There Goes My Heart (The Sullivans #20) - Bella Andre Page 0,17

when he felt strongly that she needed someone to have her back.

He just hadn’t expected to like her so much. To relish the fact that she was funny. Irreverent. Witty.

And far kinder than her stepsister and ex deserved.

What’s more, tonight didn’t feel like any date he’d ever been on. Granted, he’d never pretended to be half of a fake couple before. But though their relationship status wasn’t real, their conversation in the car had flowed easily. Kissing her had lit a match inside of the coldest parts of him. He’d never been so in sync while dancing with anyone else.

And perhaps the most damning thing of all?

Every sign seemed to point to Zara feeling all the same things.

He’d been sure that neither of them would ever be here, in a place where sparks were flying like they’d lit a bonfire. He hadn’t yet stopped reliving Chelsea’s accident—and his part in it. As for Zara, no woman had ever seemed less interested in him before tonight.

All his life, Rory had been flirted with and fawned over. His ego had been stroked. Women had bent over backward to be with him. Zara had been the only holdout, not only utterly immune to his charms, but also determined to provoke him as often as possible.

Two days ago, he would have bet the house on the two of them forever remaining in their separate corners. Tonight, however, he wouldn’t touch that bet with a ten-foot pole.

Not when he could think of few things he wanted more than to join Zara in her corner. The smaller the space, the better, if it meant getting to be close to her.

“Earth to Rory.” Zara was standing before him, waving her hand in front of his eyes. “Where’d you go?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“That sounds serious,” she said as they walked off the dance floor and headed for a corner of the room that wasn’t heaving with people. “If you’ve got five cents, I’ll be Lucy van Pelt, and you can be Charlie Brown. The doctor is in.”

Despite himself, he laughed. “You’d love to pull a football out from under me right before I kick it, wouldn’t you?”

She looked shocked that he would even ask. “It would be the greatest thing ever.”

“Remind me not to leave you alone with my brother Brandon.”

“Does he like torturing you too?” She looked so hopeful he nearly lost control and kissed her again.

It wasn’t easy to concentrate on talking about his brother, rather than the way his pulse leaped whenever Zara got close. “We’re closest in age and have been pranking each other since we were kids.”

“Who’s currently in the lead?”

“I am.” He said it with pride. “Brandon is often on the road, opening and managing his hotels, so when he launched his latest location, I sent him a gift basket full of his least-favorite things during the press event. He not only had to look happy about it, he had to take a bite of one of the fancy marzipan candies that I asked Cassie to make him in the shape of his new hotel. I’m sure he’s cooking up one heck of a prank to get me back for that one.”

“You might look like a man, but you’re still a ten-year-old boy on the inside, aren’t you?”

“My ten-year-old nephew is far more mature than I am.”

She was still laughing when the sound of a spoon clinking against glass turned their attention toward the newly engaged couple. Waiters circulated with glasses of champagne. After they’d each taken one, Rory gave Zara’s free hand a squeeze.

“Thank you so much for coming to celebrate with us tonight,” Brittany said to the crowd. “It means everything to Cameron and me to share our excitement over our engagement with our close family and friends.” She beamed as everyone applauded.

Brittany was obviously born for the spotlight, given how much she enjoyed being the center of attention. Zara, on the other hand, never seemed the least bit comfortable being anyone’s focus. Even during the launch party for her new glasses line, she’d remained on the sidelines instead of lapping up people’s admiration for her work.

“We know we need to save our vows for our wedding day,” Brittany continued, “but we couldn’t resist the chance to share some of our feelings with you tonight.” As she took both of Cameron’s hands in hers, her expression was almost comically earnest. “Cameron, you are the love of my life, the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly,