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Often.
Gavin’s gaze drifted across the restaurant’s warm green and terra cotta dining room, landing on the woman in question for the hundredth time tonight. His breath went haywire in his lungs just as it had the other ninety-nine times he’d clapped eyes on her, but he was well past trying to do anything about it.
The slip of black fabric molded to Sloane’s body, its skinny little straps and the long stretch of silk hugging her curves and angles as though she’d been poured into it, inch by inch. It shimmered when she moved, not in a flashy way, but with the suggestion that there was something warm and decadent built into the fabric. The plunging neckline and side slit revealed just enough to drive a guy crazy wondering what she had on—or more to the point, didn’t have on—underneath it.
Sloane’s intoxicating laugh, both musical and robust, filtered across the candlelit dining room. As hot as the dress looked, it was nothing compared to the lit-up purity of her smile, like she’d simply bucked biology and decided to exhale happiness instead of carbon dioxide. Any guy with a pulse would be helpless to do anything but stare at her.
But then, she hadn’t caught just any man with a pulse shamelessly staring at her as the ceremony began. She’d caught him, and red-handed didn’t even begin to cover it. No wonder she’d only given him and Bree a drive-by hello as she mingled with the crowd during the reception.
Gavin grabbed a glass of sparkling water from a passing server and filed the thought underforget about itin his brain. Whether or not Sloane caught him staring, it didn’t matter in the long run. Yes, she looked unbelievable in her dress, but it wasn’t as if he was going to do anything about it.
No matter how badly he wanted to.
“Can we go home yet? They already cut the cake.” Bree’s grumble interrupted his heated thoughts, and for once, he was grateful for the churlish distraction.
“Glad to see you made it back from the bathroom with your good mood intact.” His attempt at humor fell prey to her frosty stare, leaving him to silently lean a forearm against one of the bistro-style tables in their nook by the bar.
“It’s hard to be in a good mood when you’re the only kid hanging out with a bunch of old people. I totally stick out.”
“You did just fine talking with Bellamy and her fiancé, Shane, during dinner,” Gavin said, purposely ignoring her jab. He had strategically chosen to sit with members of La Dolce Vita’s staff in order to increase the chances that they’d stick to polite, work-related conversation. That way, there would be less of a chance that someone would ask questions about their mom that might make Bree uncomfortable. For the most part, it had worked like a charm.
She sighed, a long, drawn-out sound he’d been hearing a lot of lately. “No,youdid just fine talking to them. I don’t have anything to say about food, or cooking.”
Bree crossed her arms in a petulant knot and leaned forward on her bar stool, dropping her elbows to the table. Things had gone back to normal since their kitchen incident five days ago, with her offering the usual litany of complaints and him doing his best to counter them with patience he had to summon from somewhere around his toes.
Gavin’s smile tightened a notch, but he refused to let it fade. “Still, I work with a lot of nice people. You should give them a shot.”
Her frown was ever persistent. “None of them even know me. I don’t see why I couldn’t have just stayed at home.”
“Because I needed a date, remember?” Damn, his supply of calm was running low. Where was the happily social kid he used to call his sister?
She resorted to one of her dramatic eye rolls, but Gavin refused to let it bother him.. “Come on, Bree. I know it’s not ideal, but could we at least try to enjoy the party, a little bit? We don’t have to stay much longer.”
An oddly familiar, cinnamon-spicy scent preceded an even more familiar feminine voice by less than a second.
“But where’s the fun in that?”
Sloane’s words hit him with a jolt, and he made an abrupt half turn toward her, only to find himself inches from her sparkling blue eyes.
“Hi, Sloane. You look nice.” His inner voice let out a serious snort at the understatement, but he smothered it with what he prayed was a casual smile.
“Thanks, boss. You look…like you always do. Fantastic suit, serious face.”
His smile broke into genuine territory. “Thank you, I think.”
“You’re very welcome.” She turned her attention to Bree, and Gavin noticed with surprise that his sister’s sour face had softened a notch. “Don’t tell me you two are ditching out on Pine Mountain’s event of the year before it really gets started,” Sloane teased. “Now that I’ve finally gotten all the requisite socializing out of the way, we can kick things up a bit. Come on, Bree. I won’t even ask you to write an essay about it. Cross my heart.”
She leaned in farther, and oh, hell, her dress was even sexier up close, with a scattering of glossy beads emphasizing the deep V of the neckline. And did she have to smell so good, all dark and sweet like a decadent crème brûlée?
Gavin cleared his throat and double-checked to make sure his jacket was buttoned. “Bree’s a little concerned because she doesn’t know anybody, that’s all.”
Bree’s cheeks turned pink, her flush paving the way for a brand-new scowl. “And Gavin’s a little concerned because he doesn’t have a real date,” she flipped back with an overly angelic smile.
Damn it, why did she always think he was picking on her? He scrambled for something to smooth over Bree’s attitude, but Sloane just laughed that infernally hypnotic laugh that told him getting her out of his head was a complete impossibility.
“Lucky for you, I can help on both counts. Come on.” She jutted a slender arm, elbow first, in Bree’s direction.
Bree’s frown was heavy with suspicion. “Where are we going?”
