They just happened to both exit their houses at the same time. When Chris caught sight of her, his breath hitched. She was stunning. She wore a short, sleeveless dress in black, with white ribbons crisscrossing across her perfect chest. The top portion was molded perfectly to her torso and the skirt flared out around her thighs. Her legs were bare and looked miles long in that outfit. The red high heels were the answer to every man’s fantasy, especially his. She looked ready for a night out to party with the girls. A surge of jealousy pounded through him and he wished he was going with them and not the guys. He’d love to spend the night twirling her on the dance floor.
He examined her face, but it was hard to see how sick she really felt, because she had her face made up to go out. “You look beautiful. How are you feeling tonight? I’d never guess by looking at you that you’ve been sick all week.”
“Thanks, Chris. I’m feeling better.” Her cold made her voice husky. An erotic shiver slid down Chris’s spine.
“That’s good. Can I give you a ride over to Cassie’s?” Everyone planned to meet at Cassie and Jake’s house for a lift-off toast for the evening before going out.
“Do you mind? We have a limo scheduled for later so I have a ride home and then I wouldn’t have to worry about getting my car in the morning.”
Relief swamped him. He hated that she’d been unhappy with him this week. At least, it didn’t appear that it was going to cause any long-lasting damage to their friendship.
“No problem.” He settled his arm around her, just lightly touching her lower back to walk her out to the truck. She gave him a soft smile when he opened her door for her, but it was spoiled with a gut-breaking cough.
As he settled into the driver’s side of the truck, he gave her a concerned look. “That doesn’t sound like it’s getting any better. In fact, that’s sounding significantly worse.”
She just shook her head at him. “A cough after a cold always sounds worse than it really is.”
He studied her for a moment before he shook his head and started the truck. She was so stubborn, but he wasn’t going to start out this night by fighting with her about how bad her cough truly was.
Everyone was in high spirits when they arrived at Jake and Cassie’s house. Cassie looked radiant as she immediately enveloped them in a hug and pulled them into the house. Jake handed them glasses of champagne and then tugged Cassie back into his side, wrapping his arm protectively around her. The love shared in the look between them sent a pulling sensation through Chris’s gut. He loved seeing them so happy together, but it left him with a hollow feeling and no idea how to fix it.
He looked away from them, needing something to distract him and instead found himself lost in Julie’s hazel eyes. She gave him a slight smile and squeezed his hand. He hadn’t even realized she’d grabbed it. She knew this was hard for him.
He squeezed her hand back and mouthed thanks. No matter what their history, within this small group of friends, the two of them were a team.
Chris took a gulp of champagne. This was a celebration for his sister and best friend. There was no way in hell he’d let them see that he was anything but happy and excited for them.
And dammit, yes, he had some rotten luck this year, but Julie was single now. Why couldn’t he pursue her again? What they had, hadn’t lasted that long, but it had been amazing. Something that good was worth fighting for, she was worth fighting for. He examined her and felt that familiar buzz he always felt when he was around her. She was still grieving, but that wouldn’t last forever. He wasn’t going to sit back and let another man step in like had happened before. He’d give her the time she needed, but he planned to make her his again, as soon as she gave him a signal that she was ready to move on after Aaron’s death.
Jake interrupted the group by raising his glass. “Before we head out on our last adventure as single people, Cassie and I wanted to thank you all. You four are our best friends. Some of us are family by blood, but