23. TWELVE #2
He slides his hands onto my waist and drags me into his body. My breath catches, my senses overwhelmed by the scent of him, the faint hint of eucalyptus from his body wash masked by the stronger smell of amber from his aftershave, and I’m suddenly eclipsed by how incredible the man looks in a suit.
It’s unfair, really.
No man should look the way he does.
“How about beautiful instead?” He shakes his head. “No, that’s far too much of an understatement. Ravishing? Ethereal? Literally breathtaking, because I almost hyperventilated the first time I caught sight of you tonight. Divine? Enchanting? Pick a word, Eden, because they’re all fucking true.”
I learned a long time ago not to wait on the sweet words of a man to make me feel better about myself. Men have a remarkable talent for disappointment, and any compliments I ever received from my ex-husband were backhanded at best.
But Alex’s words don’t carry an undercurrent of disdain. He doesn’t follow it up with an insult. There’s no hint of mockery in his tone at all.
It sounds like he actually means it.
And I don’t quite know what to do with that.
“I’d get down on my knees right now if you needed me to, but alas” —he steps back, keeping a hand on the small of my back—“Coach Carter is heading our way.”
Shake it off, Eden. We’ve got a job to do.
“Wolfe!” A middle-aged man with male pattern baldness and a warm, welcoming smile approaches us with his arms outstretched.
He immediately pulls Alex into a hug. It’s not one of those stupid, one-armed slaps on the back men seem to favor, but a proper embrace.
Fatherly, full of mutual respect and trust.
Shit, it must be killing Alex to lie to him.
“And you must be the woman who managed to tie this wild one down.” Coach Carter takes my hand and presses a chaste kiss to the top of it.
“Coach, this is Eden, my girlfriend. Eden, this is Coach Carter.” Alex’s voice doesn’t waver once with the lie. It’s impressive and, honestly, a little terrifying how he’s able to hold eye contact as he does it.
Coach Carter straightens, slipping his hands into his pockets, and beams at us. “What a pleasure it is to finally meet the woman who’s managed to tie this one down. I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve spent a lot of time worrying that he’ll die alone.”
“Wow.” Alex coughs into a closed fist. “Thanks, Coach.”
“You never know. He still might,” I quip.
“I like you.” Coach throws his head back and bellows a laugh. “I can tell already that you’re good for him. He needs someone like you to keep him in line.”
Alex pretends to look affronted. “Hey, I’m a model player. An absolute pillar of the soccer community.”
“You are a menace to society, Wolfe. Who are you kidding?”
Alex huffs. “If you think I’m a menace, wait until you meet Eden’s sister.”
“It’s true.” I nod. “She’s a chaos gremlin.”
“You have experience handling troublesome people, then. That bodes well for you with this one.” He nudges Alex good-naturedly then claps him on the shoulder. “Anyway, I better mingle. Make sure you introduce Eden to Purview, Alex. They’re chomping at the bit to meet her.”
Alex nods. “Will do, sir.”
“It was a true honor to meet you, Eden. I’ll see you at the first game of the season, I imagine.”
I nod, though I have no idea whether or not that’s true.
Alex and I haven’t discussed what will be expected of us after tonight.
And maybe I should have put more thought into it than I have, but I wanted to get the party out of the way first. One day at a time has been my motto.
But if I’m expected to attend his games and other events, then I need to make accommodations for Macon.
The weekends when he’s with his dad are fine, but other than that, I can’t be away from him too much. It wouldn’t be fair to him. And it’s not what I’d want either.
Ugh. This is already getting so complicated.
“I think that went well.” Alex plucks two glasses of champagne off a tray and hands one to me. “He certainly seems to like you.”
“Do you blame him? I’m delightful.”
“He doesn’t know you well enough yet.” He winks. “He’ll change his mind soon enough.”
“Asshole,” I mutter with a laugh and take a sip of champagne. “So, who’s next?”
I narrow my eyes as I survey the room. Coach Carter down. Only the rest of the team and the investor to go.
“My teammates are over there. Let’s kill a few birds with one stone.
” Alex leads me over to a group of five men and a woman, who, even from the back, looks ethereal in her beauty.
She wears a red backless dress that skims the floor, and when she moves, I catch the slightest glimpse of sneakers underneath it.
Girl after my own heart. I should have done the same. My feet are fucking killing me.
“Do they know about us?” I whisper into Alex’s arm.
He takes my hand and folds it into the crook of his elbow. “Not all of them.”
At the sound of our approaching footsteps, the woman turns toward us and beams. “Holy shit, you must be Eden.”
I’m in her arms in an instant, where she holds me for ten seconds longer than what’s comfortable.
When she finally breaks away, she peels me away from Alex and stares at me, unblinking.
“Wow, I think you’re the prettiest woman I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life.
Leo,” she calls over her shoulder to a towering man with dark hair and stubble.
“Leo, come look at her. Isn’t she the most beautiful woman ever in existence? ”
Ah, this must be Alex’s sister.
Leo, I assume, gently peels her away from me with an amused crease of his eyes. “Let the poor woman breathe, baby. And for the record, you’re the most beautiful woman ever in existence.” He has a distinct British accent. London, if I had to guess.
Alex jabs a finger in his mouth with a grimace. “Barf.”
Brynn ignores him and gazes up at her husband with misty, love-glassed eyes. “You love me,” she slurs.
Leo flattens his lips to hide a smile. “I do.”
She hums, leaning her head against his arm, and closes her eyes.
“Well”—Alex slaps his hands together—“Eden, I guess you’ve met my sister, who apparently has already had several glasses too many.” He narrows his eyes at Leo in accusation, who shrugs back. “That’s Leo. Then Roman, Theo, Harley, and Arun.”
Each man raises his hand in greeting at their name, and Theo, a guy in his mid-twenties with floppy hair, even performs a little bow. I curtsy back, for no other reason than because I don’t know how else to respond.
God, it’s gonna be hard to remember so many names. And it’s not as if my brain is working at full capacity. I’m two glasses away from being where Brynn is right now.
“It’s nice to meet you all.”
Brynn’s eyes snap open. She staggers out of Leo’s hold to take both my hands in hers. “Oh, it’s super nice to meet you.”
“I wish I’d had the same idea as you to wear sneakers instead of heels.” I cock one of my gold strappy shoes toward her. “These are torture.”
“Oh, these?” She knocks her feet together. “No one gives a shit when your dress is long enough to hide them.” She sways toward my ear, clutching my arm to steady herself. “Oh, and don’t worry about your little secret. It’s safe with me.”