Page 67 of Face Off

The satin wrapped her breasts, narrowed around her waist, and followed hips that had returned fuller than I remembered. She had spent too much of our relationship searching my face for reassurance that I still wanted her. I wasn’t giving her reassurance now.

I was looking because she was fine as fuck, and pretending otherwise would insult both of us.

Heat entered her cheeks before she lifted an eyebrow. “Are you finished?”

“Not remotely.”

Elenore concealed a smile behind her champagne while Harrison suddenly found Daniel’s grilling failures worthy of his full attention.

Charm came closer. “You could attempt subtlety.”

“I could. Seems dishonest.”

Her eyes moved over my black shirt and jacket before catching on the silver tie bar. “You clean up well.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I remember what you wore to our first tutoring session.”

“You were staring at me then too.”

“I was wondering whether the backward hat was permanently attached.”

“You spent several weeks trying to figure that out.”

“I eventually learned other things were removable.”

The answer hit low enough to make my jaw tighten.

Charm’s mouth curved because she knew exactly where it landed.

“You’ve been drinking,” I said.

“You’ve used that excuse twice.”

“It keeps being accurate.”

“It also keeps failing to explain why you’re looking at me like that.”

I let my attention make one deliberate trip down her body before meeting her eyes again. “Because you look fine as fuck, mami.”

Her breath caught but Charm recovered more quickly than she once would have. She stepped close enough that the front of her dress brushed my jacket and smoothed an imaginary wrinkle near the lapel.

“You don’t look terrible either.”

“You can do better than that.”

“I’m trying not to inflate your already dangerous confidence.”

“Too late.”

“Tragic.”

Bliss appeared beside Cade and smoothed his collar, her fingers lingering against his neck while he looked at her like the wedding guests had already disappeared around them. Cade wore black trousers and white Vans because apparently marriage couldn’t force him into dress shoes before the ceremony.

“You kept the Vans,” I said.

“Bliss knows who I am.”