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“You’d be a wreck without Atalie. Hell, you were a wreck before you hired her,” Brooks points out.
Desmond raises his eyebrows in acknowledgment. “Tell me about it. She’s a godsend, even if she scares the shit out of me.”
A voice comes over the speaker system, directing us to make our way to our tables for dinner.
“Our table’s up front,” Nolan says. “We’ll see you guys later.”
“It was great to meet you.” I grin. All three men give me heart-stopping smiles, and I think my brain explodes from the attention.
“Damn, they’re lethal. Add you into the mix and I don’t stand a chance,” I say to Nolan as he leads us to our seats. The weight of his hand on my back is shiver-inducing. How did I not know I loved the feeling of a man’s hand against me like that?
Nolan busts out laughing at me, and I can’t help but laugh with him. “Are you building yourself a reverse harem in your head?”
“Hmm. Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t be opposed.” I imagine all four guys giving me their full attention, and I can’t deny it’s quite the fantasy. But if I’m honest with myself, I’m only interested in one of those guys right now. “Ya know, the more I think about it, the more I’m sure I’m a one-man-at-a-time kind of girl.”
When Nolan’s gaze crashes with mine, heat like I’ve never felt before spreads through my body. “Good to know, mama.”
CHAPTER 4
Nolan
Oh, sweet torture gods, please have mercy on my soul.
Katie has been flirty and silly and more relaxed than I’ve ever seen her. She’s always beautiful to me, but the full-wattage smile she keeps throwing my way tonight makes her enchanting.
I’m mesmerized by the way her hips sway on the dance floor. Ellie, Tilly, and Sara are dancing with her in a small circle. The four of them have no idea how many pairs of eyes they’ve attracted. And I’m not even counting their partners right now. Men around the room are watching them have the time of their lives, and they have no idea.
The fundraiser ended an hour ago. We had a fancy four-course dinner that was surprisingly delicious for fancy-as-fuck food. Adam and Matthew gave a fantastic speech, sharing their appreciation for everyone’s support and announcing how much the fundraiser had brought in for the evening. I couldn’t believe they’d made over half a million dollars tonight. I guess between the price of attendance and the silent auction items, people were willing to drop a shitload of money for a good cause.
After most of the guests left, my siblings, their partners, and a few friends decided to move to the hotel bar. Drinks have continued to flow while we’ve partied with other hotel guests.
A slap to my shoulder forces me to tear my eyes away from Katie’s moves on the dance floor.
Desmond’s grinning at me, a knowing look in his eyes. “I’m sorry if the guys or I stepped on your toes earlier. If we’d known she was yours, we wouldn’t have flirted so hard.”
“She’s not mine, so it’s all good.” The words feel like razors in my mouth, even if they’re true.
Desmond sits in the chair next to mine and takes a sip of his drink. “Maybe not officially, but you want her, and that’s all that should matter.”
I shrug. There’s not much I can say in response. I do want her. I want her more than I’ve wanted any other woman before, but she’ll never go for me. She’s made it clear I’m not the guy for her.
“She wants you, too. You know that, right?”
I scoff. “She may be attracted to me, but she doesn’t truly want me.”
“Then you must be blind. The way she looks at you is more than a simple attraction. Trust me.”
I refuse to allow Desmond’s words to get my hopes up. It would only crush me harder when she turned me down. No, if she truly wants me, she’ll come to me. Until then, I’ll keep my crush to myself.
“You staying in town for long?” I change the subject.
Desmond sees right through me but lets me do it, regardless. “Nah, we’re heading back to New York in the morning. We’ve got an afternoon skate tomorrow.”
“Oof, not much of a break.”
“Nah, if we go too long without practicing, we get fat and lazy.”
“You’re already fat and lazy,” I joke.
