing in the morning.” I gave my parents both a hug and said goodnight.
I slowly circuited the room, trying to find Jeremy. When I found him, he was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Lindon who owned Jessie’s Diner.
“I’ve been looking for you,” I said to him after greeting the Lindons. I was surprised and more than a little hurt when he barely acknowledged me. Instead, he continued chatting with Mr. Lindon about zoning regulations inside the town limits.
Feeling like an extraneous limb, I stood there like a moron for several minutes waiting for Jeremy to say something to me. Mrs. Lindon, picking up on my awkwardness, attempted small talk, but I had a hard time focusing on what she was saying.
After a few minutes, Jeremy ended his conversation and walked away.
Without ever looking my way.
Jeremy spent the rest of the night totally avoiding me. I attempted to talk to him several more times before my pride kicked in. I had never been the sort of girl to the moon after a guy, hoping he’d talk to her. Screw that. My bruised ego quickly gave way to anger. What had crawled up his ass? I thought we had been getting along. I knew he was into me. He made that pretty damn clear. What was with the whole “I’ll come to find you” nonsense if he planned to blow me off the rest of the evening?
There was only one answer for Jeremy’s sudden withdrawal. I cornered my traitorous brother just as he was about to slip outside to make a phone call. “Wait right there!” I called out, hurrying after him into the cold March night.
Adam looked surprised to see me. “Hey, I didn’t know you were still here.” He put his arm around me and gave me a quick squeeze.
