Not at the bridesmaids, and not at anyone else.
Just me.
Like he zeroes in on my heartbeat first.
He excuses himself and walks over, slow and steady, like he knows he’s being watched and doesn’t give a single damn.
“Hey,” he murmurs, slipping an arm around my waist.
“Hey,” I breathe.
Harper claps her hands. “Okay, I’m sorry, but Elena, please—just one poke? I swear I’ll Venmo you fifty dollars.”
Colt smirks. “What’s going on here?”
Natalie takes a sip of her drink. “They want to touch your abs.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I mean… I’ve been working hard. I could flex.”
“No,” I say, swatting him. “Absolutely not. These abs are private property.”
Harper groans. Natalie sighs. Colt laughs and presses a kiss to my temple.
You’d think that would be enough, but it’s not.
Before I can react, he turns my chin toward him and kisses me.
And when he does, it’s not a polite “we’re in public” kiss.
A deep, warm, wet kiss that makes my toes curl in the sand and my grip tighten around his shirt.
People cheer, and someone wolf whistles. Harper screams, “GET IT, MAMA!” Natalie fans herself dramatically.
When Colt finally pulls back, he’s a little breathless, his forehead resting against mine.
His eyes are soft.
“You okay?” he asks quietly.
“I’m great,” I whisper.
He brushes a piece of hair off my face, thumb grazing my cheek.
“Come walk with me?”
“Go,” Harper says, practically shoving me toward him. “We’ll keep the bridesmaids away from your man.”
Colt snorts. “I can handle myself.”
“THEY CAN’T,” Harper snaps. “Go.”
We slip away from the party, walking down the shoreline as waves lap at our feet. The sun dips lower, streaking the sky with purple.
After a while, Colt stops and turns to face me.
“Elena,” he says, voice low, “thank you for bringing me here.”
“You brought yourself,” I say softly.
