He drew in a sharp breath. Damn. He’d seen me looking. I carefully avoided his eyes, focusing instead on his outstretched hand.
The second our fingers touched, my skin sizzled. He didn’t miss it. I was too caught off guard to be able to hide it. And just like that, the air around us thickened with tension. He flashed me a sinful smile that turned downright smug when he caught me looking at his cuff links.
Yeah, he was definitely wearing them on purpose. He drew his thumb slowly up and down my hand.
“Ready?” When I didn’t reply right away, he leaned in slightly. He was so close. So, so close. His cheek was nearly touching mine. I could feel the warmth of his skin, the five o’clock shadow on his face. He moved his hand from the top of my hand up my arm, finally resting it on my waist. I sucked in a breath, completely overwhelmed by his masculine charm. When the corner of his mouth touched mine, heat speared through me. I needed more of his touch, of him.
I couldn’t help but lean in, searching more of his warmth. He grinned.
“Careful, friend. You might fool me into thinking you want more than my friendship if you keep at this.”
I’d asked for this, hadn’t I?
“Stop looking at me like that,” I said.
“How?”
“Like you want to undress me.”
“You look gorgeous. You can’t fault me.”
“I totally can. And I am.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Josie
On the way to the venue, I tried to steel myself against his charm, because I wanted to have a long and honest conversation with him before succumbing to said charm... but it was pointless. The man deserved a medal for his tenacity. Every smile, every touch set me on edge. By the time we arrived, I was already a basket case.
The room was large, but nothing like the ballroom where the galas took place. There were several round tables spread throughout it and an open bar in the corner. Waiters served drinks at the tables, but guests could also get their own.
We mingled with the other guests, exchanging pleasantries and making small talk before sitting at our table. It was a grand event to celebrate the opening of a public institution, but I supposed it was to be expected because it had been built entirely through private donations.
The room fell silent when the host went to the front of the room with a microphone in his hand.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us here. It’s a great night. After a year and a half of hard work, we’re finally at the finish line. This wouldn’t have been possible without the help and contribution of a lot of people, so brace yourselves while I thank everyone. Christina and Alex, thank you for taking on the immense task of organizing everything. You kept us all on schedule, and that was no easy feat.”
Christina and Alex, who sat opposite us, laughed as everyone clapped. The host went on to thank so many people that I was reminded of Oscar speeches.
“And last but not least, a huge thank-you to the man of the hour: Hunter Caldwell. It goes without saying that without your contribution, this wouldn’t be possible at all. We have a surprise for you. We had a hell of a time keeping this from you, giving how involved you’ve been, but we did it. We decided on a last-minute name change for the school. It’ll be named after you and your father. After all, he was a pillar for us back in the day.”
I felt Hunter stiffen next to me. I touched my hand to his under the table, interlacing our fingers, squeezing them lightly. He didn’t react at first, but then he squeezed them back.
He nodded at the host, but only managed a tight smile. When the host stepped down from the stage, the chatter began again. Since the servers had cleared the plates, the guests started mingling again. We rose from the table with the others. Those closest to us wanted a word with Hunter.
He was still tense. I laced my arm with his. “I’m staying right here with you.”
Some of the tension left his body. He glanced at me, giving me a smile just as strained as he’d given the host.
The situation did not improve over the next half hour.
Holy hell! Everyone wanted to congratulate him, talk about his dad. I mean, obviously, the naming of the building was a cause for celebration. Hunter had worked hard to clean up his father’s reputation, and this was proof he’d succeeded in making people remember the good parts too, not just the sad ones.
But I knew my husband better than anyone else. He didn’t like to talk about these things. It made him melancholic and broody.
I had to get him out of here before broody turned into moody and the evening’s vibe changed from celebratory to melancholic.
When he started to tug at his bowtie, as if it was strangling him, I knew I had to do something.
“Christina, sorry to interrupt you, but I need to talk to my husband alone for a few minutes.”
“Of course.”
I steered us toward the exit of the room, walking quickly enough to make it clear we were heading somewhere with a purpose, not just mingling. It worked. No one stopped us.
Out on the foyer, I noticed a window looking into a small courtyard. I led us through the door next to it.
“What’s wrong?” Hunter asked the second we were outside.
“Nothing. You just looked like you wanted to get out of there.”
He laughed, and finally, finally, the tension seeped from his shoulders.
“You messed this up.” I reached to his tie, rearranging it. “Here, let me fix it for you. Better?”
“Yes. This was a pleasant surprise. I’m happy about it. I don’t know why I’m so worked up. I’m an idiot.”
“No, you’re not. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. You internalize them.”
“That’s just a more polite way of saying I’m an idiot.”
“Not at all. You’re broody. I happen to find it sexy.”
He gave me a wide, beautiful smile. I breathed out in relief. It was the first heartfelt smile since the speech.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“What else do you find sexy about me?”
I attempted to take my hands away from his tie, but he clasped my wrists, keeping them in place. I splayed my fingers on the sides of his neck instead.
“Your flirty side, your swoon-worthy side. Although that one is just irresistible.”
“And yet, you’ve been resisting me just fine.”
His tone was playful, but his gaze was determined. He placed his palms over the backs of my hands, pressing them against his neck, stepping forward until we were but an inch apart.
“Thank you for being at my side tonight, Josie. I needed you. How did you know?”
I always wanted to be at his side. I wanted to be there for him no matter what he needed. Not as his best friend, but as his wife.
“Because I love you. And I’ve been afraid, and silly. I’ve been a lawyer for so long and have always wanted to be one, so it felt as if some part of me was just ripped away. I got lost in my head, and then when I realized how unhappy you were, it just... made me doubt that I could be more than your best friend, that I could make you happy as your wife.”
I’d realized that he was trying to fix things for me because it was in his nature to make those he cared about happy.
“Don’t be afraid, okay? I love taking care of you, making you happy. I admit, I don’t always know how to go about it, but I’m learning. I’ll be a happy man to keep learning all my life. I love you, Josie. I always will. Don’t doubt that. We’re both stubborn and passionate about what we believe in. We’re bound to clash. But that doesn’t mean we don’t belong together, or that we can’t be happy together. That’s what makes us work. We challenge, push each other. I can’t promise you that we won’t clash, but I do promise you that I will love you for the rest of our lives, Josie.”