Best and Honor

Chapter 12

Andrew

I swipe my thumb across the beading condensation on the outside of my second whisky and soda. There was just no way I could stay in my room any longer wondering what was happening between Sophie and Evan. After shaving and taking hot shower, I'd put on my black slacks, crisp white collared shirt, thin black tie and my light gray sweater. I then paced my room for twenty minutes before deciding I needed to get out of there before a wore a hole in the carpet.

I've checked my phone every five minutes for the past hour, but there are no missed calls or texts from her and now my heart is pounding in my chest as thoughts of her with Evan are running through my head. I can hear the restaurant growing increasingly noisy behind me as many of the VIP wedding guests begin to fill the reserved tables. I take another sip of my drink and let the burn distract me from the maddening thoughts.

Maybe I should have said something. Would it have made any difference if I told her how I've felt about her all these years? I wonder if I should have tried to kiss her again or maybe insisted I hung out and made sure she got back to the hotel ok. I guess none of that matters now, what's done is done. I'll know from the look on Evan's face if it worked out for him. I set the empty glass back down on the bar and turn around as Evan and Rachel enter the room.

He's smiling at his friends and family, but I can see the detached look as he tries hard to pretend this is what he wants. I can't even begin to describe the weight that has lifted from my shoulders. I lean back, resting my elbows on the bar behind me and wait for her to enter before I'll take my seat at the head of the table with the bride and groom to be. Evan has his hand on Rachel's back as he glances over in my direction, the anger in his eyes is clear when they meet mine but he quickly looks away.

I feel her enter the room before I see her. The backdraft before she steps through the large arch and into the restaurant. For a moment, all the oxygen is sucked out of the room before the burning explosion of her body emerging through the doorway. God, she's beautiful. My heart stops for a moment, as time seems to stand still. Her hand is gripping a small clutch at her side, the other playing with the dangling silver earing in her ear. She has her long hair pulled up off her neck in an elegant roll and pinned at the base of her neck. It's the perfect mix of messy and meticulously placed. I love the way it allows me to see the smooth, tanned skin of her neck.

The deep blue color of her dress stands out against the olive glow of her sun-kissed skin. A lacey overlay covers the entire dress, hanging slightly longer than the layer closest to her naked flesh. It brushes across the middle of her thighs, allowing my eyes a peek at the smooth skin of the sexiest legs I've ever seen. Her heels are nude and make her legs look even longer as she stands away from the group, seeming to search their faces for one in particular.

Her eyes meet mine and I can't help the grin that curls my lips when she smiles at me from across the crowd. She begins to make her way over to me, barely dodging the arms of the familiar people who reach out to welcome her. She smiles at a few, motioning that she'll be back in a minute.

"I think you have the right idea," she says a little breathy and I can hear the nervousness in her tone. Stepping past me, she sets her clutch on the bar and holds my empty glass up to the bartender. I chuckle and spin around, resting my elbows on the bar again. The bartender places a new drink in front of me and one in front of Sophie. She takes a big sip, and then sets it on the bar with a sigh of pleasure that has my body at attention again.

I want to ask her how it went. I need to know what happened and if I now have the green light to make her mine. I run my finger around the rim of my glass as she takes another drink of hers, never opening her eyes as if it's the most delicious thing she's ever had cross her tongue. I can't take my eyes off of her. I lean in, letting my lips brush her ear very lightly. "You have no idea how gorgeous you are. I could stay right here and watch you all night."