Page 39 of Real Tree / Fake Boyfriend

What he needed was a refill, and Julien needed one, too.

Thankfully, Mrs. Sanchez spotted another victim in the crowd and hurried off while Tyler pulled Julien back toward the bar.

“Your face,” Tyler said. The grin he wore made his cheeks almost sore.

“I didn’t think youactuallymeant her hair was blue,” Julien said as they returned to the bar. “These people are bizarre.” He quickly gestured to the bartender for a refill of their drinks.

“Hey, these people are kind of my people,” Tyler complained. He didn’t feel that way but knew they were cut from the same cloth.

“You’re bizarre too,” Julien told him, and the softness in his voice almost made Tyler lean forward to kiss him on the spot.

“Is that bad?” he asked hesitantly.

Julien reached over and took Tyler’s chin between his finger and thumb. He watched him with such a deep, inquisitive expression.

Ah, Julien definitely wants to kiss me. Right?

Tyler’s breath caught in his throat as his gaze darted to Julien’s full lips. He hadn’t even realized they were close to one another, but with the crowd at the bar waiting for refills before dinner, there wasn’t much room.

He could step forward and press his lips to Julien’s. No one would notice. Everyone was always too concerned with themselves at these functions. In the crowd, they were basically invisible.

“No. It’s not bad.” Julien dropped Tyler’s chin and leaned closer to him, but only so he could grab their drinksfrom the bar.

The cold glass against Tyler’s sweaty palm came as a relief and a disappointment. He took a long sip of the cocktail. “Let’s find our seats. Dinner is about to start soon. Then there are speeches and all of that crap.”

“Whatever you want to do, Baby.”

What I want to do I can’t do here, or at all,Tyler thought with bitterness.

They were seated at a table with his whole family and some of their closer country club pals.

Mrs. Sanchez wedged herself between Cece and Brad. Before the salad course, she asked if Cece was expecting a third child while patting her belly.

“Shh, Mr. Livingston is making his speech,” Mom said as a hush came over the room.

Tyler watched Julien’s eyes glaze over as Mr. Livingston began to speak.

He thanked everyone for coming and talked about all the good the country club had done that year, which amounted to refurbishing the tennis courts and all the golf they played.

Tyler reached over and took Julien’s hand, unable to listen to the speech himself. Even though he dreaded these parties, it had been excellent so far. The last thing he cared about was some older men making weak jokes about golf and their wives.

Instead, Tyler distracted himself with Julien’s fingers. They were calloused, rough, and big. He pinched the skin around the knuckle and traced the digit with paler fingers.

Julien flipped his hand over and traced Tyler’s palm. It sent shivers through his body, and he thought about what might happen tonight when they were alone in his room. Maybe something more than just going to sleep. If the stars aligned, and Tyler got up the nerve to be more flirtatious.

The speech led to dinner, which gave way to a few champagne toasts, and then the dancing began. The quartet played classic slow songs; most dancers were older couples. But in true Ashford fashion, all the couples went to the dance floor to show their happiness.

“Umm, do you want to dance?” Tyler decided to ask. He didn’t want it to look weird that he was the only one of the family not on the floor. Besides, the idea of standingclose to Julien while the champagne and gin mixed headily in his mind sent his heart beating excitedly.

Julien leaned in. “I don’t know how to dance,” he said directly into Tyler’s ear.

Tyler stood up and grinned. “Come on, I can teach you. It’s just swaying.”

Julien didn’t budge. “I don’t think so.” He folded his arms. “Really, Ty, maybe ask someone else.”

Tyler felt disappointment blossom in his chest. Not because he wanted to dance for his family and put on a show but because he liked the prospect of being close to Julien, looking into his eyes as their bodies swayed to the music.

“You have to. It’s part of the deal,” Tyler said. “Everyone will expect it of us.”

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