Evers & Afters (Dare With Me #2) - J.H. Croix Page 0,44

to Elias, although he did pause to comment, “I see your windshield’s all taken care of. I’ll text you about this weekend.”

He left, and I wondered. I was picking apart his interaction with Gage and Marley, wondering if he wanted kids or not.

Why are you wondering about kids already? This is what got you in trouble before with Joel. You need to pump the brakes.

So very true. I got way ahead of myself with Joel. I wanted so badly to find someone to be serious with that I was positive I’d missed some major red flags that might’ve clued me into the fact I’d stumbled into a lying asshat. While I wasn’t worried about Elias being an asshat, I was worried about jumping in too deeply. Unfortunately, I was pretty sure I was already in over my head.

Chapter Nineteen

Elias

“Looking good,” Nora said at my shoulder, her tone teasing. I glanced sideways.

“What do you mean?”

If I’d wondered if she was giving me a little hell, I knew for sure with the sly gleam in her eyes. “You’re totally rocking that suit. And Cammi looks great with you. You’re treating her like a real date.”

I shifted my shoulders in said suit jacket. “She is a real date.”

We were at the fundraiser Daphne had planned and cajoled all of us into attending. Based on the crowd alone, it was a smashing success. We were giving away some pricey flights for tourists. Everyone who wasn’t a business person donating something had paid a hefty fee for dinner. With Daphne in charge of the food, it was worth every penny.

“Daphne outdid herself with the food,” I commented to Nora. “Also, you look great yourself.”

My compliment was entirely platonic, but she did look great. Nora’s dark hair fell down her back, straight and glossy. She usually wore it in a braid, or ponytail, or a messy bun. Her big brown eyes were set off with a hint of smoky shadow. She wore a pretty dress, and I doubted any of us missed the way Gabriel could hardly keep his eyes off of her.

Case in point: as I glanced around, I saw him standing a few feet away, talking with Grant and Flynn. Every few seconds, his eyes darted to Nora. He looked like he was a combination of angry and turned on.

“You’re giving Gabriel fits, by the way,” I added.

Nora’s eyes narrowed to daggers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Okay,” I said easily. It was no sweat off my back if they wanted to keep denying the sparking chemistry between them.

I felt before I saw Cammi returning to my side. She had departed for a restroom break. Turning, that now familiar jolt of electricity sizzled down my spine when I saw her. She looked stunning tonight. Her hair swung in a clean line right along her shoulders as she turned and smiled at someone who said her name. When she reached me, my breath seized in my lungs for a moment. She didn’t need makeup, but fuck me, she’d added smoky eyeshadow and a dash of lip gloss, and all I could think was I needed to kiss it off. The blue in her eyes was even brighter, if possible.

She’d worn a navy silk dress that hugged her curves like a lover. I was jealous of the fabric itself, an entirely new experience for me. I was torn between wanting to run my hands over that silk, or tearing it off of her. The only thing holding me back was I did have some manners.

When she stopped beside me, I didn’t even try to play it cool and let my palm slide down her back, savoring the warmth of her skin in the V opening before it crossed over the silk and came to rest just above her bottom. I had to forcibly check myself to keep from giving her sweet bottom a squeeze.

“Need more champagne?” I asked as I saw a waiter weaving through the crowd with a tray of champagne flutes.

“In a minute,” she said. “I’m sure one of the waiters will pass by us soon. Daphne’s done a great job.”

“She always does,” Nora chimed in.

Cammi smiled. “She has. It’s nice you all have her out at the resort.”

“Tell me about it,” I replied. “We’re all grateful she and Flynn are together. Otherwise, I’m sure she could find better places to be a chef.”

“We are lucky,” Nora chimed in. “She seems to genuinely love it though. I don’t know if she would leave.