Page 89 of The Wedding Crush

“Yeah, uh… What time does the movie start?” I ask. “I was hoping to make a quick trip to the house.”

Tony nods, though I suspect he senses my uneasiness.

He flips his wrist. “Another fifteen minutes. D wanted to give the guests time to grab drinks and popcorn, find seats, you know? You’ve got time.”

“Great. Thanks again.” I flash him a small smile.

Turning back to our group, I’m not surprised when I immediately connect with Avery’s smiling eyes.

For a moment, my shoulders relax.

Since last Tuesday, we’ve spent nearly every night together. I’ve been working from the city to be with her. We’ve gone on dinner dates and downtown strolls. Even tonight, I drove us here. Much to Ace’s underage dismay. We’re in that hazy phase when the only thing that matters is being together as often and for as long as humanly possible.

She tilts her head, signaling for me to rejoin them.

Instead of walking toward her, though, I match her smile, lifting our glasses. Then I veer off toward the house, holding her stare and hoping she’ll follow me.

It’s quite possibly the worst timing.

The night is warm, the wine is flowing. Soon,Jumping the Broomwill be playing on the projector. I should be enjoying a night of outdoor cinema with our family and friends, instead of stealing Avery away.

But there’s something I need to get off my chest, and it can’t wait.

Ten minutes pass before she finds me in my old bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the huge bay window overlooking the terrace.

“Okay, I see what you’re going for here. This place really is a mood, but we don’t have much time…” She giggles, wrongly assuming my intentions in getting her here are for less than savory reasons.

Which…it’s quiet, comfortably warm, and we’ve got a great view of the screen. If we hurried, we could make it back out before anyone even noticed we were gone.

My heart flutters, heightening my desperation.

I don’t want to rush this, though.

If anything, I want to savor ever second of tonight. So, I pat the spot on the bed beside me, and wait as Avery lingers for a beat, raking her eyes over me, reading my energy.

A moment later, she joins me, planting a soft kiss on my lips.

Heat rises in my cheeks.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, slowly pulling back to search my eyes. “You seem distracted.”

“Yeah?”

She raises an eyebrow.

I press my lips together, suppressing a smile. I don’t deny it, though. My heart is pounding, my pulse racing. Every time we’re together, this woman takes my breath away. I physically ache thinking about her when we’re apart for even a handful of minutes.

“You’re staring,” she teases.

“Because you’re beautiful.” I brush another kiss over her lips, gathering up the nerve.

“Seriously, I can tell something is bothering you. The way you left the terrace, your expression scared me.”

Outside, the lights dim. Silence blankets over the muffled din of chatter and mingling. Then the speakers blare to life with the first tinkling notes of the movie studio’s intro music, punctuating my heartbeat.

I rub my knees. “We need to talk.”

“About?”

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