Was his heart beating a thousand miles a minute like mine was?
Had he suffered as I had the in last week?
God, I hoped so.
The room around me vanished and the suspense was killing me. I willed him to look at me. And then our eyes met. A burst of sunlight exploded inside me, filling my entire being with warmth. I took a step forward. Wanting…Needing…to be closer to him. It was unfair that only this guy could make me feel so crazy, him of all people. A lazy smile crossed his lips as his eyes ran over my face, eating up the sight of me.
I shivered.
“Angel.”
That was all he said. Just my name and I was melting faster than an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s night. The sound of his voice tore through me. I never wanted anything so much in my life as I wanted the touch of his hand and to feel his arms around me. My control was only so great, I had to close me eyes against it, and my hands balled to fists at my side.
Still it wasn’t enough.
As if he understood what I wanted, his hand moved toward my face. I leaned forward and–
“Angel.” My mom said my name behind me like she was disciplining a bad puppy. “Why don’t you offer our guests something to eat or drink while I finish up with dinner,” she suggested, breaking our enthralled contact.
That had been close. Too close.
He hadn’t even touched me and I’d made a complete and utter idiot of myself standing there like I was awestruck by his hottness. Okay, let’s face it, I had been. That was irrelevant. What I needed was stronger willpower for frickin’ sake. There was no reason we couldn’t have a nice family dinner without ripping into each other or jumping each other’s bones on the dining room table.
Or so I hoped.
With one long deep breath, I turned and grabbed a platter from the island. Smiling sweetly I walked into the family room, stopping in front of Chase. My eyes glittered with sarcastic humor. “Devil egg?” I asked, holding out a tray of the little white halves with gooey yellow tops.
Travis coughed covering a laugh. Devin frowned. Lexi giggled. The corners of Chase’s mouth tilted, and I tried not to stare at his lips, failing miserably.
This was going well.
Setting the platter down, I joined the others. There was a football game on the TV, occupying the guys’ attention. I caught Chase glancing at me as much as I snuck glances at him. Lexi was thumbing through a few of my mom’s magazines looking bored.
Excusing myself for a moment, I needed air. Being within arm’s reach of Chase was making my insides go bananas. So I snuck off into the hallway thinking I could cure myself of him with some distance. But he was like a deadly disease. There wasn’t a cure. No pill. No remedy. No medical procedure. I leaned my head against the wall and blinked.
Chase popped in front of me and I shrieked. My heart pounded in my ears, and I swung at him, hitting only air. He moved to the side. “Christ. I hate when you do that. I swear you do it just to piss me off.”
“Which isn’t hard to do Angel Eyes.” His eyes were laughing at me.
I made a face.
“Are we going to kiss and make-up now?” he asked, blocking any escape with his powerful body. It was rippled, chiseled, and toned in all the right places.
I gave him an uninterested expression. “Don’t hold your breath.”
The ghost of a smile lurked on his lips. “Doesn’t hurt to try.”
I stood as still as possible with the wall pressed to my back and tried with all my might to not be effective by his close proximity. My teenage hormones had other ideas.
I hated them.
A moment passed between us and he must have seen it in my eyes, because he took a step back. “How about a truce? For Devin and your mom. What do you say?” A brow arched.
It was a dirty trick to play the mom card. He knew I wouldn’t do anything to upset her. “Like I have a choice, but this doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
His hand reached out and twirled the ends of my hair. “What exactly am I supposed to be forgiven for?” The sound of his voice was like dark silk.
I socked him in the chest.
He grinned, not budging an inch. “I’ve missed you Angel Eyes.”
My eyes flashed to his. I knew that he said it offhandedly, jokingly, but that didn’t stop my breath from hitching. I fumbled with something smart to say. “Devin seems a little on edge. What gives? Did you piss him off too?”
He snorted. “You wish. Actually, he is worried about what is between us now that he is shacking up with your mom.”
I cringed. “Do not ever mention shacking and my mom in the same sentence.”
He grinned, his eyes dancing with mischief. Someone was in a playful mood, a complete turnabout from the other day. He made my head spin. “My uncle is afraid that we will either get too close or have the explosion of the century. Both in his mind are not good outcomes.”