The closer Shannon walked to the coat check, the more her nerves battled her stomach.
Victor shrugged out of his coat and handed it to the young man standing by.
Shannon waited until Victor was done before turning her back to him for his help.
She undid the belt and Victor peeled away her coat.
His gaze heated her back.
The kid in coat check dropped his jaw.
Victor stepped around her. His gaze sizzled and the air snapped all around them. “Whoa.”
Shannon decided, right there and then, that she liked rendering this man speechless.
“Oh, boy, am I in trouble.”
She faked innocence. “Is something wrong?”
Victor wordlessly shook his head.
“Sir?” The kid waiting to take her jacket called Victor’s attention.
“Here,” Victor said, thrusting her coat at him.
Shannon looked over Victor’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You—you’re welcome,” the kid stuttered.
Victor collected himself and placed a possessive hand on her back. “I’m burning that coat,” he whispered in her ear.
“I like that coat.”
“Are you trying to kill me?” His flirty tone and words kept her smiling.
“Is your cardiovascular health that weak?”
Heads turned as they made their way into the outer reception room. Waiters dressed in black-and-white uniforms were serving wine and champagne, and soft music played in the background.
“It’s not my cardiovascular health I’m worried about. It’s the other men that are bound to capture your attention. I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to go to the bathroom for fear of someone hitting on you.”
Victor took two glasses of bubbly from a passing waiter and handed her one.
“They can try, but I came here with you and I’m leaving with you.”
“Amen for that.”
“Victor?” A voice from behind had them both turning around.
“We were starting to wonder if you were coming.”
It was Shannon’s turn for shell shock.
In front of them was Justin, standing next to a gorgeous petite redhead with big brown eyes. Beside them was a couple Shannon least expected.
Victor’s parents.
She shivered, suddenly very aware of how little she wore and how bad impressions were everything.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Victor had to nudge Shannon twice to get her feet to move.
“I’m going to kill you,” Shannon whispered from the side of her mouth before they reached his parents.
Victor shook his brother’s hand. “Justin, you remember Shannon.”
“How could I forget the woman who pegged you for an asshole before she knew your name.”
Justin’s words broke some of the ice. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Wonderful to see you again. This is my girlfriend, Deirdre. Hon, this is Shannon.”
She extended a hand. “Lovely to meet you. I’ve heard all about you.”
“I’m a little afraid of what that might imply.”
“Nothing bad, I assure you,” Deirdre said.
Victor placed a hand back on the base of Shannon’s spine and directed her to his parents. “I’m not sure if you were ever properly introduced. This is my mom, Renee, and my father, Scott.”
Renee shook Shannon’s hand first. “We spoke briefly at the . . . in Tulum.” When posing for the preceremony pictures.
“I remember.”
Renee looked Shannon up and down. “Might I say, that is a stunning dress.”
Shannon placed a nervous hand over the exposed skin between her breasts. “Victor failed to tell me you were all going to be here, or I might have worn something a little less . . .” She searched for the right words.
“I’m not sure that’s possible,” Victor said, teasing.
She wanted to stomp on his foot. “A little more conservative,” Shannon said between her teeth.
“Good heavens, why?” Renee asked. “If I could wear that, you bet I would.”
Both Victor and Justin looked at their mother.
“No,” Justin said first.
Victor shook his head.
Scott kissed his wife’s cheek. “Only for me, hon.”
Victor’s dad shook her hand, placed a second one over hers. “I’m glad Victor brought you. You add class to my son’s arm.”
Heat warmed her face. “Thank you for your kind words.”
Victor squeezed her waist. “Now that we’re done with that, I need to find a real drink. I have a feeling I’m going to need it to fend off the men in the room,” he told his family.
“There’s an idea I can endorse,” Justin said, leading the way to the bar.
Shannon took the opportunity to whisper in Victor’s ear. “Oldest client, huh?”
He shrugged. “Not a lie. I learned to buy and sell scraps starting with my father. He gave me my first loan.”
She held him back a few steps, looked down at her dress. “This dress is practically glued in place. If anything pops out, you had better tell me.”
His eyes traveled down, he wiggled his eyebrows.
She slapped his arm. “Victor.”
“I will.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
They started walking again. He leaned close. “Is it bad that I want something to pop out?”
“Victor!” she warned between clenched teeth.
“Okay, that’s bad. Got it.”
His parents . . . good God, his parents. “You could have told me your parents were coming.”
“I somehow think me asking you to a family dinner this early would have ended up being a no go.”
“You’d have been right.”
“Then this worked out.”
“For you.”
He brought her hand up to his, kissed the back of it. “For both of us. You’ll see.”
For his sake, she hoped he was right. Or that condom was going to remain in its wrapper for a very long time.
Victor was keenly aware of the men watching his date. He couldn’t blame them. He’d been in several states of arousal ever since she revealed her dress at the door. Good thing she didn’t do it at her house, or he might have skipped the event altogether.
Now he had no choice but to stay by her side and move in anytime he saw someone stepping in too close. And when the photographer came around, Victor was right there to smile for the camera. For the event page of the charity website, they were told. Of course, once they were public, there was no telling where the images would end up.
He was okay with that.
Victor didn’t want to hide this thing they were exploring any longer. Even if it appeared that he was the asshole in the saga that was him and Corrie. He didn’t care.
He introduced Shannon to a dozen acquaintances and a couple of business associates he’d dealt with over the years.
Only once did his “almost bride” get brought up.
“I heard you got married, introduce me to your beautiful wife.”
He hesitated, but Shannon jumped right in. “Victor left the wife at home and brought me instead,” she told Sebastian Crane, a once a year acquaintance Victor never spoke with outside of this event.
Justin chimed in once Sebastian regained his equilibrium. Explained that the marriage had never happened.
Victor took the opportunity to steer Shannon away.
Not that he’d expected any different, but the welcome Shannon received from his parents, and Shannon’s genuine interest in getting to know Deirdre, was icing on the cake.
No one pulled him aside to tell him she was too young, too naive, or too anything. All he caught in reaction to Shannon was the occasional man releasing a breath after she walked by.
Her dress was killing him. He couldn’t help but wish something would pop out so he could touch it and pop it back in.
Thankfully, the night would end with dancing, which he intended to use to his full advantage by holding her close.
“You do realize you’re staring,” she told him through the second course of their dinner.
He leaned over, whispered, “You wore that so I would.”
She didn’t deny him. Instead she placed a hand on his lap and continued to make conversation with his family at the table.
The dinner took forever, followed by the longest speech in existence . . . green energy, save the world, we can make a difference . . . blah, blah, blah.
The music started and Victor almost applauded.
Instead he scooted his chair back and reached for Shannon’s hand. “I’ve been waiting all night for this.”
He was pretty sure his father laughed. He knew for sure his brother made a snarky comment.
It was a charity event, not a frat party, so the music was slow and the dancing was cheek to cheek.
Victor wrapped an arm around her and held her close, his lips right by her ear. “Thank you,” he said.
She kept to his lead, smooth on her feet. Nothing like when they tried their hands at salsa. “What for?”
“For being here with me. For wearing that dress.”
“You’re welcome.”
He turned her around, glanced over at their table. His brother had pulled his girl onto the dance floor, and the two of them were talking and glancing their way on occasion. “I think my family likes you.”
“I like them, too. They’re very down-to-earth.”
“Is that a surprise?”
“You haven’t met mine. They’ve gotten better, but . . .”
Victor squeezed her hand. “I’m pretty good with parents.”
Shannon laughed. “I know. You would have thought Beverly was the one getting married.”
Just the mention of his ex almost mother-in-law left a bad taste in his mouth. “That woman was a little crazy.”
Shannon was quick to agree. “Understatement. My mother is entitled, not nuts.”
“I’ll make a note of it.”
They danced for a while before Shannon asked, “Why wasn’t Deirdre at the wedding?”