Page 8 of Your Last First Kiss

My eyelashes flutter of their own accord as he brings our joined hands to his lips. The touch of his mouth causes a shiver to work its way down my spine.

“I was in the car behind yours.”

I look over my shoulder to the line of town cars Lochlan sent for everyone, searching for a nameplate or something. Does it sayPenny Mulligan, like at the airport? When I don’t find any, I turn back to him. “How’d you know it was mine?”

His hazel eyes bore into mine with an intensity that sets my entire body on fire. “I’d recognize your profile anywhere, Penny. When your car turned onto East 22nd, you were resting your chin in your palm, staring out the window.”

My stomach flips. Then flips again.

“What were you thinking about?” he asks in a husky tone I crave like cold water on a broiling summer day. His thick brown hair is styled in an effortlessly careless way that makes him seem so much younger—even when his eyes always look sad.

What was I thinking about? Him. My boys. My life. The three things that run on a loop in my mind.

“My boys.” It’s the safest answer to give, but I can’t quite keep the tremor from my voice, and his face falls. It’s more concern than scowl.

Why does he have to be so…just so…aware?

“Are they okay? Is there anything I can do?”

My heart chooses that moment to dance a tango on my lungs. Is this what a heart attack feels like? I can tell from his expression he means what he says. If I needed help, he would be there, no questions asked.

He’s going to make someone ridiculously happy someday. But the thought of him with anyone else causes my lip to tremble, so I look away. As much as I like Dillon, I can’t be with him. Not when I fall into bed each night so exhausted my eyelids hurt. It wouldn’t be fair to him. My boys will always come first.

But what if I did let him in? Nova’s words ring in my head. Would it truly be the worst thing in the world?

Could we survive it?

I have no doubt he would cherish me and, by extension, my boys. Am I hurting my sons by not allowing this man into our lives?

My mind and heart are at war and I’m not sure which one I want to win.

Adjusting the small clutch Nova approved to go with this dress, I tuck my phone under it to keep my hands busy. The bag isn’t big enough to hold my phone, and I refused to leave it at home.

“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head and focusing on the party going on beyond those double doors. “I’m sure everything’s fine. Nova and Ash are with them. Kai’s at a camp, and I’m waiting for a call to make sure his dad picked him up. That’s all.”

Dillon steps back and does a slow perusal of my body. His gaze is a caress that starts at my toes and lovingly smooths up my body, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. He’s standing there like a modern-day Prince Charming, with shoulders broad enough to require a custom suit. What would it be like if he touched me? Really touched me.

“Where are you going to put your phone?” His voice cracks, and he snaps his eyes back to mine.

My throat is dry, and my mind is trying desperately to clear the daydream, so I wave my free hand and reluctantly slip my other one from his to give myself a moment.

Do not fan your face in front of him, Penny. Don’t do it!

“Ah, I’m going to hold it until I know everyone’s home safe.”

He holds out his palm. “I have pockets. Put it on vibrate, and I’ll make sure you don’t miss the call. You’ll need your hands free to dance.”

“Oh, I don’t plan on dancing tonight.”

His gaze darkens as it scales my body like a mountain climber. “Penny?”

“Did you just growl?” I didn’t mean to say that out loud. I bite my bottom lip to keep anything else from slipping past my defenses, but his eyes dance with mirth as he watches me.

Dillon slides my hand into the crook of his arm and pockets my phone in one smooth motion, then silently guides us forward. As soon as I fall into step beside him, he leans down and ghosts his lips across my ear.

“I got one dance with you at Ashton’s wedding, and I’ve thought of nothing since.” His growled whoosh of air has heat pooling in my belly. “If you think I can let this night go without at least attempting another, you don’t know me very well.”

Memories of our bodies pressed together on that dance floor as the band played Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” has my throat going dry.