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“Cole,” I whisper. “I should go.”
He draws in another shaky breath and nods, but I can’t seem to make my feet move to walk away. The moment spins out between us for several long seconds with both of us frozen, our gazes locked. I know that every moment I stand here brings us closer to something we won’t be able to take back. This doesn’t feel like all the times we’ve touched before. This feels like something bigger. Something that I’m not sure I’ll recover from.
“You should,” he whispers, his hand still on my upper arm.
My eyes drift down to his lips, and I remember the precise way they feel against my own. I can easily conjure up the memory of his taste. Without meaning to, I find myself leaning closer to his warm body. It would be so easy to kiss him. So easy to close the distance between us and claim his mouth with mine. And no one would ever know. It could be another secret we keep from the rest of the world. I can almost feel his lips on mine as he dips his head lower. Anticipation coils low in my belly, and I let my hand slide higher on his chest. I don’t know if I mean to push him away or pull him closer. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t get the chance. The door opens behind me, causing Cole and me to spring back from one another. I feel heat creep up my face and neck as I look over and see Linc standing in the open door. His knowing gaze darts back and forth between his brother and me before settling on Cole.
“Am I interrupting?” he asks, his voice carefully neutral.
I paste on a bright smile. “Not at all. I just ran into your brother out here and we were about to come back to the party.”
I don’t dare look over at Cole. I’m afraid I’ll see that expression of longing on his face and I’m not sure I can withstand it a second time. Even with his brother standing here, I’m worried I might throw myself at him. I want to kiss him that much. I want his arms around me, his body against mine. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Until I walked out onto this balcony to see him standing there looking so lost, I’d been convinced that I did the right thing by ending things with Cole and trying to move on with my life. But everything that happened tonight has me questioning all my decisions regarding the man standing next to me.
I don’t let any of that turmoil show on my face though. I’ll spend time unpacking it all later. For now, I need to get back to my sister and my date and try to act normal for the rest of this disastrous dinner. Not to mention, I have a bridal party brunch and a bachelorette party to attend tomorrow.
“Michael was looking for you,” Linc says, turning his gaze on me.
Nothing in his tone conveys how he feels about finding me out here with his brother, but I feel guilt burn through me just the same. Not that we’d been doing anything wrong. Not yet anyway. If Linc showed up a few seconds later, we might have. Who am I kidding? I was a millisecond away from kissing Cole when Linc opened that door. He might have just saved us from doing something we’d both regret later.
I smile. “Right. I’ll just go find him then. I’ll see you both in there?”
I don’t wait for an answer as I duck around Linc and walk back inside, closing the door behind me. I take several deep breaths as I make my way back down the hallway to the dining room. I need to look as normal as possible when I go back in. Which means I can’t be covered in a head-to-toe blush.
I dart into the women’s restroom at the last second and I’m relieved to find it empty. Standing at the sink, I look over my reflection in the mirror. My eyes look brighter than usual and there’s still a faint blush on my cheeks, but I don’t think anyone will notice the subtle change to my appearance. I take several deep breaths and release them slowly, trying to ease my still racing heart. I bring my hand up, running a finger over my bottom lip. Now that the moment has passed, I can’t deny the truth. And that’s that there’s a part of me that wishes Linc had been a few seconds later with his interruption. It’s the same part of me that misses Cole’s lips on mine and his arms around me. And I’m starting to worry that it’s a feeling that might never go away.
Chapter 23
Cole
“Do I want to know?” Linc asks after the door closes behind Layna.
I stand there, staring at the closed door as I fight against the urge to go after her. We’d been moments away from kissing when Linc showed up. I know it. I close my hand into a fist as the memory of touching her arm for those few seconds lingers. I don’t know whether to be grateful or angry for my brother’s interruption, but judging by the way Layna practically ran back inside to find Michael, I can guess how she feels about it. I shake my head in answer to my Linc’s question and turn back to the railing, looking out at the night.
“Nothing happened,” I say dismissively.
“Never said it did,” he says.
“Your face did,” I say.
Linc comes to stand next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “You okay?”
I sigh. “Yeah,” I say with a nod.
“Are you sure? Because that scene in the dining room tells a different story.”
I shrug, trying to sound dismissive. “I overreacted. That’s all.”
“Hell of an overreaction. You slapped food out of a man’s hand.”
My lips twitch in amusement. I hadn’t seen the look on Michael’s face since my focus was solely on Layna, but I can imagine it was a funny sight. I don’t regret what I did, even if it was an overreaction on my part.
“Just a misunderstanding,” I say, hoping he’ll let it go.
He sighs. “Cole, look at me.”
I hesitate before turning to face my brother’s knowing look. “What?”
“I’m worried about you,” he says. “I’ve never seen you that way.”
