She pushed him away, giggling. “Then I guess we’d better get our glad rags on and celebrate in style.”
***
The champagne glass trembled in his clenched fingers. He tucked his free hand into the pocket of his dress pants, and his thumb worked back and forth over the fabric as he paced.
“Christ, Linc, you look like you’re gonna blow chunks!” Russ’s warm palms flat against Linc’s back and chest forced his torso upright. “You’re fuckin’ green, man. Chill out.” He patted his chest with a steady hand.
“Easy for you to say.”
Linc’s parents had picked him up on their way to the gallery. It was a small celebration, close friends, family, and, surprisingly, a smattering of local art collectors, who had been invited to peruse the exhibits at their leisure.
Cleo and Molly were due to arrive any minute. The main doors hadn’t opened yet, but his heart raced, nervous energy thrummed through his body, and he couldn’t stop his foot from tapping against the tiled floor.
His parents stood next to Mia in front of his work. His older sister and her family couldn’t make it but had instructed the others to take plenty of pictures. Everyone had made an effort. His dad and Russ wore suits, and his mom and Mia were dressed for a red-carpet affair. Mia had even been allowed to have one glass of champagne, which she gratefully accepted with an eye roll and a wink thrown at Linc. Jude looked like a princess running around in between everyone’s legs, giggling, ringlets bouncing on her shoulders.
Cleo walked into the room wearing a scarlet dress, and time stopped. Was he dreaming? Linc’s mouth dropped open and instantly dried up. He had to be the luckiest man on earth. He was gawking at the beautiful woman gliding toward him, and he didn’t care. His older sister, Beth, had taught him the line curving above her cleavage was called a sweetheart neckline but Cleo looked anything but sweet.
The ruched fabric hugged her killer curves like it was made for her. Her heels, hidden under her floor-length gown clicking on the tiled floor.
Her dark waves were pinned to one side and fell over her creamy, bare shoulders. Her lips, the exact color of her dress, tugged into a knowing smile as she approached him.
“Fuck.”
“Fuck!” Jude repeated at the top of her lungs.
“I’m going to fucking kill you if that sticks.” Russ leaned close to Linc’s ear to grit out his words and rescue the still trembling flute glass from his hand. “Also, you are one lucky fucking bastard.”
Linc’s face broke into a smile as he nodded, but he still couldn’t otherwise move or take his eyes off the siren headed straight for him. His tongue snuck out to wet his lips, but his mind was blank. There was only his beautiful girl in a sexy as hell dress.
“You’re drooling.” She brushed an almost-kiss on his cheek.
“Shamelessly.” His voice broke as he croaked out the word. He opened his arms wide and shook his head. “You look… Fuck, Lizzy, you’re stunning.”
Her cheeks darkened and she lowered her gaze to the floor, but he caught her chin with his fingertips. “No way. I’m not letting you evade this one, Cleo. You’ve literally stolen my breath away. My brain has stopped functioning, and all my blood has rushed straight to my dick. If I’m going to be stunned by your beauty, you’re going to have to take a compliment.”
Molly nudged Linc with her elbow, carefully cradling her glass of champagne. “And what a compliment it is. Nothing says ‘you’re a fucking stunner’ like a raging boner pitching a tent in your boyfriend’s dress pants. I wanted to hug you, Linc, but now it’s weird.” She grinned and pulled him in an awkward side-hug.
“Congratulations! I mean… I’m low-key salty my face isn’t on the wall, but people would have been so distracted by my divine countenance, they wouldn’t have been able to enjoy any of the other pictures.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder and tapped the side of her nose with her finger. “I getcha.”
Someone cleared their throat to his right. Molly bolted toward a neighboring display of art when Linc’s mother joined the small circle. Linc shifted his weight, drawing his jacket closed, hoping it would hide the erection wrestling against the material of his pants.
Russ chuckled, coughed and grunted “timberrrr” behind his fist. He smacked Linc on his bicep and leaned in. “That’s the sound of wood falling, my man. Cockblocked by your own mama, eeeeessssshhhhh.”
“Lincoln, aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend?” His dad was standing beside his mom, his lips twitching against a smile. Linc made introductions.
“Uncle Linc!” Two little bodies flung themselves at his legs.
“What? I thought you guys couldn’t come!” He turned to face his sister, Beth, and her husband, Jared.
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Wouldn’t miss this for the world, lil bro. Is this Cleo? Are you Cleo? Sweet baby Jesus, you’re beautiful.”
“She is!” Emily, all of six years old, nodded frantically. “You look like a princess!”
Cleo crouched down to her level and held out a hand for Emily to shake. “You must be Emily.”
Emily untangled her arms from around Linc’s leg, offered her tiny hand to Cleo, and nodded again.
“I’m Cleo, I’m a friend of your Uncle Lincoln’s.”
