Chapter Two
Thanks to a handful of complications popping up at the last minute, Devlin and Emily had agreed to meet at the gala. Now here he was struggling with the stupid bow tie on his tux and watching the clock on the wall. He should just keep a stash of clip-on ties for nights like tonight when his fingers and the real bow tie did not want to cooperate.
His phone buzzing on the nightstand, Devlin growled at the stupid tie and resisted the urge to fling it aside as he answered the cell. “Yes.”
“Oh, we’re having a good night, are we?” Emily’s voice was warm with amusement. “Let me guess. Your tie?”
“Always.”
“Put it in your pocket. I’ll help you with it when you get to the gala.”
“Deal.” Without a second thought, he shoved the tie into his pocket. “I’ll be heading out the door any second now.”
“I just wanted to let you know I’m running a smidge late myself. My neighbor’s little girl came down with a stomach bug. I had to run to the store to get her some Pedialyte and Rice Krispies, but I’m home now and will dress as fast as I can.”
“No hurry. I’m a big boy. I can wait.”
“I told Liz to go on ahead, she can make sure that Courtney doesn’t come after you before I get there.”
Liz ? Oh, right. For just a moment, he’d forgotten that Emily’s sister was in town early and joining them tonight. “I can handle Courtney in a crowd. It’s alone that she worries me.”
Emily’s muffled laughter carried through the phone line. “I’ll still get there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks.” With nothing else to add, they said their goodbyes and he slipped the phone into his breast pocket. Double-checking the room, he was definitely ready to get on with the show.
Some days, the idea of getting married just to get out of the bachelor auction didn’t sound so bad. Most days, common sense ruled and he opted to keep Emily close to bail him out of trouble. So far that had worked just fine for him. No sense in fixing a system that wasn’t broken. Keys in hand, he marched out of his condo and drove straight to the country club. Handing his car off to the valet, he sucked in a long breath and marched up the red-carpeted steps of the hundred-year-old edifice.
“Wait up.” His cousin Porter trotted up the stairs. “Safety in numbers and all that.”
“What are you worried about?” Devlin fell into step beside his cousin. “You’re not the one on the auction block.”
Clearing his throat, Porter shoved a finger in his collar and sighed. “I figure it’s only a matter of time before Courtney of the many last names tires of bidding on you and Paige decides it’s time for a different Baron to be on the auction block.”
He should be so lucky.
“And when she does,” Porter continued, “I’ll be next in line.”
“Say the word and I’ll be happy to hand off the baton to you now. As a matter of fact, tonight would be a great test run.”
“Not on your life.” Porter flashed a cheeky grin. “If my luck holds, you’ll stay a bachelor longer than George Clooney and Paige will find another way to raise big bucks for a worthy cause.”
“Or pick on Colton.”
“Or Cameron,” Porter chuckled.
“There you go.” Dev slapped his cousin on the shoulder and tipped his chin toward the bar. “I say we hide out at the bar until this shindig gets rolling.”
“Works for me.” Porter stuttered to a stop. “Oops. Grams is waving me over.”
Their grandmother was standing beside two attractive women and no doubt was hoping that one of them would spark Porter’s interest. Most likely the only reason she hadn’t waved both of them over was because she knew Emily was his plus-one for the evening. Probably still believed, despite all their protests, that there was more to the relationship than friendship. Even though she was a woman, Emily had been one of his best friends for so many years, he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, but no matter the wishes of his family, neither he nor Emily felt any spark of romance. The memory of the one time they’d kissed and had both laughed so hard at the absurdity of a romantic relationship still brought a smile to his face. Some day, he hoped Emily found a man good enough for her. Then maybe his grandparents would finally understand that they really and truly were only good friends.
A chill passed over him, a cool breeze across the back of this neck. Glancing up, he searched for the air conditioning vents, considering if they were going to need to speak to maintenance about the room temperature. Not noticing any vents near him, he shook his head and scanned the room, his gaze landing on the double doorway into the grand ballroom. Blinking, he squeezed his eyes shut and focused once again on the doorway. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. Had he ever seen Emily wear her hair like that? Swooped up on top of her head in a mop of curls that looked casual and yet determined, a few loose strands twirled around her neck. A long neck that curved ever so slightly at her bare shoulders.
Had she always had such a long kissable neck? And when had he ever thought of Emily’s neck as kissable?
She took a few steps into the room, her gaze scanning the crowd. For a moment her eyes seemed to land on him, and his heart stuttered, making him feel like he needed to gasp for breath. Before he could wave her over, her gaze bounced to the other side of the dance floor. She straightened her shoulders, and even from this distance, he could see the hint of cleavage rise and fall as she breathed, and his heart shifted into high gear, pounding blood through his veins.
Dropping his gaze to the glass in his hand, he stared at the caramel colored liquid, sniffed at the contents and pressing his lips into a thin line, shook his head and lifted the glass toward the bartender. “What did you put in this?”
“Bourbon on the rocks. What you ordered.”
Resisting the urge to take his own pulse, he nodded at the man and took a sip. Definitely bourbon. So why did Emily look so very different tonight?
Why is it that a new dress, a great hairdo, and a room filled with men in tuxedos always made the air sizzle with excitement? Liz could feel the energy to her core. This was definitely going to be a fun night. She’d promised her sister she would keep an eye on Devlin. The problem was that she’d only seen him in photos and suddenly, picking him out of the crowd wasn’t as easy as she’d expected it to be.
For a second, she thought it might be him by the bar, but then she’d spotted another man on the dance floor who looked like the photos she’d seen. By the time she’d decided that was the wrong Baron, if he was a Baron at all, the first guy she’d pinpointed had turned his back to her. Only one way to find out. Careful not to trip over her own two feet, or her new shoes, she marched across the room toward the man nursing his drink at the counter.
The sandy-haired gentleman turned and their eyes locked. Yep . That was definitely the Devlin Baron that her sister had been hanging around with for more years than she could count. “Hi, handsome.”
Devlin swallowed hard and proceeded to almost double over coughing.
“Sorry.” Liz smacked his back. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“No,” he shook his head vehemently, “just went down the wrong pipe.”
Still patting his back more gently now, she nodded. “Better?”
Clearing his throat, he straightened and nodded his head.
“Lose your tie already?” She tried not to grin too widely.
“In my pocket.” A moment later the tie dangled from his extended fingers.
“Let me.” She moved in closer and would swear she watched him swallow his tongue. Again, she resisted the urge to chuckle. Considering how crappy her love life had been of late, it was nice to know she still could get some reaction from a man, even if it was choking to death. She turned and twisted the black silk fabric, and straightening the final product, tapped his chest and took a step back. “There you go.”
“Thanks.”
“Any time.”
He stared and swallowed and Liz suspected if he was always this awkward, no wonder he needed Emily for a plus-one all the time. “Buy a girl a drink?”
“Sorry, yes, of course.” He spun around and ordered a chocolate martini.
“Make that lemon drop instead, please.” She smiled at the bartender and then shifted her attention to Devlin.
“I thought you hated lemon drop martinis? Too much like sucking on a lemon.”
“That would be me.” Emily sidled up beside Liz, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for covering.”
By the time the two sisters had turned to face Devlin again, the man was staring slack jawed at both women, his gaze bouncing from his drink back to them before he spun on his heel and faced the bartender. “Are you sure there’s only bourbon in this?”
Liz and her sister faced each other, mirror images of confusion visible when at the same moment they cracked up laughing.
For a quick second Devlin blinked then frowned. “What the heck is going on here?”
Linking elbows with her sister, Emily grinned at her longtime friend. “I told you my sister was joining us tonight.”
“Sister?”
Emily nodded. “You know that genetic thing when you share parents with another human being?”
“I know what ‘sister’ means.” Shaking his head, Devlin sighed. “You’re twins.”
Liz and Emily bobbed their heads in unison.
“Identical twins.”
Liz tipped her head toward her sister. “Your friend here is a smart guy.”
Nodding, Emily returned her gaze to Devlin. “Sometimes.”
“Wait a minute.” Devlin held up his hand. “It is not my fault that you never mentioned your sister is a twin. Never mind an identical twin.”
“I guess it never came up.” Hefting a casual shrug, Emily smiled.
“Nice to meet you.” Liz shot her arm straight out.
Devlin accepted her proffered hand and shook. “Pleasure is all mine.”
“Okay, now that we’ve gotten introductions out of the way.” Emily glanced over Dev’s shoulder. “I could use a drink before the fun begins.”
“Fun?” Liz waved a finger at the bartender.
“Chocolate martini, please,” Emily ordered then shifted her weight to face her sister. “Every year, we have to fight off Courtney Miller from bidding on Devlin here.”
“Why?” Liz glanced at Devlin and back. “What’s wrong with Courtney Miller?”
“For one thing,” Devlin took a short sip of his drink, “the woman is looking for husband number four .”
“Ah.” Now Liz understood. “And you want to be number one?”
“Right.” Devlin frowned. “No. Wait.”
Liz couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He was cute when he was confused. Already this night was proving to be even more fun than she’d hoped for. And so was Devlin Baron.