Lily’s eyes settle on mine. There are questions in them. She probably wants to know what I’ve been saying to Miller while she and Sunny have been in the bathroom. She holds Sunny’s arm while she slips her feet into her heels.
Miller gives me a look, which I ignore. I thread my arm through Lily’s. “Ready for dinner?”
“Where’s my underwear?” she whispers.
I have no idea. Once they came off I had no interest in putting them back on. “You don’t need them.”
“But I—”
“We need to get down there. Charlene keeps texting. I think Violet’s having a hard time,” Sunny says while checking her phone.
“We’ll find them later.” I squeeze the back of her neck and Lily leans into me, holding my arm as she hums. I don’t know what that’s about, but I like the way I affect her. I bet I could get hard again right now without much work.
Dinner is going to be so much fun.
I let Lily go ahead with Sunny and follow Miller out of the room. He’s still in a mood. I assume he’s worried about Vi. Those two are tight for being stepbrother and sister. They’re exactly how siblings should be, except they do a lot of sharing. And not the kind you want from someone you’re related to.
A huge covered tent with tables and twinkle lights has been set up in the backyard. Everyone’s already seated, so it’s a bit of a production for us to get to the table assigned to us.
We get a few looks as we make our way through the maze of guests. Lance is at our table when we get there. Tash looks less than impressed right now. She’s pushing salad around on her plate and talking to a girl I don’t know. The chair beside her is empty, although it looks like someone’s been there based on the napkin placement.
I take the seat beside Lance and hold out the other one for Lily. She smoothes her hands down the backs of her thighs as she sits, reminding me that flimsy fabric is the only thing covering that sweet, hot pussy. I tuck her in close to the table and take a seat.
“What’ve you been up to?” Lance gives me a knowing grin.
“Just gettin’ a tour of the house. We miss anything?” I stretch my arm across the back of Lily’s chair.
She crosses her legs and pulls her chair in a little tighter, but she doesn’t look my way. She’s focused on Sunny and her phone.
“Nothing yet, but I have a feeling something’s brewing. Waters’ girl is hammered.” His eyebrows lift, like he’s excited for the show.
I check out the head table, not far from us. It’s no different than ours. Violet and Alex, along with Darren and his girl, sit with the parents. It’s a weird collection of people. Violet’s mom looks exactly like she does, just older. They have the same body, same face, same mannerisms. Sidney, Miller’s dad, looks a lot like Miller, but with darker hair, and less of it. Violet tries to pour herself a glass of wine, but her friend switches the bottle for a different one. Waters leans in and says something, and Violet gives him a pouty face.
When Waters tips her chin up, I look away. Miller’s expressed concern on multiple occasions that this whole engagement party might be a little much for Violet. He says she gets nervous in front of people. There must be a story there, but he hasn’t offered to tell it.
Miller pours Sunny a glass of wine. I trail a finger up the side of Lily’s neck. She inhales a tremulous breath, and goosebumps rise along her skin.
“Cold?” It’s warm for late September, and heat lamps are set up all over the place, but Lily doesn’t have much in the way of body fat.
She gives me a strained smile. “I’m fine.”
“You want something to drink?”
“It’s okay. I can get it.” She reaches for the bottle of wine in the center of the table. As she stands, the back of her dress rides up. I stand and move behind her so no one gets a view they shouldn’t.
“It’s okay, baby, let me do that for you.” I put my palms on her shoulders, thumbs smoothing down the ridges of her spine, fingertips caressing her collarbones. Lily drops back into her chair, her fingers brushing along mine, close to her throat. Everyone is looking at me. Or her.
I don’t know why it’s such a big deal that I’m considerate enough to get my date a damn drink. I pour her a glass of wine, then offer it to everyone else to make a point before I sit back down. Kirk drops down in the empty seat across the table. He drags the chair the blond girl is sitting in closer to him so he can use it as an armrest. She nearly spills her wine all over her dress. Fortunately, it’s black, and she doesn’t seem to care. He rests his elbow on the back of her chair. He’s got pit stains. And his forehead is sweaty.