Page 14 of Surprisingly Us

She glances around. “He was. I thought he’d find you before I did.”

“No, I haven’t seen him. Well, if I don’t catch him, I’ll see you both on Tuesday night for dinner.”

“Oh, I was going to call you. We need to cancel dinner. Your father had a meeting come up.” My dad is a professor of economics at NYU. He’s got tenure and has been instructing there for nearly twenty years.

“Okay.” I smile, attempting to hide my disappointment. Outside of Hannah, my parents are my support system. After the week I’ve had, I really could use a family dinner. They always boost my confidence and make me feel better when I’m stressed.

“I’ll look at our schedules and we’ll figure out another time that works.”

“Okay. That sounds good.”

My eyes shift over my mom’s shoulder and snag on a man in a light purple suit.

Who’s that?

But another glance and my heart rate kicks up a notch.

The man is at the bar ordering a drink. From the back, all I can see is his dark messy hair and broad shoulders, but then he turns.

Seeing his face is like a punch to the ovaries. It’s like the man’s square jaw and perfectly sculpted nose have been chiseledout of granite. His hazel eyes flash with mischief, as a lazy grin pulls at his lips, exposing his charming smile.

Rhys.

Upon closer inspection, I was wrong, the suit isn’t purple. Not like Barney, anyway. It’s more lavender with a hint of blue. And unlike most of the guests who are wearing ties, Rhys’s crisp collared shirt is unbuttoned at the top, exposing a few inches of smooth, golden skin. A paisley print pocket square in hues of pink, purple and blue, and tan suede loafers complete his look. And boy it is one hell of a look.

I’m so captivated by his appearance; I’ve completely forgotten my mission.

I blink, allowing myself to return to the present where my mom is still gushing about the light fixture she found for the real estate broker’s penthouse she’s been hired to redecorate all while tracking Rhys’s gaze across the ballroom where it lands on Becky, James’s redheaded cousin.

Alarm bells start going off in my head.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

Gotcha!

“Mom, the lights sound amazing. I’ve got to go take care of something. Can we catch up later?”

“Of course, honey.” She nods and gives me a thoughtful smile. “If I don’t see you later, we’ll talk this week.”

“Love you.” I press a kiss to her cheek before beelining it to the bar.

CHAPTER 4

Rhys

While I’m waiting for the bartender to pour my drink, I turn back toward the reception and scan the area. A room full of New York City’s upper crust society and wealthy businesspeople is exactly what I expected from Hannah Cartwright and James McKenzie’s nuptials.

I’ve yet to speak to the bride or groom. I missed the ceremony, intentionally, because witnessing Hannah and James’s love declaration isn’t why I’m here.

My eyes settle on a sexy redhead over by the cake table. Her eyes lift to mine and a seductive smile pulls at her lips. She selects a piece of cake. With her eyes still on me, she dips her fork in the frosting, then temptingly swirls her tongue around the end of the fork. Some frosting gets stuck on her upper lip, so she removes it with the tip of her tongue.

Fucking hell.

The redhead is giving off one-night-stand vibes, which would have been an easy yes for me in the past, but that’s not why I’m here. I divert my gaze to keep my dick from leading me astray.

When I step away from the bar, I nearly collide with someone.

“Excuse me,” I say, quickly stepping to the side to move around, but the person matches my move, and blocks me.

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