Chapter Fifteen
Day
Eyes of desire and complete adoration roved Jessica’s body.
“Never stop looking at me like that.” She lifted the floor-length skirt to her red strapless evening gown and crossed the bedroom to straighten the matching red tie of her handsome fiancé in his black suit and crisp white shirt.
He grabbed her hand. They both knew it was already straight. Messing with Luke’s tie had become the proverbial ruffling of his anal-retentive feathers.
“And how is it that I’m looking at you?”
Her eyes focused on his fingers adjusting her engagement ring. He did that a lot, as if he needed to reassure himself that she was still there—that she really said yes. It always made her smile.
“Like I’m a dream.”
“Are you?” His hand moved from her ring to her wrist, feathering up her arm until her skin prickled with goose bumps.
Twisting her red lips, she looked up through painted black lashes at the world’s most gorgeous face. “Hmm … maybe. But a wet dream? Yes.”
Luke smirked. “You strip me of all dignity and self-control with just one look. I’m pretty sure all that’s left is a walking erection in a suit.”
She laughed. “Let’s go. Rumor has it, this holiday party has an open bar. If you’re lucky I’ll get a little tipsy and you might score later.” Turning on silver, open-toed heels, she clacked down the hall to the front door.
“Ten bucks says you’ll be riding one of my legs on the ‘dance floor’ before you’ve finished your second glass of champagne.”
She narrowed her eyes, tossing her lipstick into her clutch purse. “Once. That happened once, and I’d had a lot to drink and nobody saw because the dance floor was so crowded.”
Luke opened the door as she kissed Jones on the head before sashaying to the elevator.
“It was an award ceremony and I was the guest of honor. There wasn’t a dance floor. You basically gave me a lap dance in front of my colleagues to background elevator music after downing an entire bottle of wine during my acceptance speech.”
The elevator door opened to the parking garage. Jessica held her head high as she made her way to the car.
“You were giving me bedroom eyes during the whole damn speech. It made me nervous like everyone could see what you were thinking, so I just kept drinking to numb my nerves.”
“I wasn’t giving you ‘bedroom eyes.’ I don’t love speaking in public and I was using you as a friendly face to calm my nerves.” He opened the car door for her, then walked to the driver’s side.
They drove to the party, exchanging flirty looks the whole way. Jessica loved Luke’s playful side. Not too many people got to see it, and that made it even sexier.
“Behave,” he whispered in her ear as they stepped into the hotel lobby. His deep voice elicited all kinds of deviant thoughts, not one falling under the heading of “behave.”
As they approached the entrance to the Grand Ball Room, Jude stepped around the corner from the women’s restroom, straightening his jacket and tie.
“Don’t,” he warned his sister before she had a chance to say the words that matched her scowl. “Luke.” Jude smirked, giving him an easy nod.
“He’s not going to give you a high five or fist bump or any other approval of your terribly inappropriate actions, so don’t even smile at him.”
Jude’s brows peaked, his attention focused on Luke. “Man, are you really going to let her speak for you? That’s kind of emasculating, if you asked me.”
Luke’s eyes flitted between the Day twins, both daring him to take the other’s side. “Was she married?” He gestured toward the restroom.
“No.”
“Condom?”
“Yes.” Jude smirked.
Luke shrugged. “Well, I believe my job here is done.”
“Holy fucking hell! What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well … well … well … I thought I heard my daughter out here.” Grant opened the door to the ballroom and stepped aside to let his children and the traitor inside. “I don’t know too many women that use ‘holy,’ ‘fucking,’ and ‘hell’ in the same sentence.” He kissed Jessica on the cheek then pulled her in for a bear hug, as if to let Luke know she still belonged to him.
“Hi, Dad. Sorry. It was Jude’s fault…” she narrowed her eyes at Luke while still in her father’s arms “…and Luke’s.”
“And why are you boys getting my little girl all riled up?”
Jude snagged a glass of champagne from the waiter passing by. “She doesn’t approve of my extracurricular activities or Luke’s freedom of speech and his right to think for himself.”
Jessica wriggled out of her father’s arms and lunged for Jude, but not before Luke hooked his arm around her waist to prevent a scene.
“Man whore!” she seethed.
“Jessica!” Grant warned.
Jude emptied his entire glass of champagne down his throat then merged into the throng of people, giving her a sly look over his shoulder, the proverbial sticking his tongue out at her.