Page 12 of Crushing On Dad's Best Friend
7
Katherine
“Ah, Mr. Leigh is here.”
My heart flutters but I don’t turn around, instead busying myself with tongs and a muffin. How the hell am I going to stand being in the same room with thisman?
I can still feel his fingers as they dug into my flesh to pull me close. I can still feel the aftershocks of his every touch, his every kiss, his every whisper, and each time I let the memory fill in the rough sketch that’s burned into my body, a rolling wave of pleasure churns throughme.
I can still feel how close he was to me. How big he was. I can still feel the disappointment of having his thickness pressed up against me but not insideme.
I can still feel him. I can still taste him. I feel like I’m being stuck with an infinite supply of pins and needles like I’m on a table in a sadistic acupuncturist’s office and loving every minute ofit.
“You and Katherine should talk,” my father says behindme.
Confusion cuts me to the bone and I feel my eyes, once relaxed and perusing the options at the breakfast buffet, are now on alert. Why would my dad want me and Liam to talk? I turn around slowly as though I’m about to be in trouble, but when I see who’s standing with my dad, I feel my shoulders soften with profoundrelief.
I smile and take in a deepbreath.
Of course. My dad’s been obsessed with me going to law school since I was on the debate team freshman year of high school, and he keeps wanting me and Brian to talk so I can pick his brain for bits of useful information. I think it’s sweet that he’s encouraging Brian to take me under his wing as a kind of peermentor.
My dad drops Brian next to me at the breakfast bar before his brother grabs him. I turn to Brian and hand him the tongs. He grabs a chocolate chip muffin. I already have the same on myplate.
“Good choice, and good morning,” he says, pointing the tongs toward my plate. “It looks like I’m really missing out by not being officially part of the inner circle, huh? Tell me how to get in with your mom, because I am a sucker for a good breakfastbuffet.”
“How do you know my mom’s the one who runs the innercircle?”
He shrugs andsmiles.
“Come on, everyone knows your mom plans things down to the tiniest detail. Plus, if being part of the in-crowd means I get to eat delicious breakfast foodsandhang out with you, I might have tried to infiltrate itsooner.”
His gaze travels to my face and he must see that I’m pursing my lips a little. It’s half resting-B-face and half guilt. I don’t know how to be polite without sounding like I’m flirting, or so I’ve beentold.
“That’s the thing about not being in the inner circle,” I say, trying to play it off casually, “when you’renotin the inner circle, you can never be sure who actuallyisinit.”
A soft laugh breaks through him and he points the tongs at meagain.
“I think you’re going to like lawschool.”
My mom clears her throat from the center of the room, and Brian and I turn around with a sharedsmile.
“Thank you all for coming and being part of this wonderful occasion,” she says, mimosa in hand. “Our eldest daughter’swedding. ”
Soft applause bubbles over the room and I look around, wondering where Liam is. Then, like an angel appearing from behind a cloud, he steps through the front door, passes through the foyer, and comes to fill in the semi-circle of guests around my mom. He appears to be searching for something, and when his gaze lands on me, hesmiles.
A thrill goes through me. I’m the one he was lookingfor.
Every moment of the speech is another moment that ticks by with Liam and me sneaking glances at each other. Keep our eyes on each other too long and it feels like a transgression so large that it dwarfs what happened last night. But avoiding his gaze for fear that someone will catch us? That’s when I can feel his eyes travel to every inch of my skin, searing a path through me that winds up deep inside mybelly.
Thankfully, mom’s official welcome only lasts a few minutes, which is a huge surprise. After she’s gone through the itinerary for the day — everyone will be paired off for group activities if they choose to partake, and free-slash-pool time with be available to anyone who doesn’t want to do the structured activities — Liam crosses the room to approach me andBrian.
“Morning,” he says, putting his hand at the small of my back and placing a peck on my cheek. I smile up at him and feel myself blush, but I don’t let my body react further, as far as I can control it. He puts his hand on Brian’s shoulder. “I see you two are gettingacquainted.”
“Yes,” I reply, smiling at Brian. “He’s already told me that I’ll like law school. I think it has something to do with my knack for arguing over the most mundane, minusculethings.”
“You’ve been like this forever,” Liam says. “I remember when you two were kids you once engaged Brian in a very lengthy debate over which of you should pour the last of the Sprite so you both get the same amount. You said whoever pours can’t be the one who chooses their cupfirst.”
“I don’t remember that, but it totally sounds like something I’d do,” I say, blushing a little. “Leave it to me to allow the most simple task to become more convoluted than it has tobe.”
