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We reached our friends, but as I opened my mouth to declare that each one of them looked sexy as fuck, Josh and Isaac shifted a little, revealing another surprise behind them.
“Adam!” I screeched as I flung myself into my big brother’s arms.
He laughed and put his arms around me, squeezing me tight enough to make me grunt. “Hey, Little Bug.”
I pulled away but held on tight to his arms, admiring his black suit and the dusting of silver in his hair. “What are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me? Does Mama know?”
“Will invited me, and I felt a little guilty after missing the family reunion—”
“You did not,” I joked, though it was totally true.
“You’re right. I didn’t, but I did miss my sister, and Mama’s been hounding me to visit for months. It was time.”
“Months? You haven’t been back to the Bay in years. Oh! Have you met Emily?” I pointed at the little woman with short dark hair in a stunning green dress hanging off Josh’s arm, then swung my finger around to Luca and his wife. “And Tash? She and Luca are having a baby soon. Oh! And Birdie moved back to town a few months ago, though you’re probably too old to remember when she spent summers here.”
Adam chuckled. “Slow down, Abs. I’ve been here for an hour already—enough time for the guys to introduce me to anyone I don’t already knowandlose a hundred dollars on the craps table.”
I gave him an accusing look, which was hard to pull off with how badly I wanted to smile. “Sounds like you’re actually having fun, Dr Ellison.”
“It’s a good night,” he agreed. He reached past me to shake Will’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Will, and congratulations. You’ve done a spectacular job here.”
Will shook his hand. “I appreciate that. Thanks.”
We stood talking and sipping champagne for a few minutes before Emily excused herself. She was technically on the clock tonight as the Bay’s promotional photographer and Will’s social media guru, and she explained that she had to take some official pictures and update Will’s accounts, boosting the relevant hashtags and commenting on the guests’ live feeds.
As much as I would have loved to attach myself to the man of the hour all night long, it soon became impossible. Everyone wanted a little of Will’s time, and after baring my teeth through half a dozen propositions from women playing bingo instead of blackjack, I gave Will space to work the room alone. He wasn’t happy about it, but he understood that witnessing that shit wasn’t fun.
It was actually rewarding to watch him from a distance. Will oozed sex and charisma and seeing him gently rebuff the constant advances because I was the woman he wanted turned out to be unexpected foreplay.
Gradually, the mood among his groupies shifted as, one by one, they walked away disappointed. He always gave them a smile and a dimple, but no was no after all, and nobody was able to tempt him. And, of course, there was that rumour on social media claiming someone had crossed off thequickie at The Stopandpanties on his pillowsquares on the viral Will Kidd sexy bingo card. It had been the virtual equivalent of a cold shower for a lot of the hot, horny women swarming around the Bay.
What a shame.
And it wasn’t only the Will Kidd Fan Club who wanted a piece of him. At least a quarter of the party was made up of locals who looked sweet but uncomfortable in suits and dresses that might never be worn again after tonight. They hugged him and took his photo, and he rewarded their support with his trademark dimple. Watching him in those moments made me so happy for him.
When Rick Talbot, President of the Tourism Council, approached Will about an hour after we’d arrived, I tensed and floated a few steps closer. If Mr Talbot said a single degrading thing to Will, I was going to personally rearrange his toupee. But the older man smiled and warmly clapped Will on the back, then asked him to pose for a picture taken by the official event photographer.
Emily grinned behind her camera as she snapped away, and when the president moved on, she gave Will a proud thumbs up. Will looked a little shell-shocked—in a good way. Kind of like he couldn’t believe how well the night was going or that he was the man responsible for it all.
I loved him like this. He was so fucking sexy. I shimmied as delicious tingles ran across my skin, and when Will caught me looking at him, he dropped his chin and raised one eyebrow like he knew what I was thinking.
I glanced down at my chest, and just as I thought, my hard nipples poked through the silver silk. So maybe Will did know what I was thinking after all.
49
Abbie
Three champagnes later, I’drelaxed into the event. That scary first step into the room with Will had passed, and Will’s nerves about how well—or not—his big event would go seemed to have dissipated. An end to the tension of the last few weeks was in sight. With Will deep in conversation with Jason Maloney—the would-be investor in Will’s brewery business—I bled money at the gaming tables until my champagne flute ran out of bubbles.
“I need something harder than this,” I announced. “Anybody want anything at the bar?”
“Cold water for me, please.” Tash set another chip on the mat, crossed her fingers, and frowned at the roulette wheel. “And pretzels, if you can find any.”
“Coming right up. Jess?”
“I’ll grab another champagne when the tray comes around again,” she said, glancing around the room. “But if I lose anotherdollar on this game, I’m giving up and trying my luck at the craps table.”
“Noted.” I offered a sloppy salute. “I’ll be back in the flash of a trench coat.”
