where to put her hands while she fidgeted. She should run, but her knees felt ready to give out. What she needed right now was Mollie and Rio as her wing women.
“Looks like Mikey has his hands full keeping Aaron out of trouble,” Dominic said gruffly behind her. Oh drat! The man had caught up to her. “His time is often taken up with my cousin and his scandals. You aren’t going to be Aaron’s next are you?”
“What?” she breathed. How had Dominic guessed her thoughts? Maybe it was in her eyes. Mollie always said that Charly couldn’t hide a thing.
Her heart beat loudly against her ribcage as she noticed Aaron excuse himself from his friends and walk her direction. The lapels of his jacket pulled back to show more of his broad chest. What was he, Superman? Perhaps if he saved her from Dominic, he could be.
CHAPTER SIX
What was Dominic doing with Charly? Aaron used her cute little nickname freely in his mind, even as his jaw clenched with irritation at his overbearing cousin who was already flirting with her. He nudged his cousin to the side. “Okay, Dominic. Let her breathe.”
His hand ran into the softness of her arm, and a sizzle of attraction hit him like lightning. She stepped back while he tried to figure out what had hit him.
“It’s good to see you, Aaron,” she said.
Did she really mean it? His stomach did a little flip at the fleeting spark of gratitude in her eyes. She was the picture of loveliness, and looked especially sweet after taking off all that artistic makeup. Her skin glowed under an olive complexion that made her look so foreign, maybe she had some Italian blood? Greek? He cleared his throat. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
Uh oh. Was she angry? He tried to fix that and took her smooth hand. He was unprepared for how good it felt in his. Heat shot up his neck and his eyes met hers as everyone in the room disappeared. It became just the two of them as they stood face to face. “You—you look fantastic,” he stammered. What was wrong with him? It was like he’d never seen an angel before. He shifted. “I hope you’re not offended that I think you make the perfect girl-next-door.”
“Oh please,” Dominic cut in, cruelly bringing the rest of the outside world back into focus. “She acts far too innocent for what she hides behind those eyes.”
Those same blue eyes turned into a sassy storm. “For some reason,” she retorted, “Dominic thinks that the height of rebellion would be for me to go hot-tubbing with him.”
“Is that so?” Aaron felt a twinge of irritation that his cousin was moving in on Charlize, but he broke into a grin as she put his cousin squarely in his place, well aware that her same cheekiness could also be used against him. “But you can’t leave me,” he said.
“Or what? You’ll find me and fall asleep at my feet?” she said with a wink. “Don’t think that I can’t pack you squarely back to your room like last time.”
Yes, she had... and barely escaped a kiss. His eyes were fixed on those tempting lips now. Perhaps that was the last thing he should be thinking while protecting her from his leering cousin.
“Oh, what is this?” Mikey crowed joyfully behind them. “She’s perfect! Are you for real?” He ramped up his British accent like he did when he was in a jovial mood. “Are you absolutely for real, Charlize? You’re a proper doll, aren’t you?”
She covered her face with her hands, her laughter escaping her fingers. Oh yes, she was a doll, with curly dark hair springing jauntily over her long, swanlike neck. What insane person said boys didn’t like dolls? With difficulty, Aaron kept his hands to his sides, wanting to touch that hair too.
“You saved the day, Charlize.” Mikey captured her hand in both of his and lightly kissed the back of her rings. “Let me introduce you to the cast. Everyone with a speaking role will be sitting at a front table while all the other guests will take the couches all around us and make notes in their suspect books.” He tucked his arm in hers to take her to her seat. Her flirtatious, lacey white dress swung around her lovely bare legs, almost to the beat of those shiny square heels that sang musically across the wooden floorboards. Aaron couldn’t keep