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She looked him up and down. “Not like I haven’t seen it before, Max.”
Max’s jaw went slack, then he laughed. “You’ve been spending too much time with Anna.”
She shook her head, freezing when her gaze made contact with Chris. His pulse skipped a beat as they stared at each other. The first thing that struck him was that this woman was so different from Anna. With her smooth blonde hair, her cornflower-blue eyes and her beige, nondescript clothes, she was almost the antithesis of Max’s vibrant fiancée. She studied Chris, no expression on her face other than a polite smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Cynthia, this is my friend Chris Dupree. You remember I mentioned him.”
“Of course, Mr. Dupree, you’re the best man. So nice to meet you.”
Did he imagine it, or did her voice just dip lower? Ithaddeepened, along with that upper-crust Georgia accent. A flash of heat licked through his blood. Even after all his years in Hawaii, Chris was still a sucker for Southern women.
He stood and offered her his hand. “Nice to meet you too, but please, call me Chris.”
Her smile turned real, reaching her eyes. A dimple appeared on either side of her mouth, and her face came alive. She took his hand. The moment they touched, her face flushed pink. He’d never been one for petite blondes, especially ones who blushed, but for some reason he felt a spark of interest.
For a moment, she seemed to hold her breath, her mouth partially open. She looked down at their joined hands and her face turned a brighter shade of pink. She released his hand and stepped back. But she still stared at him, as if he were a forbidden treat she wanted to take a bite out of. His body warmed, even though the A/C was cranked up high. She licked her bottom lip. Chris couldn’t help it, his attention snagged on that plump pink tongue swiping across her lower lip.
“Did you come here for a reason, Cynthia?” Max’s voice seemed to break the spell.
She blinked, and looked at Max, dismissing Chris. Which annoyed him, for some unknown reason.
“Yes. Your mother and Anna are driving me insane. Anna’s mother, thank the good Lord, is the only calm one of the bunch. Your mother asked me three times if you had the ring. Anna said you’d better be ready the moment it’s time to walk down that aisle. She threatened certain appendages.”
“Tell her I promise. And remind her she’s the one who’s usually late. Is there anything else?”
She shook her head and turned to leave. When she reached the door, she glanced back over her shoulder. “It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Dupree.” Her voice was soft and lyrical, reminding him why he’d missed Southern women. When their accent deepened like that, it made it sound as if they’d just had great sex. She slipped out without another word. Chris had to tear his gaze from the closed door back to his host.
Max stared at the door, then looked at him. “You know I tend to mind my own business.”
“One of the things I like about you, Max.”
Max’s eyes narrowed at Chris’s dry tone. “Nevertheless, Cynthia is not someone you would be interested in.”
He wasn’tthatinterested, but he still didn’t like Max’s insinuation. He didn’t want to think the friend who had stood up to more than one bigoted jackass in college would let him down now. “And what does that mean?”
Max sighed and muttered something Chris couldn’t make out. “I know you, Chris. You lead a certain lifestyle—”
“Not anymore.”
Max’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “And when did that stop?”
Chris thought back to Jasmine, his last sub. By the end of their relationship, he wasn’t sure he’d ever trust another woman again, let alone trust one enough to commit to a Dom/sub relationship.
“Bad experience. Decided it wasn’t for me.”
He was sick of trying to fit into a lifestyle where he was considered an outcast. Many within the D/s world didn’t accept switches, thinking of them the way many people thought of bisexuals. They couldn’t understand why someone couldn’t choose one role and stick to it.
“Don’t worry. I won’t eat your little Cynthia.”
Even if the comment conjured up the most delightful imagery. God, she probably tasted like honey.
Frowning, Max tilted his head to one side, studying him. “I don’t think you’d intentionally hurt her. I just saw the look you gave her, and I know you.”
Chris laughed. “Yeah, and until Anna, you weren’t much better. Hell, both of us were pretty bad back in college. But don’t worry. I’ll be nice to Cynthia, and I promise hands off unless she makes the first move.” He thought about those bluer-than-blue eyes and the look she’d given him when she’d seen him initially. “I have a feeling that’s not going to happen.”
* * *
Cynthia sipped her champagne, watching Anna and Max dance their first dance. They looked so happy…so in love.
