Chapter 8 #2
“How do you know the bride and groom?” she asked them, reaching for the ice water and filling both our glasses.
“Chris is an old college friend of ours,” the guy opposite Tally said, his gaze locked on her as if he’d just seen an angel.
My eyelid twitched. Yes, I’d just finished telling her how irresistible she was in that dress, but I hadn’t realized I’d have to scare off horny guys quite this soon.
“I thought the dinner tonight was for family,” I said tersely.
Tally elbowed me.
The guy just laughed. “It was supposed to be, but Lake’s family is bigger than Chris’s, so he invited us to make up numbers. I’m Jackson, and this is Ben.”
“Tally,” she replied, stretching her hand across the table. “Short for Tallulah.”
He accepted her hand with a flourish. I narrowed my eyes. If he kissed it, I’d be forced to kick him under the table. Tally and I might not actually be together, but for the purposes of this wedding, everyone had to think that we were.
“That’s an interesting name,” Jackson said.
I coughed. “I’m Alec.”
“Right winger for the Colorado Dragons.” The words burst from Ben as if he’d been holding them back since the start of the conversation. His face turned red. He had one of those freckled complexions that meant when he blushed, he did it with his whole body. “I love hockey. I play in a rec league.”
“Oh, yeah? What position are you?” I asked.
“Center.”
“Nice.” There had been a time when I’d thought I might like to be center but then I learned I prefer to zip around the sides of the ice and slip past the goalie rather than launch head-on attacks.
“So, how do you know Chris and Lake?” Jackson asked. His gaze still hadn’t left Tally.
“Lake is my cousin,” she said.
He turned to Alec. “And you?”
Ah. I got it. He wanted to know if we were related or here as a couple. As if me pulling out her chair hadn’t been indication enough.
“I’m Tally’s boyfriend.” I stared him down and he seemed to get the hint. “She’s my little cocobug.”
Jackson raised an eyebrow.
Tally laughed. “I’m a chocolatier. I’ve always been obsessed with chocolate, so he’s called me that since we were in school together.”
“You guys have been together for that long?” Ben looked surprised. “I never realized Alec had a partner. I feel like you’ve never mentioned her in any interviews.”
“We were best friends,” I explained, subtly letting Jackson know that he had no chance of snatching Tally away from me. “We only confessed our feelings for each other recently.”
“I love chocolate.” Jackson didn’t seem as deterred as he ought to be. “Especially if there’s caramel involved.”
Tally’s face lit up. “Such a good combination. Especially if it’s dark chocolate and there’s a little sea salt or something to cut through the sweetness.”
He grinned at her. “Exactly.”
She grinned back.
I gritted my teeth. I liked chocolate, but I didn’t have the same enthusiasm for it that she did, and right now, that felt glaringly obvious.
“What about you?” I asked Ben, hoping to shift the conversation. “What food do you like?”
He shrugged. “All of it.”
Well, that wasn’t exactly helpful.
“Do you work in a chocolate factory?” Jackson asked Tally.
“No, I own a shop.” As she explained how she’d bought Coco Luxe two years ago and had begun operating it with just her and an assistant, Jackson was completely riveted.
It irritated me.
Of course I wanted people to be interested in Tally. Realistically, I should be pleased about the attention because it showed what a fool Thad had been to let her go, but I couldn’t help feeling that Jackson needed to mind his own business.
After all, we couldn’t have him messing up our ruse.
We chatted through our main course. Jackson and Ben were surprisingly good company, even if I didn’t like the way Jackson’s whole body seemed to orientate itself to Tally.
Then dessert arrived.
It was, unfortunately for me, a trio of chocolate.
Between the flight and everything else, I’d hardly exercised today, so I couldn’t afford to eat it.
Neither Tally nor Jackson had any such compunction.
Tally savored every bite of the brownie, mousse, and truffle.
Rapture stole across her face as she chewed and Jackson looked like he was about to cream his pants.
Fucking hell.
Jackson picked up his own remaining truffle and offered it to Tally. She smiled at him and reached for it, but I beat her there, snatching it from between his fingers and popping it into her mouth. Her eyes widened as her lips closed over my fingers and I groaned at the silken slide.
Behind my slacks, my cock woke up. I breathed as evenly as I could and considered whether spilling ice water on my lap might be the best way to get myself under control.
Waitstaff began to remove the plates and glasses, and somewhere behind us, music started. A group of younger cousins jumped up and headed for the small dance area attached to the restaurant.
“Want to dance?” I asked Tally, thinking that it would be a great way to get her away from her new friend.
She nibbled her lower lip. “I don’t know…”
“It’ll show up Thad,” I murmured.
Her jaw set and her lips firmed. “Let’s do it.”
I grinned, telling myself that my enthusiasm was all about protecting my friend and not about the fact I was about to get to hold her in my arms.