Emily nodded and a lump wedged itself between the walls of her throat as she watched Dillon approach Gavin, motioning her over in the process. Licking her dry lips, she squeezed Lisa’s hand, and with trepidation, she started making her way across the room.

God, she’s so beautiful, Gavin thought to himself as he watched Emily close the space between them. Her body swayed with elegant poise beneath an emerald silk evening gown. His eyes followed her sleek legs down to a pair of silver strappy stilettos adorning her feet. He tried to keep his eyes from traveling back up to her subtle curves and long dark locks of hair because it only brought back that familiar ache. He fought to push it away, but his body continued to respond to her as she drew nearer. He could feel his pupils dilate as she swept her tongue across her lips, causing his blood to pump with brutal force toward necessary extremities.

He had a desire for every inch of her—the smell of her sweet breath on his hungry lips, the taste of her tongue against his, the soft feel of her skin beneath his hands, and the sound of her husky voice whispering in his ears. She was an assault on his senses, a constant thirst needing to be quenched. Although he’d had a taste, he feared the only thing he would have left was his instinct of wanting her more and needing to feel her again and again. With all of this, what captivated him the most was her eyes—those deep pools of alluring green that felt as if they were boring into his very soul. His grip may have tightened around Stephanie’s waist, but in his mind, his hands were on Emily.

When Emily and Lisa approached, Dillon reached for her, positioning her back against his chest. “Babe, this is Gavin’s date, Stephanie.”

With a smile, Emily pulled in a slow and shaky breath. “It’s very nice to meet you, Stephanie.”

“You, too,” she replied, tucking a few errant strands of her honey-hued hair behind her ear. Her porcelain-like features emphasized her large whiskey-colored eyes. “Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you,” Emily said.

Gavin’s gaze captured Emily’s, a smile on his face. “Yes…congratulations.”

With his voice so calm, cool, and collected, Emily couldn’t help but wonder if she was the only ball of nerves standing there. Smiling, she simply nodded her thanks. As soon as she did, her stomach recoiled when she swore she saw a sparkle of amusement in his eyes at her reaction.

“Just an assumption,” Gavin continued, turning in Lisa’s direction, “but there must be some sort of relation between you and Emily. Your features are strikingly similar”

“Yes,” she replied. “I’m her sister.”

“Mmm, younger or older?” he asked casually with his dimpled smile.

“Oh, he’s quite the charmer,” Lisa laughed, looking at Emily. She brought her attention back to Gavin. “I’m older by ten years, but thank you for the compliment.”

“He certainly is,” Emily deadpanned, shifting nervously against Dillon.

A smirk curled the brim of Gavin’s mouth, but he remained silent.

“I’ll keep my thoughts to myself about that one,” Dillon clipped with a smirk of his own. Gavin shook his head. “But, for now, I need another drink. Babe, do you want another glass of wine?”

There was only one way she was going to survive the rest of the night. Emily smiled. “I’ll take a shot of something…strong.”

Dillon nodded and walked away.

Gavin flicked Emily another stroke of amusement with his eyes. She could tell he felt her sinking, and all it was doing was pissing her off.

Before she could dwell too long on her desire to knock him clear across the head, Trevor and Fallon approached. Emily smiled at them, happy that they were working out well as a couple. They genuinely enjoyed being together and seemed to be a perfect match of fire and ice. She guessed Dillon would beg to differ since he laughed at the whole courtship when he found out about it. Nonetheless, Emily was thrilled, knowing he would now have no choice but to accept Fallon as her friend. To seal the deal, she made Fallon one of her bridesmaids.

Formal introductions were made between Stephanie and Fallon before Trevor asked the group if he could steal Emily away for a dance. She obliged his request, placing her hand in the crook of his arm as he guided her out onto the floor.

With the pianists playing “The Summer Wind” by Frank Sinatra in the background, they began dancing.

Looking up to him, she said, “I didn’t know you liked slow dancing.”

He chuckled. “I don’t to tell you the truth. I actually hate it.” Emily gave him a questioning look. “I just wanted to talk to you about what I had said the last time we spoke.”

Emily knew he was referring to the mess between her and Gavin. It came as a surprise to her when Trevor called to let her know his feelings on the situation. He wasn’t harsh about his opinion over the whole matter, but one would consider his approach a little less than understanding to say the least.

“Oh,” she nodded. “Well, you’ve explained that it puts you in a bad position. I understand that, but to be honest, nothing more’s going to happen between us.”

His face softened as he lowered his voice. “I consider you my adoptive sister, and I wanted to apologize for the things I had said—well, mostly, the way I had said them. I just wanted you to know that, whether or not you and Gavin decide to carry on anything, it’s none of my business. You’re two grown adults, and it’s your lives. Would it be an odd situation for me because I’m friends with Dillon? Absolutely. But I would have to learn to deal with it.”

Widening her eyes, she tilted her head to the side. “Trevor, I’m engaged now, and like I said, nothing more’s going to happen.”

His devil-may-care sneer lit up his features, showing his amusement at her remark.

“Why do you have that look on your face?”

“I may wear glasses, Emily, but I’m not blind.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, pulling back slightly.

He gently pulled her closer. “One, I’ve known Gavin since I was a kid, and his perseverance to go after something he wants has never been an issue for him. And two, even though I haven’t known you as long as him, I can see it all over your face when you look at him.”

She stopped swaying to the music, but Trevor kept them moving swiftly. “I don’t want to talk about this,” she said with a smile on her face, trying to appear unfazed in the crowded room.

“That’s cool with me. I just wanted to put it out there.”

“Well, I thank you for your blessings that are not needed in this case, Dad.” He laughed at that. “Now let’s move on to the next subject, okay?”

“Absolutely,” he smiled. “So how do you feel about Dillon being gone for a few days in October?”

“He’s going away? He never told me that.”

“Yeah, we both are. The firm’s sending us to Florida to score an account from some Japanese mogul, Takatsuki Yamamoto,” he laughed, struggling to pronounce the name correctly.

A frown creased her brows. “Wait, Dillon told me he already landed that account.”

“No, not yet,” he shook his head. “You must have it confused with another one. We’re trying to get it now.”

Skimming through her memory, she was almost positive that was Dillon’s reason for bailing on their date in Central Park. She remembered he’d said he was in New Jersey. However, with everything that had happened since, she started questioning herself in that moment.

The sound of Dillon clearing his throat broke through her thoughts. “May I cut in?” he asked, looking to Trevor.

Bowing gracefully, Trevor chuckled. “Go for it. I’ll catch up with you two in a bit.”

Trevor made his way back over to Fallon, Stephanie, and Gavin. Olivia and her girlfriend, Tina, had also joined the group.

Smiling, Dillon curled one hand around Emily’s waist. “Are you having a good time?” he whispered into her hair, his free hand stroking her arm.