Page 85 of My Fiancé's Brother

I looked at him suspiciously. “What kind of feel?”

“You know, maybe one of them slid their hand up your skirt and explored a bit?”

My face flamed. And something low and throbbing was happening between my legs. I was loving this conversation and hating it at the same time.

“No,” my voice was barely a whisper.

He started to move. As he walked past me, he put his mouth on my ear. I froze as sensations shot down my neck where his breath was tickling my skin.

“Ready to talk about it yet?” his voice was low.

I shook my head.

“I'm going out. Money is on the counter for the pizza.”

And with that, he left.

I ate pizza by myself before dragging myself upstairs for the night.

CHAPTER 29

The next morning,I found my car keys on the island. Jackson was nowhere in sight which was probably for the best since things couldn’t get more awkward between us. It wasn’t him. It was all me. He was normal. He teased, flirted a bit, all harmless fun. I was the one ruining it with my traitorous feelings that I couldn’t help but wear on my sleeve. I was ashamed about how I felt. I felt transparent around him. I wanted to spend all my time in his presence, and I also wanted to hide away from his knowing gaze.

I worked a half day at the gallery. Then I made my way to a small bistro, where I met Julie for lunch. After we ordered, she took a good look at me.

“Jesus, you look exhausted. Have you been losing weight?”

I sighed. “I don’t know. I think the wedding is stressing me out.” That and the fact that my fiancé and I hadn’t talked in days and that he was missing in action and I didn’t even care. Or maybe it was the knowledge that I had fallen in love with another man, a beautiful, unattainable man who threw me for a complete loop every single time he walked into the room.

“Do you have any big plans for your birthday?”

I shook my head. “Matt is a workaholic right now. I barely see him.”

“Why don’t we do a fun dinner out?”

I shook my head. That was the last thing I needed. “I don’t know.”

“Let me plan the entire thing. How about next Friday? That’s your actual birthday,” she reached across the table and squeezed my arm.

“Julie.”

“I mean it. Leave it all to me. You tell Jackson since you won’t give me his cell number and I'll arrange the rest. We'll go to my favorite restaurant.”

I didn’t want to disappoint her. “Okay.”

“So,” she smiled sheepishly. “Jackson didn’t call.”

I stared at Julie, thinking about Jackson. Julie and the vet were two attractive women who had thrown themselves at him, and he had been indifferent. The whole thing just made my stupid crush even more embarrassing.

Julie stared at me. “What’s going on with you?”

I gave her a wan smile. “Nothing.”

She leaned forward. “I know you. Something is going on. What is it?”

I swallowed. She was the last person I wanted to tell my problems to.

“Is it Matt?”

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