breath stopped when he urged the glass up to my lips for another sip. Before I could swallow, he pressed his mouth to mine, his tongue sliding between my lips, tasting the wine.
I was breathless and aroused when he pulled back, a smirk on his lips.
“Best wine I’ve ever had.” I had no response for that, so I simply shook my head and looked down at my feet in their silvery shoes.
I frowned when a pair of bright red high heels came running into my view, accompanied by long, shapely legs and a squealing voice.
“Alex!” I looked up in time to see an insanely gorgeous girl dressed in a fire engine red excuse for a dress fling herself into my date’s arms. To my amazement, he grinned and hugged her back, not seeming to notice when her breasts—her very large breasts—brushed his forearm.
“Hey, Georgeanne.” They grinned at each other for a long moment while I dealt with my first feelings of jealousy.
Who the hell was this raven haired vixen and, more importantly, why were she and Alex all over one another?
For the first time, I understood the urge to pour a drink over another person’s head.
Alex turned, caught my expression, and hastily began extricating himself from the brunette’s limbs.
“Georgie, this is Serena King. My date .” The brunette turned and, seeing me with my red cheeks and scowl, grimaced.
“Sorry, bro.” Smoothing down the dress that she’d rumpled in their embrace, she extended her hand for me to shake. “ Awesome to meet you, Serena. Wow. Alex never brings anyone—”
“Georgeanne was my foster sister when I was sixteen.” Alex glared at the other woman with—now that I knew I could see it—an expression that siblings usually reserved for one another. It was clear that he didn’t want her spilling any details about him to me. “And she still likes to play the role, even now that she’s reached the ripe old age of twenty-four.”
Georgeanne rolled her eyes at Alex, then rose up on her tiptoes to scan the crowd. She waved enthusiastically at someone, gesturing them over, before turning back to Alex.
“Who are you waving at?” Alex scowled as if he didn’t like what he’d seen.
“No one. Just Tripp.” Georgeanne became very interested in the sparkly polish on her nails as Alex observed her blush, then glowered.
“Tripp? Like, Tripp Tripp?” Alex asked. I was painfully aware that I’d stumbled into some kind of family dynamic. I had no idea how to play my part in it, since my own family was so very screwed up, so I stood there, silent, letting the scene before me unfold.
“What’s going on with you and Tripp?” Alex barely got the words out of his mouth before Georgeanne had laced her arm through his again. This time I was more puzzled than jealous.
“Let’s dance, Allie!” Ignoring the scowl Alex cast her way over the nickname, Georgeanne winked at me as she pulled him onto the dance floor, clearly trying to divert him from the topic at hand. He looked like he was about to refuse, but I smiled and gestured for him to go.
Georgeanne was yet another facet of Alex to puzzle over. No wonder he had me tied up in knots.
“Rude of him to leave you here alone.” The voice came from directly behind me. I jolted far more than the surprise called for, wine sloshing over the edge of my glass to spill, sticky and sweet, onto my hand.
I whirled, my heart in my throat, half expecting to see him . Instead I found a nice looking man in his early thirties, with short brown hair, twinkly blue eyes and laugh lines around his mouth.
“I’m sorry.” He held his hands up, palms out, to show me he meant no harm. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” I resisted the urge to wipe the wine from my hand with the skirt of Kaylee’s dress, shaking the droplets off instead.
It really wasn’t okay, though. It didn’t matter how nice he looked, I didn’t much care for strange men.
“I’m Tripp.” He said carefully, extending a hand for me to shake.
I was breathless and aroused when he pulled back, a smirk on his lips.
“Best wine I’ve ever had.” I had no response for that, so I simply shook my head and looked down at my feet in their silvery shoes.
I frowned when a pair of bright red high heels came running into my view, accompanied by long, shapely legs and a squealing voice.
“Alex!” I looked up in time to see an insanely gorgeous girl dressed in a fire engine red excuse for a dress fling herself into my date’s arms. To my amazement, he grinned and hugged her back, not seeming to notice when her breasts—her very large breasts—brushed his forearm.
“Hey, Georgeanne.” They grinned at each other for a long moment while I dealt with my first feelings of jealousy.
Who the hell was this raven haired vixen and, more importantly, why were she and Alex all over one another?
For the first time, I understood the urge to pour a drink over another person’s head.
Alex turned, caught my expression, and hastily began extricating himself from the brunette’s limbs.
“Georgie, this is Serena King. My date .” The brunette turned and, seeing me with my red cheeks and scowl, grimaced.
“Sorry, bro.” Smoothing down the dress that she’d rumpled in their embrace, she extended her hand for me to shake. “ Awesome to meet you, Serena. Wow. Alex never brings anyone—”
“Georgeanne was my foster sister when I was sixteen.” Alex glared at the other woman with—now that I knew I could see it—an expression that siblings usually reserved for one another. It was clear that he didn’t want her spilling any details about him to me. “And she still likes to play the role, even now that she’s reached the ripe old age of twenty-four.”
Georgeanne rolled her eyes at Alex, then rose up on her tiptoes to scan the crowd. She waved enthusiastically at someone, gesturing them over, before turning back to Alex.
“Who are you waving at?” Alex scowled as if he didn’t like what he’d seen.
“No one. Just Tripp.” Georgeanne became very interested in the sparkly polish on her nails as Alex observed her blush, then glowered.
“Tripp? Like, Tripp Tripp?” Alex asked. I was painfully aware that I’d stumbled into some kind of family dynamic. I had no idea how to play my part in it, since my own family was so very screwed up, so I stood there, silent, letting the scene before me unfold.
“What’s going on with you and Tripp?” Alex barely got the words out of his mouth before Georgeanne had laced her arm through his again. This time I was more puzzled than jealous.
“Let’s dance, Allie!” Ignoring the scowl Alex cast her way over the nickname, Georgeanne winked at me as she pulled him onto the dance floor, clearly trying to divert him from the topic at hand. He looked like he was about to refuse, but I smiled and gestured for him to go.
Georgeanne was yet another facet of Alex to puzzle over. No wonder he had me tied up in knots.
“Rude of him to leave you here alone.” The voice came from directly behind me. I jolted far more than the surprise called for, wine sloshing over the edge of my glass to spill, sticky and sweet, onto my hand.
I whirled, my heart in my throat, half expecting to see him . Instead I found a nice looking man in his early thirties, with short brown hair, twinkly blue eyes and laugh lines around his mouth.
“I’m sorry.” He held his hands up, palms out, to show me he meant no harm. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” I resisted the urge to wipe the wine from my hand with the skirt of Kaylee’s dress, shaking the droplets off instead.
It really wasn’t okay, though. It didn’t matter how nice he looked, I didn’t much care for strange men.
“I’m Tripp.” He said carefully, extending a hand for me to shake.
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