Page 50 of The Wicked Love

And, holy hell, has he gotten big.

He was always ripped in high school, but it’s like all of his muscles grew inches in diameter.

I scan down his body. The shirt is tucked into baby-blue slim dress pants, paired with—oh, Brooke definitely gave him this outfit—Gucci loafers.

I already had my suspicions it was her doing when he wasn’t in a T-shirt and sweats.

Cade is in black jeans and a white button-up, rolled up to the elbows. His arm is draped over Stella’s shoulders, and I recognize her dress instantly from this season’s Saint Laurent release—the backless minidress in sable. I almost bought the same one myself.

Black hair swishes as Brooke spins and makes eye contact with me. I see her bright red lips form my name as she takes a step toward me, quickly closing the forty-some feet between us.

I inhale sharply as she approaches and pulls me into a loose hug.

“You look gorgeous, Becca. It’s great to see you again,” Brooke says as she releases her hug.

She smells like roses, exactly like fresh-cut roses.

“Thank you. It’s good to see you too, Brooke.”

Her eyes glance behind me, a nervous look in her gaze, and she asks, “Aretheywith you?”

Keanu clears his throat, announcing himself.

“Yes.”

Keanu steps up to my right side and Max to my left.

“These are my bodyguards. They go everywhere with me. This is Max and Keanu.”

“I’m Max. If you need anything tonight, please let me know,” Max introduces himself, and I can’t help but chuckle, pulling Brooke’s attention back to me.

I didn’t mean to laugh at Max, but he is a man of few words around me. So, hearing him offer his services to her tonight is hilarious.

Brooke’s blush burns across her cheeks as she says, “Thank you very much, Max. So, are we ready? I think the group might drag us out of here if we don’t hurry up.”

My step forward is answer enough. Brooke falls into step beside me, between Max and me.

Callum laughs at something Stella said, and the little twist in my stomach hurts more than I’d like. He turns to me, and I swear the air gets sucked out of my lungs as he takes his next breath.

Left. Right. Left. Right. One step at a time.

Part of me wishes he would grab me right now, lift me up, wrap my legs around his waist, and carry me away, keeping me safe and warm in his embrace. I think being held up by him is my favorite thing in this world.

That’s the selfish part of me. And the selfish part makes up about 49.9% of me.

The other part is the realistic, sensical, and the ever-lonely part, making up 50.1% of me.

It’s a constant battle, making sure the logical side is winning the war. And right now, it is hard as fucking hell to not tip the scales and fall off the deep end into selfish paradise.

Callum’s gaze is locked on to mine, and my breathing slows as Brooke and I approach the group.

Purposely positioning myself the farthest from Callum, I stand between Stella and Brooke. And he smirks, like he knows exactly why I did it.

He glances down at his shoes, and I take a second to fully take him in while I can stare unabashedly.

Would it be the end of the world if I let Callum have one dance tonight?

FIFTEEN