He wrapped his other hand around her back and slowly pulled her to his chest. “Nothing happened with Jody. I swear to you. She brought me home. I stumbled inside my apartment, and before I knew what happened, she kissed me and then stripped off her clothes before I pushed her away.”
“How can I believe you?”
“If I wanted to break up with you, why would I have run after you? Why would I have stood outside your door half the night, begging you to let me explain?” His thumb stroked her jaw, and he couldn’t believe she was in his arms again. Could it be this easy? “I was crushed, Blair. I didn’t have a clue how much I really loved you until I lost you. I had this gaping hole in my heart. I knew you’d never give me another chance, so I tried to find other ways to fill it. But no one ever came close to you.”
Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him with such longing it stole his breath.
“I love you, Blair. I never stopped loving you.”
She lifted her hand behind his neck and kissed him, her lips soft on his, hesitant. His tongue slid along her lower lip, and her mouth parted. Her grip on his neck tightened, and her tongue joined his as she dropped her guard and lost herself to the moment.
The fire that swept through his body caught him by surprise, and he pulled her closer, his hand sliding from the small of her back down to her ass and pulling her against his pelvis.
She groaned, and he felt her free hand grabbing his own ass, pulling him closer.
The sound of a doorbell barely registered in his head, but the voice he heard several seconds later sent ice water through his blood.
Neil was at the front door.
Chapter Fourteen
What the hell had she done?
She heard Neil at the front door. “Hey, Josh. I didn’t know you were here,” he said. “I thought I’d crash the party.”
Shit.
Blair froze in Garrett’s arms and tried to jerk away from him, but he held her tight.
Josh answered, “Bart invited me over to hang out in the basement and watch a game. He was feeling outnumbered. Noah’s here too.”
Panic flooded her, and she pulled against Garrett’s vise-like grip. “Let me go!” She couldn’t let Neil find her like this. Oh, God. What had she done?
He dropped his hold, and worry filled Garrett’s eyes as she took several steps backward.
“You have to break off this wedding, Blair,” he insisted in a whisper. “Tell him when he comes in. We can tell him together.”
Lifting a hand to her temple, she shook her head. “This is all happening too fast. I have to think.” She couldn’t just throw away a two-year relationship over a hot kiss—and from a man who’d slept with half the women in law school after their breakup. This was ridiculous. She was getting married in three days.
But her panic increased, stealing her breath. How could she face Neil after what she’d just done?
“They’re out back,” Josh said, and moments later, Neil stood in the doorway with Megan’s husband.
“Oh, hey, Blair,” Josh said in surprise. “I didn’t know you were in here. Look who just turned up.”
Neil surveyed the both of them. He smiled, but his eyes were cold as his gaze swung from her to Garrett and back.
“What are you doing here?” Blair asked, placing her hands on the kitchen island to steady herself, her peripheral vision darkening. She wasn’t a fainting kind of girl, but the situation seemed to warrant it.
Neil’s eyes pinned hers. “Funny, I was wondering what Garrett was doing here.”
Garrett gave him a lazy grin. “Nana made me come with her.”
“So I see all the guys are here,” Neil said, his jaw tightening. “Why didn’t you ask me to come, darling?”
She knew that look. He was pissed.
Suddenly Noah appeared behind Josh. “Bart needs another beer,” he said, slapping a hand on his brother’s shoulder. His eyes widened as soon as he sensed the tension in the kitchen. “Whoa.”
“Noah, how about you go out back and grab Megan for me.” Josh tried to sound casual, but no one in the room was fooled. “Hey, Neil,” he said. “There wasn’t any mal-intent here. Bart invited me and Noah today, and Garrett’s grandmother insisted that he come.”
“She’s my grandmother too.” Neil’s voice was tight. He walked around the island toward Blair.
Several feet now separated her and Garrett, but she could still feel him tense up.
Neil stopped next to her, leaving a foot between them. “Where’s my kiss hello, darling?” He wrapped an arm around her back and leaned down to kiss her, but she couldn’t bear to kiss him after the way she’d just thrown herself at Garrett. She turned her head at the last moment, and his mouth skimmed the corner of her mouth.
“It wasn’t intentional, Neil,” she said, trying to keep it together. “Why did you stop by?”
“I was missing you, of course.”
Her gaze shot up to him in surprise. That was a bald-faced lie. He rarely told her he missed her, and even then, it was only after a separation of multiple days. But he took the opportunity to plant a lingering kiss on her lips. His mouth felt rough and possessive against hers, as if he were staking his claim. She resisted the urge to pull away, and part of her wondered why she even felt that urge. Was it because his kiss left her cold compared to Garrett’s fire? Or was it out of guilt?
“Is my cousin bothering you?” Neil murmured after he lifted his head, still looking down into her eyes.
Her face burned under his scrutiny.
“I can have him kicked out. I am the groom.”
Garrett crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought you had other plans tonight, Neil.”
Neil’s nostrils flared, and some unnamable emotion glowed in his eyes. Oh, God. He either knew or suspected she’d behaved inappropriately with Garrett. “My plans fell through. Besides, I know where my true priorities lie.”
“Funny how quickly they’ve changed. What spurred that?”
Blair glanced from one of them to the other, trying to understand their secret exchange, but the room was spinning and she could hardly stand, let alone form a rational thought.
Garrett took a step toward them, his hands fisted at his sides. “Don’t be so sure of yourself. There’s something we need to tell you.”
Neil’s eyebrows rose. “We?” Then he looked down at her, demanding an answer.
She pulled free of his hold and took a deep breath. In her office and in the courtroom, she was the epitome of confidence and control. Where was that woman now? But everything felt jumbled and out of sorts in her head. For the first time in her life, she literally had no idea what to do. “I . . .”
The back door opened, and Libby and Megan hurried through, worry in their eyes. Noah trailed behind them. “Blair, there you are,” Megan said, rushing over to her. “It’s time to open presents.”
Libby intercepted Garrett. “I think you two should hang out with the guys. What do you think, Noah?”
“Yeah.” Noah nodded. “There’s a Royals game on.”
“Sure, he should join you,” Neil said, his anger unmistakable. “But I’ll be staying with my fiancée.”