Page 66 of Blame it on the Kiss
“I only speak the truth.”
“At the precise moment to catch a girl at her weakest.”
He frowned. There was nothing weak about her.
She pulled her hand back and rolled her eyes. “How can I say no when you’ve spent the past four hours makingmeinfinitely happier by giving me orgasm after orgasm and all I can think about is you doing it again.”
“So that’s a yes?” He flashed her a roguish smile.
“Plus you took me to see butterflies.” She fell back against her chair in happy defeat, the dreamy expression on her face giving her away.
“And don’t forget spoke French to you.”
His reminder provoked a sexy grin to take hold of lips still swollen from his kisses. They stayed latched to each other’s gaze until she broke eye contact and said, “I don’t know how to do this, Bryce.”
“Sure you do. Just be yourself. I’ve never met anyone who puts others at ease as quickly as you do and you might pretend you don’t like to be social, but I know you secretly want to dress up and paint the town. No one wears a dress like you do.”
She shook her head in mock discomfort, the slight turn at the corners of her mouth sharing her true disposition. “Is this a formal dinner?”
“Yes. I’ll be in a tux.”
Silence dragged on for what seemed like hours before she finally blessed him with an agreeable smile. “Okay, I’ll be your date. But only because you probably look obscenely hot in a tux.”
“Of course.”
“And Sophie needs a gal pal,” Honor said.
“I think Olivia is going to be there, too. You remember her from the wedding?”
“I do.” Honor’s shoulder’s visibly relaxed. “So you’ll have several friends there.”
If it made her feel better to be lumped in with his friends, so be it. As long as she was at the event, he didn’t care what kind of rationalization she used.
“Hello?”
Honor quickly turned her head at the sound of a female voice coming from the open doorway of the store. She jumped to her feet, almost knocking over her chair. “Mary?”
The older woman smiled. “Surprise.”
“Oh my gosh.” Honor rushed into the woman’s open arms. They held each other for a long time. Long enough for Bryce to feel like an intruder.
“I’ve missed you,” Mary said, pulling back. She regarded Honor with big brown eyes filled with motherly love.
Bryce sucked in a breath. He’d never met Mary, but staring at her face he knew who she was. Over Honor’s shoulder, her gaze connected with his.
Honor twisted around and when their eyes met, pain spoiled the blue he’d come to adore. Tension so thick filled the space between them, the only way to end it would be to leave. Suddenly, he’d give anything to have an ocean between them.
“I should head out,” he said.
“Okay. But uh, before you go, I’d like you to meet Payton’s mom, Mary. Mary, this is… this is my friend Bryce.” Mary looked between them. Honor never broke eye contact with him. “Payton’s Bryce.”
His gut clenched. Did she still think that? After everything that had happened between them? “It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“Likewise.” Mary shook his outstretched hand, her expression warm, but also sympathetic.
He had to get out of there before he suffocated. Honor’s loyalty would always lay with her best friend, and where that left him he didn’t know. But he certainly didn’t want anyone’s pity.
“Have a nice visit,” he said before he forced a smile and walked out of the store without a glance back.
