Brown-Eyed Girl (Travis Family #4)(15)

I had no idea what song played next. We stood locked in a subtle sway with my arms linked around his neck. I let my fingers drift over the nape of his neck, where the thick hair was tapered in close layers. A feeling of unreality swept over me, and my imagination kept veering in the wrong directions… I wondered what he would be like in intimacy, the ways he might move and breathe and tremble.

His head lowered until his jaw grazed my cheek, the touch of shaven bristle delicious.

“I have to work,” I managed to say. “What… what time is it?”

I felt him lift his arm behind me, but apparently it was too dark to read his watch. “Must be close to midnight,” he said.

“I have to set up the after-party.”

“Where?”

“The swimming pool patio.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, you’ll distract me.” Realizing my arms were still linked around his neck, I began to pull free.

“Probably.” Joe caught one of my wrists and turned his mouth to the inside of my wrist. A shock of sweetness went through me as I felt his lips touch the thin, tender skin, grazing the frantic thrum of a pulse. From inside his pocket, he withdrew my glasses and gave them back to me.

I couldn’t stop staring at him. There was a crescent mark on the left side of his jaw, a thin white line amid the shadow of shaven bristle. And another mark near the outward corner of his left eye, a subtle parenthetical scar. Somehow the tiny imperfections made him even sexier.

I wanted to touch the marks with my fingertips. I wanted to kiss them. But the desire was hemmed by the instinctive knowledge that this wasn’t a man I could ever be casual about. When you fell for a man like this, it would be an all-consuming bonfire. And afterward, your heart would resemble the contents of an ashtray.

“I’ll meet you when you finish setting up,” Joe told me.

“It may take a long time. I don’t want you to wait.”

“I’ve got all night.” His voice was soft. “And you’re how I want to spend it.”

Desperately, I tried not to feel so flattered and overwhelmed. And I hurried away with the sense that I was running through a minefield.

Five

“Well?” Sofia asked, removing her radio mike as I reached her. How could she look so relaxed? How could everything seem normal when it was the opposite of normal?

“We danced,” I said distractedly. “Where’s my bag? What time is it?”

“Eleven twenty-three. Your bag is right here. Steven and Val have already started the setup for the after-party. Tank helped the live band with all their speakers and power cords. Ree-Ann and the caterers are working on the pie buffet and the wine and coffee service. And the waitstaff is about to begin the reception cleanup.”

“Everything’s on schedule, then.”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Sofia smiled. “Where is Joe? Did you have a good time dancing?”

“Yes.” I picked up my bag, which seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.

“Why do you look nervous?”

“He wants to meet me later.”

“Tonight? That’s wonderful.” At my silence, Sofia asked, “Do you like him?”

“He’s… well, he’s…” I paused, floundering. “I can’t figure out the angle.”

“What angle?”

“Why he’s pretending to be interested in me.”

“Why do you think he’s pretending?”

I scowled. “Come on, Sofia. Do I look like the kind of woman that a man like Joe Travis would go for? Does that even make sense?”

“Ay, chinga.” Sofia did a face palm. “A big, sexy man wants to spend time with you. This is not a problem, Avery. Stop worrying.”

“People do stupid things at weddings —” I began.

“Yes. Go be one of them.”

“My God. You give the worst advice.”

“Then don’t ask me for it.”

“I didn’t!”

Sofia regarded me with fond concern. A sisterly gaze. “Mija. You know how people always say ‘You’ll find someone when you stop looking’?”

“Yes.”

“I think you’ve gotten too good at not looking. You’ve decided not to look even if the right man happens to be standing right in front of you.” Taking my shoulders, she turned me around and gave me a little push. “Go on. Don’t worry if it’s a mistake. Most mistakes turn out okay.”

“The worst advice,” I repeated darkly, and left her.

I knew that Sofia was right: I had developed some bad habits since my catastrophic engagement. Solitude, avoidance, suspicion. But those coping mechanisms had warded off a hell of a lot of pain and damage. It wouldn’t be easy to get rid of them, even if I wanted to.

By the time I reached the swimming pool patio, a couple of the bridesmaids had already changed into bikinis and were laughing and splashing in the pool. Noticing that no towels had been set out, I went to Val, who was arranging lounge furniture. “Towels?” I asked.

“Tank is assembling the towel stand.”

“That should have been done earlier.”

“I know. Sorry.” Val made a little grimace. “He said he’ll have it out here in ten minutes. We didn’t expect anyone to be in the pool this early.”