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He breathed in the floral scent of her shampoo before putting enough space between them for her to face him. “Take a look.” He led her to the mirror in the bedroom.
“It is perfect for this dress.”
“And you’re perfect for me. Thank you for agreeing to this crazy arrangement because it’s worked out better than I ever imagined.” It was so much more than an arrangement, even if she wasn’t ready to commit.
“Agreed. I’m guessing we shouldn’t be late.” She met his gaze and trailed a finger over his service medals, down the satin lapel of his jacket to the mess chain.
“No, but we can duck out on the early side.”
“After plenty of dancing and a little PDA,” she said in her sultry tone before kissing him gently on the mouth.
He added pressure to the kiss. Any traces of lipstick on him sent all the right messages too. “Let’s go before I change my mind about being late.”
Two women watched them as Graham opened Erin’s car door. He gave them a polite nod of acknowledgment, then slid in and smiled at Erin for several long seconds before starting the car. For a man used to staying out of the spotlight, he needed to draw attention tonight. It’d be easy with this beautiful woman on his arm.
* * *
The country clubballroom buzzed with voices and movement. Erin should have guessed that fashionably late wasn’t in an operator’s vocabulary, nor would they miss out on cocktail hour.
Graham pointed out Major General Miller and his wife. Standing with them were Sean and Sally McKittrick and, not surprisingly, the Ayers. Graham and Erin joined John and Dianne Mahinis, who waited in line for drinks. They chatted and then split to circulate with guests before dinner. Erin stayed at Graham’s side while meeting the wives, making eye contact with them and Graham as often as possible.
Megan and Reece edged up. “You both look fabulous. When Dad said he wanted to get you a piece of jewelry, I knew something like this necklace would put this dress over the top.”
“Thank you for helping him pick it out. I love it. And him.”
“I know.” Megan smiled at them. Erin and Graham exchanged a loving gaze and Megan leaned closer. “Help me,” she said softly.
“What?”
Megan lightly pressed Erin’s arm lower and discreetly poured some of her wine into Erin’s glass. “A few sips won’t hurt, but I’m not telling anyone but family until I get past the first trimester. If I’m not drinking, someone will guess why.”
“You can leave your glass on a table,” Reece suggested.
“Then I’d have to get another. It’s got to look like I’m drinking. And he got a beer.” She jerked her head at Reece.
“Sorry.” He took a swig from the bottle.
“I’ve got you covered,” Erin promised.
“Thank you. See what I meant about some dresses leaving little to the imagination? Though Mateo’s wife dialed it way back from two years ago. They didn’t come last year.”
Erin glanced at the couple standing with Greg and Cindy Nishiyama and Cruz and his date. “Michelle might be pregnant. There’s a glow to her and a gentle rounding of her abdomen that I don’t remember noticing at the cooking class.”
Megan gave a light gasp. “You might be right. I won’t ask, but I will do some reconnaissance and offer her a little moral support.” Megan tipped more wine into Erin’s glass before tugging Reece’s arm and leading him away.
“She doesn’t know how lightweight a drinker you are.” Graham looked at her full glass.
“I understand her not wanting to tell people yet.” Erin had kept her first pregnancy secret as long as she could, though for a different reason. “I don’t have to drink it all.”
“You’re the kind of player I want on my team.”
A series of soft chimes sounded. “That’s our signal for the receiving line.” He offered Erin his arm and led her to where the senior officers lined up.
“This is my date, Erin Downey.”
As Graham introduced Major General Miller and his wife, Erin tried not to gawk at the rows of ribbons and medals decorating the general’s chest.
“It’s nice to meet you in person,” Becky Miller said. “I’ve seen you two walking and heard complimentary things about you from Dianne and Sally. And it’s nice to see Colonel Holmstrom smiling like he does when he looks at you. Is this your first military ball?”
