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Leo wanted to find all the places on her body that would make her soften for him. He was just imagining drawing the zipper of her dress down to the base of her back—wondering if she’d shiver again if he traced his fingertips down her spine—when they reached the door at the side of the church’s anteroom.
She opened it with a violent tug, and he was confronted with a pack of familiar faces.
Suddenly, he remembered who he was. Whoshewas.
He dropped her hand.
She went still beside him for a short second, then clapped her hands together. “All right. Places, people!”
“Leo.” His brother Marlon nodded as he came to his feet off an uncomfortable-looking, straight-backed chair. Marlon tugged his suit jacket down and ran a hand through his jet-black hair.
“Leo,” Tori said with distinctly more venom. She hooked her arm through Marlon’s and pointed her nose in the air, the same expression she’d worn for him since their two-week tryst in college years before. It bored Leo that she still cared enough to hate him. She’d known what she was getting into when she knocked on his door that first night, and it wasn’t wedding bells and happily-ever-afters.
Tori, Rinn, and Lauren were the three bridesmaids in Maggie and Emory’s party—and they were definitely in the “disgust” camp when it came to Leo. They made it obvious with their sniffs and slitted glances. He’d endured years of this, and in some corner of his mind, he thought he should be insulted, or at least amused. It only bored him. But could he blame them? He’d earned their disgust with his own actions. He didn’t deserve any better.
Still, it was Emory’s wedding day, and rumination wouldn’t help anyone. He did what he always did when faced with the consequences of his reputation and painted a sly grin on his lips. Spreading his arms like a showman at a circus, he pitched his voice in just the right way to get a reaction. “Hello, ladies.”
Three sets of eyes rolled in unison, and the men snorted. Beside him, he felt Amelia’s curious gaze, but, coward that he was, he couldn’t face her. He should never have touched her.
Marlon, looming taller than everyone, gave him an impenetrable stare. Leo’s brother was quiet, and he might see too much. Leo averted his gaze just in case. Behind Marlon, Cormac and Archer attended to their assigned bridesmaids after giving him a slight chin nod in greeting. They wore the same navy suit as Leo. The women were dressed in the same shade of pastel purple, those silky asymmetrical gowns that hugged their chests and flared out at the hips, fluttering down just below the knee.
Tori, Rinn, and Lauren all looked distinctly more comfortable in their dresses than Amelia did, but he still thought she wore it best. He had the impression the dress vexed her, which delighted him. That probably made him an ass. Well—more of an ass than usual.
Behind the group, a vision in white appeared. Maggie’s beautiful face split into a smile at the sight of him. She extended her arms and wrapped him in a hug, brimming with her usual mothering energy. It was one of the things that made Maggie so special. Not only was she a vision, but she was also incrediblykind. In other words, not the type of woman Leo would ever pursue. He’d always known she was too good for him.
“Glad you could make it,” she said, as if he’d ever miss the occasion. Her voice utterly lacked the hot, raspy quality that Amelia’s had. But that made sense—Maggie had no angles and hardness. She was all gentle curves and soft femininity.
She squeezed him again and turned her lips to his ear as she continued, lower, “If you hurt my sister, I’ll lobotomize you with a fireplace poker.”
Ah. So she’d noticed that he’d walked in holding Amelia’s hand. Leo gave her his most dazzling smile as she pulled away to meet his gaze. “Aye aye, Captain.”
Her answering smile was more of a baring of teeth. So, the mother hen had spurs, and after all these years, he was finally discovering how sharp they were. Good for Emory; he needed a woman who could keep him honest.
Mothers and fathers of the bride and groom rounded out the party, and everyone did one final primp before the procession began.
“Here,” that maddeningly raspy voice said from behind his shoulder.
Leo turned to see Amelia holding a single white rose, its stem trimmed short. She motioned to his suit jacket, then met his gaze. Her eyes were liquid mercury. He wanted her desperately.
“Thanks,” he grated as she pinned the rose to his pocket. Her fingers were long and slim, dexterous as she worked the pin’s mechanism. She gave his chest a little pat.Pat, pat. Like she was knocking against his heart with the very tips of her fingers.
Then Amelia curled her fingers into her palm and hesitated only the briefest moment before she took his offered arm.
They had a wedding to celebrate.
TWO
Amelia hated beingthe center of attention. Behind a computer screen was where she was most comfortable, parsing thousands of lines of data into clean, beautiful conclusions. She liked numbers more than she liked people, and leading a bridal procession wasn’t something she’d do for anyone but her sister. As they approached the nave of the church, the rustle of fabric grew loud. Pews groaned as guests shifted to watch, and the weight of two hundred stares felt heavy on Amelia’s skin.
Feeling her stiffen, Leo placed his free hand on top of hers. His palm was warm, and it sent little shivers darting through her blood. Her heart thundered, and she didn’t know if it was the touch or the nerves or the anticipation of seeing her sister married. She glanced up and saw him flash a wide smile at the assembled guests. What would it be like to walk through the world with that much confidence?
Leo’s fingers curled around hers and he turned to meet her gaze. “You ready?”
She nodded and let her lips curl into a wobbly smile of her own. Leo squeezed her fingers gently and kept his hand on hers as they began to move. Then they walked down the aisle and took their places. Emory took her hands and kissed her cheek, then he shook Leo’s hand and clapped him on the back. He did the same to each of the four bridesmaids and groomsmen, his face full of quiet joy.
Amelia watched him, so she saw the moment he spotted Maggie. Emory’s face lit up in a way she’d never seen before, his blue eyes shining bright, his spine straightening. Love poured off him in waves, and Amelia knew this man was meant to be with her sister.
She followed his gaze to the end of the aisle, where Maggie held onto their father’s arm, aglow. Music swelled as Maggie made her way toward her husband-to-be, and Amelia’s emotions grew with every step her sister took.
