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“Steak,” she said, that beautiful sparkle in her eyes.
“What?” He was too mesmerized to understand.
She pointed to his plate. “Let me try yours. Just to compare.”
He cut a chunk off his steak, and when he would have handed her the fork, she wrapped her hand around his wrist and pulled him closer. Close enough to put her mouth on his utensil. Close enough to drive him mad when the sound she made as she relished the food reached straight into the heart of him.
“That was good,” she said. Then she looked into his eyes and smiled again. “I’m really glad we’re sitting together. I was hoping you would end up being my dinner date.”
Wait…
Was she flirting with him?
He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. Not only because Rosie could have any single guy at the wedding. But also because he’d gone out of his way to make sure she couldn’t see the depth of his attraction to her.
Thrown off his game more than he could ever remember, he was damned glad that Will Franconi chose that moment to rise to his feet for the best man’s toast.
“I’ve known that big lug up there—” Will pointed at Matt. “—since we were beating each other up on the playground.”
As the Mavericks huzzahed, Rosie leaned over to whisper, “The way I heard it, Matt was the runt who got picked on, and the Mavericks protected him. But look at him now.”
“We have to thank Ari for being willing to take on Matt and all his robots,” Will continued in a teasing tone. “Fortunately,” he said with a wink in Noah’s direction, “she has Noah to help Matt keep one foot in the human world too.” Then Will’s expression turne
d sincere, heartfelt emotions written on his face as he looked at his lifelong friend. “I love you, man. And I know you’ve picked the perfect woman to love, and be loved by, for the rest of your life.” Will held up his glass, and when the guests had followed suit, he said, “To true love.”
As everyone echoed the toast—apart from Gideon, who simply held up his glass without actually saying the words—he was amazed by how easily Will threw the word love around.
But he didn’t have long to mull it over before Rosie was being handed the microphone. She smoothed out her dress before standing up to give her toast, gorgeous in lilac, her shoulders bare, her skin infinitely kissable. Gideon momentarily wondered if she was nervous…
Before remembering that Rosie wasn’t afraid of anything.
“Dear Matt and Ari.” As she smiled, her eyes were shiny with tears. “I love you both so much. And I’m so happy for you and for Noah.” The little boy wriggled in his seat when his name was mentioned. “Ari, you and Chi are the sisters of my heart. We made it through a long, hard haul, and we did it together. I couldn’t have made it to this point in my life without you. And I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to go through any of it without you either.”
Gideon knew most of what Ari’s long, hard haul had been. But he didn’t know about Rosie’s difficult road, not beyond the basics that she’d lost her parents young and had ended up in foster care. Despite the care he’d taken over the past nine months to make sure she never guessed his feelings for her, he couldn’t help but want to know every single thing about her. What made her laugh. What she dreamed about. What she most longed for. What her perfect day looked like. And, in the dark of night, how sweet her sounds of pleasure would be if she ever let him make love to her the way he secretly fantasized about.
“The four of us—you, me, Chi, and Jorge—we were a family for so long,” Rosie continued. “And now we are so lucky to have Matt and Noah in our family too. I love the way our family just keeps growing. How we keep getting stronger every day.”
Gideon saw the first tear fall down her cheek before she wiped it away. Unable to control the uncontrollable, he gave in to instinct, the need to be there for her, and beneath the table where no one could see, he gently touched Rosie’s knee, just enough to let her know he was right there, right beside her whenever she needed him.
There was an almost imperceptible movement, her knee against his hand, just the slightest brush, but one that felt as deliberate as his touch had been. Then she said, “I’ll always be here for you, my sweet sister. I will always love you. And I am so happy that you, Matt, and Noah have found each other.” She raised her glass. “Here’s to Ari, Matt and Noah…to happiness, to a wonderfully bright future…and to love!”
As the wedding guests cheered, applauded, and downed champagne, Ari blew Rosie a kiss. And when Rosie sat, with everyone at the table congratulating her on her great speech, Gideon’s greatest wish, his greatest desire, was that he could kiss her too.
Chapter Eight
As the rest of the Mavericks roasted Matt with humor and love, Rosie swore she could still feel the light pressure of Gideon’s hand against her knee beneath the table. While she’d poured her heart out to Ari and Matt, she’d felt as if Gideon understood absolutely everything she was feeling…and that he could see right inside her heart.
For a few wonderful moments, between her toast and sitting down, something had flared between them. He’d looked like he wanted to drag her against him and kiss her breathless.
Of course, it hadn’t lasted. As soon as the DJ announced the end to all the toasts, Gideon scooted back from the table and practically sprinted away.
“You look like you need a drink.” Chi handed her a full champagne flute.
“I might have had too much already,” she confessed as they tapped glasses.
The music and dancing started up, but instead of heading for the dance floor, Kelsey Collins dragged Lyssa Spencer over. A waiter passed their little group, and the two women grabbed glasses.
“What a great party.” Lyssa was the only Maverick sister, ten years younger than her brothers. Rosie could see the resemblance between her and her brother Daniel, with the same chocolate-brown eyes, the same wavy dark hair, though hers curled past her shoulders. “And Jorge and Noah are just adorable out there.”
