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I’m not even looking at the skin I can see at the top of that shirt.
Except, I am, and I really wish I wasn’t.
I hold the whiskey out to him. “Tahlia asked me to drop this by.”
He takes the bottle, looking at me in such a way that it makes me think he wishes it was only us here tonight. “Thank you.”
We take a moment.
A long moment.
No words are exchanged, but then, none are needed. Our bodies are doing all the speaking.
I’m about to make a move to leave when a waiter appears at my side with a tray of canapés.
When I give a quick shake of my head and start to decline, Owen says, “You’re going to want to try that one,” while pointing at a shrimp canapé.
His eyes spark with encouragement and warmth like he really wants me to try it.
“I should go,” I murmur.
Owen takes one of the shrimp canapés and places it on a napkin before passing it to me. “Not before you try this.”
A woman joins us as I take the canapé. She would have to be one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. Smiling at me, she says, “He’s right. You need to try that.”
My nerves make themselves known as she says this. I stopped by to drop a bottle of whiskey off. I didn’t stop by to join a party. And while I love a good party, I also like to be prepared for it and for the people I’m going to have to talk to. I wasn’t prepared for any of this.
I shove the canapé in my mouth.
All of it.
In one go.
I need to eat this and then get out of here.
But, oh my goodness. Owen was right. It’s an explosion of yummy goodness in my mouth.
Unable to stop myself, I make a noise that expresses my delight. And it just keeps on going while I eat because this canapé is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.
Owen watches me like he can’t get enough of me.
His friend watches me with a nod and a knowing look.
When I finally get it all down, I say, “Holy fuck, that was amazing!” I throw a glance around the room looking for the waiter. “You need to get that waiter back here, Owen. I need to try all those canapés.”
It’s only when the woman eyes Owen’s shirt that I realize I’ve reached out and grasped a handful of it.
Her eyes twinkle as she says, “A girl after my own heart. You must stay for dinner so we can try all the food together and compare notes.”
I let go of Owen’s shirt. “No, I have to go.”
Before I have a chance to leave, and before Owen has a chance to help me do that, she’s got her arm hooked through mine and is dragging me to the sofa. “How do you know Owen? I’m the long-suffering wife of one of his best friends.”
A dark-haired man walks over from the piano and sits with her on the sofa across from me. “I hardly think six months of marriage qualifies you as a long-suffering wife, Adeline,” he says as he spreads an arm along the sofa behind her.
I don’t miss the affection all over her face when she eyes him. “Well, I may not have been your wife for long, but I have been suffering.” She looks back at me and introduces us. “My husband, Jameson.”
My attention is divided between Adeline and Owen who’s watching from where I stood with him a moment ago. I’m trying to figure out how to leave, but his expression says he’s more than happy for me to stay.
