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Authors: Stefanie London
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lips twisted into a grimace. “I haven’t changed my mind.”
“There’s a big difference between not wanting to get hitched anytime soon and not wanting it ever.” Des folded his arms across his chest and grinned. “She’s gotten to you. That’s why you brought her home.”
“I was quite content keeping my family and my love life separate…”
“But?”
“Libby’s…different.” At least that wasn’t a lie. “She’s different from Sadie.”
Des chuckled. “You mean she’s not a two-faced, cheating waste of space?”
Paul’s head snapped up. “I thought you liked Sadie.”
He’d never heard a single family member say a bad word about his ex, not even after everything that had happened. Deep down he’d always wondered if they’d wished the two of them had stayed together. Or worse, they blamed him for the breakup…for driving her into another man’s arms.
“I liked her well enough while you were going out, but you can’t really excuse what she did.” Des frowned. “I know Ma always says we have to remember she’s still part of the family but…”
“But?”
“She still cheated on you.” Des shook his head and clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “That’s low.”
“Thanks.”
“I never knew what to say when it happened, and I thought bringing it up would make it worse.”
Paul speared the last piece of his dessert with a fork and popped it into his mouth. “But now that you’re all partnered up you can talk about girly shit like that.”
His brother smirked. “You’re partnered up, too, it won’t be long before you have to give your opinion on flowers and champagne and colors. Honestly, I don’t know how girls manage to look at three pink things and think they’re all different. Salmon, my ass. It’s bloody pink.”
“They should come with an instruction manual.” Paul looked back over to where the girls sat.
Libby threw her head back, laughing at something his mother had said. The tinkling sound sent a shiver through him. At that moment she looked up, her eyes connecting with his. Color spread through her cheeks and her neck, reminding him of how hot she’d felt underneath his hands.
She’d kissed like she meant it. He didn’t believe for a second that she was that good an actress. He certainly hadn’t been acting. The moment her little hands grabbed his T-shirt and she’d thrust her hips up against him he’d gone hard as stone.
Just business. Yeah right.
He was going to convince Libby that her “no sex” rule was pointless. He had absolutely no trouble separating sex from emotion. And if they had to play the part, why not use the real chemistry that already existed between them? It made sense, they’d fool everyone completely. No one would ever suspect it was all for show.
Chapter Six
L ibby stared at the calendar on her wall, neat squares with tidy little X s in green ink. She’d accumulated seven since her visit to Paul’s family dinner. Since she’d set in motion plans to get Libby Gal Cocktails into First. Since she’d kissed Paul.
A whole week and the memory of his lips on hers pulsed within her as though it had happened moments ago.
Distraction plagued her like a dark cloud hovering overhead. Thinking about that kiss, being annoyed and forcing herself to think about something else, then thinking about the kiss again.
Nothing dulled the memory, not sleep deprivation from her vivid dreams nor the fact that no other restaurants seemed keen to take her on.
“You’re acting like a silly school girl,” she said to herself as she paused in front of the ornate mirror in her hallway. “It was just a kiss.”
But oh , what a kiss it had been. The kind of toe-curling, sigh-inducing, heart-rate-spiking kiss you saw in movies. Paul had a kissing mastery like none she’d experienced before.
“That means he’s kissed a lot of girls,” she said to her reflection, frowning. “Don’t go thinking you’re special.”
Afternoon sunlight
“There’s a big difference between not wanting to get hitched anytime soon and not wanting it ever.” Des folded his arms across his chest and grinned. “She’s gotten to you. That’s why you brought her home.”
“I was quite content keeping my family and my love life separate…”
“But?”
“Libby’s…different.” At least that wasn’t a lie. “She’s different from Sadie.”
Des chuckled. “You mean she’s not a two-faced, cheating waste of space?”
Paul’s head snapped up. “I thought you liked Sadie.”
He’d never heard a single family member say a bad word about his ex, not even after everything that had happened. Deep down he’d always wondered if they’d wished the two of them had stayed together. Or worse, they blamed him for the breakup…for driving her into another man’s arms.
“I liked her well enough while you were going out, but you can’t really excuse what she did.” Des frowned. “I know Ma always says we have to remember she’s still part of the family but…”
“But?”
“She still cheated on you.” Des shook his head and clapped a hand down on his shoulder. “That’s low.”
“Thanks.”
“I never knew what to say when it happened, and I thought bringing it up would make it worse.”
Paul speared the last piece of his dessert with a fork and popped it into his mouth. “But now that you’re all partnered up you can talk about girly shit like that.”
His brother smirked. “You’re partnered up, too, it won’t be long before you have to give your opinion on flowers and champagne and colors. Honestly, I don’t know how girls manage to look at three pink things and think they’re all different. Salmon, my ass. It’s bloody pink.”
“They should come with an instruction manual.” Paul looked back over to where the girls sat.
Libby threw her head back, laughing at something his mother had said. The tinkling sound sent a shiver through him. At that moment she looked up, her eyes connecting with his. Color spread through her cheeks and her neck, reminding him of how hot she’d felt underneath his hands.
She’d kissed like she meant it. He didn’t believe for a second that she was that good an actress. He certainly hadn’t been acting. The moment her little hands grabbed his T-shirt and she’d thrust her hips up against him he’d gone hard as stone.
Just business. Yeah right.
He was going to convince Libby that her “no sex” rule was pointless. He had absolutely no trouble separating sex from emotion. And if they had to play the part, why not use the real chemistry that already existed between them? It made sense, they’d fool everyone completely. No one would ever suspect it was all for show.
Chapter Six
L ibby stared at the calendar on her wall, neat squares with tidy little X s in green ink. She’d accumulated seven since her visit to Paul’s family dinner. Since she’d set in motion plans to get Libby Gal Cocktails into First. Since she’d kissed Paul.
A whole week and the memory of his lips on hers pulsed within her as though it had happened moments ago.
Distraction plagued her like a dark cloud hovering overhead. Thinking about that kiss, being annoyed and forcing herself to think about something else, then thinking about the kiss again.
Nothing dulled the memory, not sleep deprivation from her vivid dreams nor the fact that no other restaurants seemed keen to take her on.
“You’re acting like a silly school girl,” she said to herself as she paused in front of the ornate mirror in her hallway. “It was just a kiss.”
But oh , what a kiss it had been. The kind of toe-curling, sigh-inducing, heart-rate-spiking kiss you saw in movies. Paul had a kissing mastery like none she’d experienced before.
“That means he’s kissed a lot of girls,” she said to her reflection, frowning. “Don’t go thinking you’re special.”
Afternoon sunlight
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