Chapter 21 Owen #2
This was it. The thing I’d been looking for.
The feeling of contentment that came from being in her proximity.
Usually, I was bored to tears at events like this.
I felt like an idiot in a tux, and I had to make nice with a bunch of powerful people I wasn’t overly fond of. But tonight, I was having a blast.
With Lila, I danced and chatted and enjoyed every minute.
After she’d squeezed my hand, all I could focus on was her smooth skin and her curves in that dress, even as the rest of the table fell into a fit of laughter as Delia talked about her twins and how their lifelong goal was to control the robots of the world.
So, in an effort to control myself, I headed to the bar to get my girl a refill.
“You should come to the game tomorrow.”
I turned at the sound of the voice and found Beckett Langfield standing next to me, slowly swirling his whiskey glass. It wasn’t a question. It was a command. Which wasn’t surprising, coming from him.
“Damiano is pitching. You haven’t been to the box in a while.” Langfield owned the MLB team here in Boston, and I’d been invited to watch a few games in the owner’s box before.
“I’m not sure,” I hedged.
“Bring your girl. It’s a casual thing. The kids will be running wild, as usual. And the weather is supposed to be perfect.”
I surveyed the table where Lila was deep in conversation. She sat straight, looking far more comfortable than anyone had the right to be in formalwear. Her legs were crossed, showing one creamy thigh through the slit of that purple dress.
When she threw her head back with laughter, it was as if we were tethered. The movement and the pure joy in her expression made my blood sing in my veins. Just seeing her across the room took away all the tension that had been weighing on me.
She turned and caught my eye, as if she could feel the way I soaked her in, even in a large ballroom filled with hundreds of people.
I didn’t turn away. I couldn’t take my eyes off her even if I wanted to. Was I a creep? Yes. But I was also desperate to soak up every moment with her I could get.
Beckett tilted his head and assessed me. Then he shook it and held up his whiskey between us. “You’re so fucked.”
I didn’t bother turning away from Lila. Yeah. I absolutely was.
He patted my shoulder. “Your VIP passes will be at will call. Don’t be late. First pitch is at one.”
Once Beckett had wandered back to his table, I composed myself and returned to my own, only to be dragged onto the dance floor. Holding Lila felt like heaven, and dancing with her in my arms easily topped it. The smell of her up close, the feel of her in my arms, was a high I’d never experienced.
I’d only just gotten my head in check at the bar, and, already, it was in the damn clouds again.
So when the song ended, and before the band had moved on to the next, I excused myself.
I needed a bit of distance before I did something stupid like kiss her, or worse, get down on one knee and propose on the spot.
Because I was fully smitten. The excitement of the evening and the thrill of finally being back where I belonged were making me reckless and stupid.
“Are we going to talk about this?” Enzo asked, holding out a glass of whiskey as he sidled up beside me.
On the dance floor, Lila was dancing with a group of women to an acoustic version of a Rhianna song.
“You’re in love with her,” he said when I didn’t respond.
I did my best to remain stoic, even as pain lanced my chest. But this was my best friend.
It was no use even trying.
“No. I’m infatuated with her.”
He chuckled darkly into his glass. “Same thing.”
“Not even close.”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cocked a brow at me.
“You want to be in denial, that’s your business.
But a few months ago, you and I were standing at a similar event, wearing the same tuxes and probably drinking this damn Hanson whiskey.
Remember that? You called me out on my bullshit that night when you caught me drooling over Delia and finding every excuse imaginable to spend more time with her. ”
God, he had been so ridiculous. “You were out of your mind, dude. You couldn’t keep your tongue in your mouth when you were in the same room as her.”
He laughed. “Still can’t, my friend. She puts my tongue to good use now, though.” He raised his glass toward where his girlfriend was now dancing barefoot. “I’ll say this once. Go after what you want. Even if it’s terrifying.”
My stomach was already twisted into knots, but just the thought had them tightening. “I can’t.”
“Bullshit. Remember when we were debating about whether we should bid on GeneSphere? We didn’t think we could do it.
We didn’t think we could manage a project of this size.
But then we said fuck it. It’s a chance to make a lasting impact on this city.
We knew we had to get out of our own way.
” He nudged me. “That girl over there, she’s a risk.
But I see the way you’re looking at her.
You’ve talked of no one else for weeks. Don’t think for a second I haven’t noticed.
Hell, I’d bet part of the reason you haven’t come home yet is because you want to spend time with her. ”
I held up a hand and shook my head. “There have been issues with the sale.”
“Which you could handle from Boston.” He gave me a challenging look. “Admit it. You’re gone for her. I’d be a terrible best friend if I didn’t tell you to take your shot.” He handed me his empty glass and straightened his cuffs. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to take my woman home.”
With that, he waded into the throng of women, threw his arm around Delia’s shoulders, and kissed her. As if that was a signal they’d agreed upon before the event, she instantly turned to her friends and waved goodbye.
I swirled the whiskey in my glass and considered his words. Would it be so bad to take a shot? I didn’t have a lot of time left, and being here, surrounded by my friends, in my home city, bolstered my courage.
Moments later, Lila was hugging some of her new friends and heading toward me, her shoes dangling from her fingers.
“Tired?” I asked.
She threaded her arm through mine. “Yes.” She sighed. “Also, I was under the impression that people were expected to keep their shoes on at fancy parties.”
I shook my head. “Not when Dylan is here. She’s begun a barefoot dancing revolution. For the last year or so, at every black-tie event she’s been to, she’s gotten everyone to take their shoes off. It’s her thing.”
She smiled as she took in the glowing redhead who was wearing her infant daughter in some kind of complicated fabric wrap and was slow dancing with her fiancé.
Dylan and Cortney, who was a retired MLB catcher and was now the GM for the Boston Revs, were two more of Enzo’s roomies. Their infant daughter and teenage son lived with them as well.
“Owen.”
I bowed my head and took her in. She was all pink cheeks and misty eyes and her usually bright smile. Fuck, she was gorgeous. “Yes, Lila.”
“It may be the champagne talking, but I like your fancy friends.”
With her arm still tucked in mine, I led her to the coat check.
While we waited for the attendant to retrieve them, she beckoned with her finger, and I bent down to get closer.
“And,” she whispered, her lips just millimeters from my ear, “I think I like you too.”
I blew out a long breath and stayed where I was so she couldn’t see the effect her words had on me.
Once I was certain I had control over my expression, I pulled back. “How are your feet?”
“Killing me. The thought of putting these shoes back on makes me want to chop them right off.”
“We’re only two blocks from my condo. Want a piggyback?”
When Enzo had roped Lila into coming, I would never have guessed my night would end with me, still decked out in a tuxedo, giving her a piggyback ride through the Seaport District.
But I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to end our night.
“Are you sure I’m not hurting you?” Her lips were dangerously close to my ear again.
Clearing my throat, I leaned forward and pushed the elevator call button. “Not at all.”
That wasn’t entirely accurate, but I’d happily gallivant around the city with Lila clinging to me until my bones turned to dust.
The feel of her body against mine, the way her arms wrapped around me, was intoxicating. I’d never felt stronger or more masculine. That, combined with the whiskey, was sending my caveman urges into overdrive.
Once we were inside my condo, I crouched and supported her as she slid to her feet. The instant our connection was broken, the Neanderthal buzz wore off. What was I thinking? That she’d tear off that sexy dress and beg me to make her mine?
She was glowing, she’d had fun, and she’d been drinking. So I’d do the right thing. No matter how much it would kill me.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, suddenly feeling the weight of all my expectations come crashing down on me. “Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?”
She blinked up at me for a beat before her face fell.
Shit. I’d done the wrong thing.
She shook her head. “I just need to get out of this dress and take off my makeup.”
“Okay,” I choked out, feeling awkward as fuck and unable to formulate any sort of plan. I wanted to know what she was thinking. Or, more importantly, what she was feeling.
Because I was feeling all the things.