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Emma se "Oh, Brant, it’s beautiful" She reached up and pressed her lips against his softly "I love it"

His hands shook slightly as he pinned the flower against the shoulder of her dress This was unfa to stick the pin through her delicate skin God, he could barely reh to just be in the moment Even with Alexia, he had always held a part of his could happen to people you loved In his experience, there was less pain if you kept your heart better insulated After all, soht that Alexia was fine with that until she walked away

Emma, he kneould never be content with half of anyone A relationship with her wouldin life halfway She would love hard and co like that Once she figured out that he was not capable of being one He could live out the fantasy for the weekend, but things between them had to end when the plane touched down at home No party could last forever

The reunion was in full shen they arrived Brant had insisted on hiring a car and driver for the evening and, froht that was probably a good idea She figured it was largely due to the fact that he didn’t want to take her old car, rather than worrying about alcohol, but she had decided to let it go She’d already sent Brant off to get her first drink of the evening, needing some time to compose herself She had been floored when he had produced a corsage earlier Such thoughtful gestures were soht Brant was capable of Heck, she would have never iined him capable of all that he had been for the last few days--Mr Deceasm, Mr Sensitive, Mr Gentle and Mr Personality, just to name a few

On top of that, her parents were completely in love with him and, if she didn’t take control of her traitorous heart, she would be right there with the out to be the best man she had ever had in her life She had even taken to chanting under her breath, "It’s not real, it’s not real" He had actually caught her doing it earlier and she had brushed it away explaining that she was saying, "I need a meal" Yeah, she wasn’t a fast thinker on her feet, but he seemed satisfied and had promptly ushered her in for lunch

They had spent the day on the beach She had discovered that Brant was possibly part fish because there was nothing he couldn’t do in the water Sootten theh he claimed to have never tried it before He was also well above average in the surfing departorgeous body in his Nike board shorts that she had tuain She was sure that he knew the effect he was having on her He never missed an opportunity to touch her whenever he was close If not for her sister dropping by for a fewtheir way upstairs, she would have surely attacked hiain Unfortunately, now she was horny and in for a long evening before she could do anything about it

Yeah, bring on the alcohol;inside her She had never felt the need toBrant had her coe

Emma jumped when she felt a hand on her lower back When a fruity drink was pressed in her hand, she looked up to give Brant a grateful s when she ilass She couldn’t detect any alcohol, and she wondered how bad it would look if she asked hiht-up vodka

"You’d better take it easy, baby; drinks like that will bring you to your knees"

Eot a visual of just what she could be doing on her knees As his eyes locked on hers, he pulled her body closer to his,in her ear, "Well, "

Her nipples hardened and she clenched her legs together, trying to relieve the pressure there This conversation so wasn’t helping She was one suggestive co his clothes off in front of the crowd and et

"E she received before so God, I can’t believe you’re here!" She was forced from Brant’s ar

"Maddie! I so hoped you would be here" Emma was thrilled to see her old friend Other than the heed very little Her long blond hair was still the saht style that Emolden glow

Madison had always beenthan Emma, especially where the opposite sex was concerned She knew nothing had changed in that area when Madison said, "Girl, I’ at this stone-cold fox you’re with since I got here and hating the tramp plastered all over hi enough to glare daggers at the trahed helplessly at her friend’s colorful description while beside her Brant had stiffened She didn’t know if he was offended at being called a stone-cold fox or by her being called a tra it a squeeze for reassurance

"Brant, this is my friend Madison" And then because she couldn’t resist, she added, "I believe you went to college with her old boyfriend Paul" She could see the exact moment that he made the connection in his head

She fully expected him to excuse hiave Madison a dazzling smile and said, "Paul alas a lucky bastard" As soon as he spoke, it was clear Madison was officially in love with hi all over her fake boyfriend, Ehtass Brant just a tiny bit This one was unpredictable Things that would normally freak him out didn’t seem to faze him at all

Before E, Tina and Jill, gathered around theeted as a possible reunion date, had joined theht--David was a dah, he, like her other friends, seemed more interested in Brant’s attention than hers Fifteennot to stare daggers at her friends Was this what being jealous felt like? Brant, to his credit, had kept a firm hold on her hand no matter who attempted to squeeze her out When Jill asked him to dance, she was relieved Jill was happily ht Brant released Emma’s hand and escorted Jill to the dance floor Emma was floored when Jill put her arainst Brant "What the hell?"