tea-length versus cocktail-length bridesmaid dresses, and coupes versus flutes for the champagne toast?”
Seth’s gaze raked over her before he took a step closer. He was tall, but she was in five-inch heels, which meant she only had to look up slightly to meet his gaze. She didn’t know why, but this man seemed determined to make her feel small. Well, screw him—Brooke wasn’t going to roll over and play dead.
She’d experienced plenty of belittling in the past four months from people she actually cared about. She wasn’t about to let a perfect stranger—no matter how gorgeous—get under her skin.
“You should know something, Ms. . . .”
“Baldwin,” she said evenly.
“Ms. Baldwin,” he said slowly, as though tasting the sound of her name on his tongue. Then he dropped his eyes to her mouth as though wanting to taste more than the sound of her name.
Brooke swallowed and forced herself not to take a step back. “What is it that I should know?” she prompted.
His eyes lifted back to hers, and despite their closeness, despite the heat between their bodies, there was no warmth in his eyes. This was a man who’d long ago mastered the art of perfect, icy control.
“You should know that I never do anything I don’t want to,” he said in that low, husky voice.
“Is that so?” Crap. Now her voice was husky.
“It is,” he said slowly. He moved even closer.
“And what is it that you want?” she asked.
His eyes drifted once more down to her mouth, and Brooke ordered herself firmly not to do anything ridiculous, say, like leaning into a man who was proving to be a pretentious ass.
Except . . .
Except, he smelled good. Really good. Like expensive cologne and man and sex, and despite the fact that Brooke was writing off the opposite sex for at least the next year, she wanted . . . she wanted . . .
Another chime at the door sounded, shattering the moment.
If it had even been a moment. A quick glance up at Seth Tyler showed that he didn’t look the least bit fazed by the sexually charged encounter.
She turned on her heel, ignoring the heat of his gaze on her back, and opened the door to Maya Tyler and a man who was almost as good-looking as Seth.
Almost.
“Hi, so wonderful to meet you! You must be Maya and Neil,” Brooke said, ushering them in with a warm smile as she felt her heart rate return to normal.
“I’m so sorry we’re late,” Maya said. “I wish I could blame it on traffic, but the truth is, my hair appointment ran long.”
“It’s hard for us blondes, isn’t it?” Brooke said with a wink. “And it was totally worth it, by the way. You look fabulous.”
Brooke meant it. Maya Tyler was every bit as gorgeous as her brother. Her eyes were the same piercing light blue as Seth’s and a good deal more friendly, while her hair and skin were both lighter. Brooke could tell this was a woman who took full advantage of what must be an unlimited beauty budget—every detail, from the perfect highlights to the subtle eyelash extensions to the creamy complexion, was flawless and expensive-looking.
Brooke turned toward Maya’s fiancé. The man was extremely attractive in a vaguely exotic way. His skin was a dark bronze, his eyes dark brown with impossibly thick lashes. The smile was bright white and utterly charming.
It wasn’t hard to see why Maya was enamored. Everything about the man seemed likable.
Before Brooke could shake the groom’s hand, she was surprised to find that Seth Tyler had stepped forward and was standing beside her, all but edging her out as he stared down Neil Garrett.
“Hi, you must be Seth,” Neil said, extending a hand to Maya’s brother.
Brooke’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. The brother and the fiancé hadn’t met?
Interesting. Very interesting.
Her suspicions were confirmed when Maya stepped forward, a hint of nervousness on her face as she looked between the two men. “Sethy, this is Neil.”
“Yeah. Got that,” Seth ground out.
Brooke winced at his sharp tone. Neil, however, did not. Maya’s fiancé apparently had a good deal more class than her brother, and he merely stood there, hand extended, until Seth relented and shook it.
Maya gave Brooke an apologetic smile, seemingly sensing her confusion. “Neil and my relationship has been sort of a whirlwind. This all happened so fast, and with Seth being so busy with work, he and Neil haven’t had a chance to, well, meet.”
“It happens like that sometimes,” Brooke said smoothly,