My body melted into his. “I haven’t been told the official news.”

His lips pressed against my mouth, taking my breath away. His hand found mine. He interlaced our fingers before he whispered against my lips, “Then let’s make it official.” He turned to the dance floor and called, “Noah.”

“Yeah?” He was leading Theresa inside by her hand. Both looked as if they’d thoroughly been kissed. When my eyes caught hers, she gave me a sloppy smile that told me two things. One, she was happy and two, she was indeed drunk.

Carter curved an arm around my back and pulled me close. He held a hand out—a drink immediately appeared in it thanks to an efficient employee—and he handed it to me before a second one appeared. He held that one in the air. “To a great new product for The Richmond Hotel and to Emma, who received news today…” He lingered as he gave Noah a pointed look.

“Oh, yeah.” Noah lifted his drink higher. “You’ve been promoted, Emma, but these two already broke the news. Congratulations! You’re now the Head of Project Promotions and you’re partnering with the Head of Innovative Projects right here.” His arm squeezed around Theresa. “Congratulations to you both.”

Theresa giggled as she raised her drink. “Congratulations to both of us!”

“Thanks, guys.” I watched as Theresa and Noah clinked their glasses together before taking a sip. She reached up for a kiss, but he batted her away. When her lips formed into a pout, he frowned, but yanked her back out onto the dance floor for privacy.

Carter and I watched through the glass walls as they kissed in celebration.

I chuckled, “Do they know we can see them?”

Carter pulled me to face him and bent his head down. His lips lingered on the base of my neck as he murmured, “I don’t care. As long as we have some privacy.” His hands gripped my hips, and he held me against him, anchored in place as his lips started to explore my neck.

I closed my eyes as a feeling settled in my gut. It wasn’t one that I was used to, but it wasn’t one that I would reject. It was peace. In his arms, surrounded by two new friends, I was happy.

Carter stayed by my side most of the time. He left for phone calls or when an employee would poke their head inside the office, but for the most part it was just the four of us. Noah’s sister came a few hours later. She was a slim girl with platinum hair and twinkling blue eyes. There was a kinship between her and Theresa. As I watched them laugh together, their years of history were obvious and a small prick of envy came to me. When I watched the younger girl interact with her brother, that envy grew into jealousy.

I missed AJ. I missed the hugs. I missed the hair tussles. I missed how he told me what to do and I would ignore him. And I missed the time we never got. AJ died so long ago that I rarely thought of him, but I did that evening. When a few tears came to me, I let them fall freely. They were healing tears, ones that I wasn’t embarrassed to show.

Theresa mouthed to me across the room, “Are you okay?”

I nodded. I was. I really was.

Carter returned from another call and saw everything. He took my hand, pulling me into one of the back bedrooms. When he flipped a switch, the lighting was soft and low, but I saw that it wasn’t a bedroom. Two large couches were set up along with a sectional in the other corner. The wall was covered with a large flat-screen television. He turned it on, but muted the sound. It was of the club downstairs. Every minute the screen would change to another room in Octave.

Then he turned and studied me. The multi-colors from the television flashed over him, casting him in a changing canvas of shadows. It made him seem more alluring and dangerous. He asked, “What happened?”

I sighed. He always knew. “Nothing.”

“Emma.”

“Nothing,” my voice rose.

He took my arm and pulled me close. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” His hand tightened, but I didn’t feel it. His touches were becoming a second skin to me. “It’s seeing them out there.”

“Did they do something?”

“No, it’s their love for each other, and Theresa grew up with them. It’s—”

“AJ.”

At that one word, the dam broke in me. I had known that I missed him, but those earlier emotions were nothing compared to the storm that took over me now. I fell to the couch and Carter went with me. He lifted me into his lap and pressed a kiss to my forehead. He brushed my hair back and continued to do so. His touch was tender and soothing, but he was right. It was AJ. I missed my brother.

“I miss him too.” Carter gave me a smile, but it was haunted. “We don’t talk about AJ that much, but I loved him. I don’t protect you because of him, though. I know you think that, but that’s not why. I protect you because of you, because…”

My heart pounded and my eyes grew wide. Was he going to say what I thought he was going to say…? I waited, my breath held, but a guarded look came over him.

He started to look away, but I grabbed his chin. I held him in place. “Carter.”

The guarded look slid away. “Yes?”

My hand tightened. “What were you going to say?”

“When?”

I moved so I was straddling him. His hand gripped the back of my hips. I was pressed against him, my chest to his, eye to eye and I lingered with my lips just above his. I whispered to him, “What were you going to say to me?”

His chest lifted and I felt the air that he drew in. My eyes closed. My breath went with him, into him.

He still didn’t say it.

“Please,” I wrenched out.

“Why?”

“Because I think I know.” I hoped I knew. Every nerve in my body was stretched with want. I wanted to hear those words. The need was blossoming in my chest, ready to explode. “Tell me.”

He grinned. “Tell you what? That I care about you? You already know that.”

“Stop teasing me.”

His smile slipped and his eyes dropped. They lingered on my lips, where I was teasing him. Then he said it, “I love you.” Everything fell away in that moment.

My eyes caught and held his. My hand fell to his chest, and it stayed there, feeling his heart. He tilted my head back and pressed a kiss underneath my chin as he murmured, “I have always loved you.” Another kiss. “I will always love you, Emma. There’s been no other for me.” His hand slid to the back of my neck and his lips moved back to mine. “Now, do you love me?”