Page 55 of Tangled Up In You

“Yeah, sure, you’re right,” Conor finally said. “Congratulations are due, I suppose.”

Gavin smiled and released Sophie so he could embrace Conor.

“Congratulations, Sophie,” Shay said. He gave her a hug. “You’re good for him.”

“Thanks,” she said.

“Welcome to the club, then!” Martin said. He kissed Sophie on the cheek.

“Wait, what does that mean?”

“I’m getting married myself. Celia is her name. She’s planning it all out for spring next year.”

“That’s fantastic!” Sophie hugged him.

“Yeah. Guess a married bass player doesn’t rate the way it would for your man,” Martin said with a laugh. There was no malice in his observation. He said it as a simple fact. “Anyway, I think you’ll love my Celia.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

While Gavin lookedfor a wardrobe change with the magazine’s stylist, Sophie sought out Conor. She found him in a chair in front of a large mirror, flirting with the makeup artist. Or rather, the makeup artist was flirting with him as she leaned against a narrow table filled with her supplies.

“What I wouldn’t give to have those eyelashes,” she told him. She was petite and her brown eyes were a stark contrast to her bleached white hair.

“You’re doing just fine,” he told her. “More than fine, actually.”

She tried to hold back a smile. “What are you guys doing after this?”

“I’m not busy now,” he told her with a smile so suggestive there was no mistaking it.

Sophie saw the color rise to the girl’s cheeks. But rather than retreat demurely, she seemed ready to jump into Conor’s lap there and then. Sophie understood the girl’s impulse. Conor was model-handsome—and the guitar player in an up-and-coming rock band.

But allowing these two to follow their hormonal instincts would disrupt Sophie’s plans of having a private talk with Conor, so she cleared her throat.

Conor glanced at her with irritation, but his expression quickly relaxed.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Sophie asked, moving closer.

He watched her, his eyes lingering on hers before doing a quick scan over the rest of her body. She wore a denim miniskirt with an embroidered maroon boho top. Her blond hair was loose and she wore large, thin gold hoop earrings. Platform sandals accentuated her long legs. Though she didn’t think the outfit particularly sexy, the way he examined her was almost predatory. She’d always known he was attracted to her, but after that first day at school, he’d backed off. At the Palladium, however, he didn’t try to hide his desire. And this was a continuation of that openly hungry way of drinking her in.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she said.

“What?” He straightened up in his chair, clearly startled by being called out.

“So, is it okay to interrupt for a minute?” She gave the makeup artist a small smile.

“Em, yeah, sure.” Conor looked at the girl. “Don’t go too far, okay, honey?”

The girl wasn’t happy at being dismissed but she obliged them and wandered away. Sophie went to the makeup table and toyed with some of the brushes.

“So, we’ll practically be related,” she said as she opened a MAC lipstick and tested the deep plum color on the back of her hand.

“What?”

“You know, with you and Gavin as close as brothers.”

“Oh.”

She put the lipstick down and wiped absently at the mark she had made. Taking a deep breath, she said, “I hope you can be happy for us.”

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