The minister droned on, mentioned something about special personal vows the couple had written for each other, and Hunter bit back the moan that threatened. His brother was a complete liar. This ceremony was gonna go into Sunday at this rate. They had a reception to attend, damn it. The only thing he’d been looking forward to all week. The final, partying moment where they could say sayonara to all the wedding planning that had occupied the entire Worth family these last few months and allow them to get back to normal.
He couldn’t freaking wait to get his drink and eat on.
Tilting his head from side to side, he cracked his neck. Heard the snicker come from Rhett’s direction but chose to ignore it. His arms were tingling from holding them in the same position for so long, and he shook them out as discreetly as he could. An itchy sensation started to irritate the middle of his shoulder blades, but he knew it would be rude as hell to reach for it and try to scratch.
The feeling intensified, and he glanced over his shoulder with a scowl.
And he caught two women sitting in the crowd who stared directly at him. Becky, whoop-de-do. He liked Becks, but she was in HR, which meant she was a downer.
No, it was the other woman who interested him—interested him far more than he cared to admit. And while Becky looked away like a guilty kid who just got caught raiding the cookie jar, the woman he wanted more than any other continued to watch him.
Gracie Hayes. Cool as a cucumber, smart, slick Gracie watched him, eating him up with her gaze.
He flashed her a smile, and her cheeks flushed pink. The same pink color he remembered from that one night when he broke through the icy barrier she wore so well to discover the warm and very willing woman lingering just beneath. He’d experienced the single hottest kiss of his entire life with Gracie Hayes. At an old pub with the rest of their co-workers close by, he’d mauled her in a hallway. Drunk from the whiskey he’d consumed, drunk on her taste, drunk on her scent, he’d lost his head.
And then she’d pushed him away and told him they couldn’t continue. It wasn’t prudent, it wasn’t smart—those were her exact words. She’d even asked him to forget that it ever happened.
Like he had a chance in hell of ever forgetting that spectacular moment in time.
She dropped her gaze, the swing of her long, dark hair covering her face, ever the coy, subtle one, especially since they’d shared that kiss. But he knew she still felt it for him. Hell, the attraction between them was palpable. Like a living, breathing thing that bounced between them whenever they got close to each other. He didn’t know how anyone else hadn’t called them out on it yet.
Thank Christ they hadn’t. She would first panic and then push him away even further. The very last thing he wanted. His ultimate goal—besides teaching his precious niece how to say his name—was to bed Gracie Hayes.
Stupid, yep. Risky, oh hell yeah. But he was a man who liked to gamble. Safe, predictable, he left those traits up to Alex. As the oldest brother, that was his responsibility. Foolish and idiotic, well, Rhett wore those banners quite well.
But the charmer, the gambler…that was his role. One he wore proudly.
And tonight, he was banking on Gracie.
She finally looked at him again, offering him a quick little curve of her sensual mouth. He winked at her in return, and the smile grew, her gaze dropping once more. Just like that, his cock reacted. Gave a little twitch, let him know that it was more than ready to see a little Gracie action tonight.
Hunter shook his head. He sounded like a horny teenager in his head. Hell, he’d felt like an out-of-his-mind hormonal kid since those few minutes with Gracie in his arms. She had him so amped up he was practically out of his mind with it. And it had all happened over a month ago.
He hadn’t been with another woman since. No other would do. He wanted only Gracie.
But she didn’t want him. And wasn’t that just a bitch?
Yeah, he thought so.
She might be right. It was foolish to mess around with a co-worker. It was crazy even. But look at Alex and Tessa. She’d started out as his personal assistant and ended up his wife.
Talk about some personal assistance…
Silently chastising himself, he returned his focus on the happy, almost-married couple, who had just wrapped up their personal vows to each other. Perfect. It was almost over.
Feeling like an utter jackass for even thinking such a thing, he became solemn. Opened his ears and his eyes to what was being said. The beauty of love, the sanctity of marriage. Of two people becoming one, of pledging their love to one another until death did they part.
Ominous words to a bachelor like himself. He swore he felt Rhett’s full-body shudder behind him. Yeah, neither of them was going to fall for that trap. Let their brother be the sucker.
Hunter wasn’t interested in settling down.
Glancing out the corner of his eye, he caught Gracie watching him yet again, and triumph surged through him. The minute the reception started, he was going to work up the nerve to talk to her. Because yeah, even though they had an excellent professional relationship and had even shared a brief but intimate moment together, he had to work up his nerve to talk to the woman.
Something that had never, ever happened to him before. Women did not scare him, they did not intimidate him—with the exception of Gracie.
Odd. But he didn’t really spend much time reflecting on it. To think on it too much would make it even more confusing.
And for a man who liked to keep it simple, well, that was hard to deal with.