I sucked in a breath, forgetting that large breaths probably re-amped my already ample bosoms, and wrung my fingers together at my lap. So much attention, like they could tell I didn’t belong, that I was a walking lie literally wrapped in a pretty bow.
As I decided which side to sit on, not that it really mattered as long as I sat in the back, my eyes fluttered over onlookers, following them down a line until my gaze landed on the groomsmen.
My breath caught in my throat when Sunny appeared in the crowd. He was talking to Aamar and Sam and a couple of others when Aamar cocked his chin toward me. Sunny’s gaze followed. He was adjusting his tie and I’d have to redo it if he kept messing with it. The wind had blown some of his hair astray, but it looked intended and perfect. We hadn’t been separated for long, but I’d almost forgotten how handsome he was in a suit and in that tie, which I now desperately wanted to undo.
I shook the thought from my head. Absurdity! No, brain! Don’t go there! This was all an act, remember? To end very soon.
The cut of Sunny’s jaw tightened. His eyes, even from this distance, bore into mine. That little wrinkle in between his brows appeared, as if he were scowling, but his look was as far from a scowl as it could be. A look of intensity, of longing, of undiluted need.
My lungs burned right along with my skin.
Sunny looked at me the way Kimo looked at Diya, but with a level of yearning that probably shouldn’t be witnessed in public. Was I reading too much into this? He was probably trying to send me a telepathic signal to get off the walkway. Yet I couldn’t look away. We seemed to be tethered and neither of us was able to break off.
I was still acutely aware of those staring at me. Part of me wanted to back away and get out of this room of strangers engrossed in this lie we’d been spinning. Part of me wanted to go straight to Sunny and…well, I wasn’t sure what.
Kiss him. You want to kiss him.
The truth bubbled up the back of my thoughts, the declaration I’d been trying to stave off and yet was so achingly aware of.
I wanted Sunny. Badly. Unequivocally. Devastatingly.
This man was going to destroy me.
Thirty Sunny
Aamar was calming Sam down from his “oh, shit, I’m about to get married” panic surge. The guy had known this was coming, right? He’d planned this and had paid for it. I didn’t understand why some people got cold feet or panicked about exchanging vows in front of others. He obviously adored his bride; he had no regrets. But I was one to talk. Me and commitment seemed to be polar opposites.
Sam chuckled and exhaled as if things were suddenly all right. Maybe they were. Maybe this wasn’t about huge life changes or eternal commitments, but the emotion. His eyes were glistening, and Sam would most likely cry when he saw April walking down the aisle, which was going to make her cry, which was going to make everyone in the audience cry.
Aamar patted Sam on the back and laughed with him, looking up at me and then past me. His mouth almost dropped. He cocked his chin and I turned to see what all the fuss was about. Because Aamar wasn’t the only one gawking at the woman at the entrance. One would think the bride had made an early appearance. This wasn’t the woman of the hour dressed in a white gown.
No.
This woman was far more captivating, and I wasn’t the only one thinking that. Not when so many seemed stuck on her, whispering, “Who is that?”
“She’s gorgeous.”
“She’s sexy,” a man nearby uttered, and I rolled my eyes. But there was no lie there.
“Breathtaking dress.”
“Stunning hair.”
“Purple hair? How dramatic.”
“It works for her.”
“Her skin.”
Her presence was a force to be reckoned with and had stunned me into place.
I’d always noticed Bane when she walked into a room. There was a soft yet immediate knowing. I think everyone noticed her, really. She lit up the place with either her bubbly aura or her work ethic or her skill. Here, in this surreal moment where time had stopped, she was lighting this place on fire with her looks, an all-commanding presence, so powerful that it stole the breath right out of my lungs.
Bane was a fucking goddess.
I almost expected to see her in sweatpants or, at the most, unassuming monotone slacks. I always noticed what she wore. Solid colors, nothing too eye-catching, comfortable clothes. Nothing could have prepared me for Bane in a sultry strapless white lace dress. It had a subtle design of yellow and green, and ended at the knees. A vibrant purple belt tied into a little bow made her stand out even more. It matched the purple flower in her hair, which complemented her hair. Purple and black waves cascaded down over one shoulder.
She seemed uncomfortable with the attention, wringing her hands in her lap as she approached, her gaze darting left and right. Once our eyes met, her body relaxed. Her hands fell to her sides, and she offered a soft smile. Just for me. She made me feel as if I were the only other person in existence and everyone around us were ghosts fading away.
My heart was hitting my ribs. I’d never felt this before, this rush in my blood and excitement in my chest. I could see why people got off on adrenaline and craved more. I didn’t want this thrilling sensation to end. Probably not great for my blood pressure, but who cared?
“Wow, Bane…” I said on an exhale.
She stopped in front of me, her eyelids speckled with glitter and her lips—god damn those lips—a vibrant pinkish purple matching her belt and the flower in her hair. She scowled and I put my hands up in silent apology, whispering, “Babe. I meant babe.”
She rolled her big brown eyes, her lashes twice as long, twice as thick, twice as sexy beneath shimmering eyelids. Bane was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I’d ever had the honor of breathing the same air as. Her look was everything: complementary and beauty and art.
Maybe I was staring. Maybe a few extra seconds or a few extra minutes had passed without a word. I had no idea. She warped time. I was completely enraptured by her. Nothing else existed.
Bane swallowed, her gaze breaking as she adjusted a segment of hair, and I wondered if it was as soft as the skin it touched.
I brushed the hair aside, my fingers gliding over her collarbone. Her breath hitched and I said, “You look amazing.”
She scrunched her nose as if to ask, “Really?”
I clucked my tongue and ran a hand down my face. “You look fine as hell, and you know it.”
“It’s what happens when I get out of sweatpants. Which is why I don’t do it often. I could bring down entire nations. It’s obviously enough to distract you.”
