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He felt for the man. He wouldn’t be around when Addie gave birth in June. At least the President would see his new grandson or granddaughter in a matter of days. It’d be months before he got to meet his new niece or nephew.
Rock listened as the rest of the party discussed the upcoming fundraiser. He’d known it was the main reason Addie and Trent had traveled down to Virginia. He hadn’t realized several other members of the Sherbrooke clan would also be present, including the President’s youngest daughter and two of Trent’s younger brothers.
“Hey, Allison, I think Charles just walked in.”
Allison shifted in her seat, her arm bumping into his. “Trent, that’s not funny.”
Judging by the annoyance in Allison’s voice, this Charles guy ranked low on her friend list.
“I’m not joking.” Trent glanced back over at the entrance again. “And it must be him because he’s headed this way.”
Rock heard Allison groan, and then she grabbed his hand, sending an electric shock across his skin. “Just play along,” she said, and he wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or everyone at the table.
A moment later, a well-dressed man in his early thirties stopped at their table. “Trent what a coincidence running into you here,” Charles said before he looked at Addie. “This must be your wife. Congratulations.” He extended his hand toward Addie and they exchanged the typical pleasantries before he looked in his and Allison’s direction, his eyes momentarily glancing down at their clasped hand. “Allison, it’s nice to see you again.”
Allison squeezed his hand, perhaps as a reminder to play along before she answered. “Hi, Charles. It’s been awhile.”
Rock imagined she was thinking it hadn’t been long enough.
“I don’t believe I’ve met your friend.” Charles turned his narrowed eyes in his direction.
“This is my boyfriend. Rock, this is Charles Perkins, a friend of mine from Providence.”
Oh, yeah. Charles hadn’t liked her statement. If the guy’s eyes narrowed anymore, they’d be closed.
Going with it, Rock nodded at the man. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you all down here for a visit?” Charles asked and Rock thought he heard Allison groan.
“Uh, Trent and Addie are here for a fundraiser, but I work for the Falmouth Foundation in Alexandria now,” Allison said.
Charles offered up a tight-lipped smile. “Really. I didn’t know you took a position there.”
Bullshit. If Rock was good at one thing, it was smelling BS a mile away.
“Then I guess I’ll see you all at the fundraiser.”
“You’ll be there?” Allison asked, her voice a few octaves higher than normal.
The man’s smile widened, revealing his unnaturally white teeth. “My friend Daniel told me about it. He and his wife are going, and it’s a good cause, so I bought a ticket as well. That’s actually why I’m here tonight. We’re meeting for dinner.” Charles pointed at a couple seated across the dinning room. “It was nice seeing everyone tonight. I’m sure I’ll see you all on Sunday.”
He watched Mr. Teeth—Rock thought the name fit him—walk toward his friends and waited for Allison to release his hand.
“Something you want to share, Allison? I didn’t know Rock here was your boyfriend,” Trent said with a chuckle, and Rock knew the guy was trying to get under his sister’s skin.
Allison rolled her eyes, making her appear more like an annoyed younger sister rather than the beautiful socialite she was. “Knock it off. I was afraid he’d ask me out again. Since we broke up, he does it every time we run into each other. That’s one of the reasons I was anxious to move. I was always running into him in Providence. It drove me nuts.”
Yep, an ex-boyfriend. Sounded like the guy couldn’t move on, not that he blamed him. He imagined most guys would hate getting the boot from a woman like Allison Sherbrooke. From the little Addie had told him about her, she was not only beautiful, but also smart and genuinely nice, not to mention she came from a powerful family.
Perhaps realizing she still held his hand, she released it and reached for her water glass instead. “Unfortunately, he still calls every so often.”
“Looks like we’ll be seeing you on Sunday night, Rock. I hope you didn’t have any other plans.”
Allison’s sharp intake of breath indicated she understood her brother’s comment. It took Rock a second longer to unravel Trent’s meaning.
“Shoot. I didn’t think of that,” Allison said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her bite down on her lip. How many times since the wedding had he dreamed about her pleasuring his body with those lips? The image of her doing that now surfaced, and Rock was damn glad he was sitting down with a napkin covering his lap.
