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I feel a presence at my side, and look down to see Belle slotting herself between me and James.
“Hello,” she says, passing me a packet of confetti.
“Hey.” I take the packet. “Thank you.”
“Gaby and I made it ourselves,” she says. “Shapes punched out of leaves and rose petals. It smells wonderful.” She lifts it to her nose and inhales.
“You smell wonderful,” I tell her, catching the scent of her perfume. It’s not her usual light, flowery scent, but something deeper and more sensual. Much more grown up. Much more womanly.
She bumps shoulders with me. “So do you. You always do. I love your cologne.”
We stand side by side, waiting for Gaby and Tyson to approach. I feel ultra-aware of her, from the pale skin of her shoulder and neck, to the flash of thigh I keep seeing through the split in her skirt.
“Lovely ceremony, wasn’t it?” she says after a moment. Her voice sounds a tad breathless—she’s not unaffected by my nearness.
“Very touching,” I agree.
“I think Gaby’s relieved she wore waterproof mascara.” She looks up at me then. “You obviously knew about Tyson’s plan.”
“Yeah. He’s been working hard with the guys and MAX for months.”
“James said you were the one who worked out the timings of how long he could stand for the ceremony.”
“Yeah. He’s doing great, but it’s exhausting for him, and we wanted him to be able to make it through as much as he could. We worked with Pam to make sure we knew how long all the sections were going to take and fitted the other bits around those to give him a break. He really, really wanted to be standing for the photographs, so we did our best to make that happen.”
“Thank you,” she says, her big blue eyes filled with warmth. “It meant the world to Gaby.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I say awkwardly. “Tyson did all the hard work.”
“Damon, I know how hard you’ve worked with Alex and the others to get MAX and now THOR working. Alex said he practically has to drag you out of the office whenever you visit. So you can act as modest as you like—I know the real you.”
She looks away, delving a hand into the confetti as Gaby and Tyson approach, but her words send a shiver down my back—I know the real you.
We toss the confetti over the bride and groom, and then as they head for the terrace, we follow them. It’s all decorated with the pale-pink and white color scheme, accentuated with potted palms and floral displays. Belle leaves me with Alex and some of the others, says she’s going to make sure that Gaby doesn’t need anything, and slips off.
I watch her go, wondering when I’ll next get to talk to her.
“Did you have a good time last night?” Juliette murmurs beside me as waiters serve the guests cocktails.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Alex said that Belle stayed with her mum last night. But Kaitlyn told me she had breakfast on her own this morning. So I’m guessing Belle stayed somewhere else…?”
“It’s not what you think. She was upset and had a bit too much to drink. She slept it off in my room.”
“In your bed?”
I just give her a wry look.
“Amazing how orgasms can take your mind off things,” she says.
I laugh. “There were no orgasms involved. Tonight, however…” I grin.
She chuckles and holds up her cocktail glass. “To multiple orgasms.”
“I’ll toast to that.” We clink glasses.
“What are you two laughing about?” Alex asks, joining us.
