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fantasies, too many daydreams prevented me from not touching her, tasting her. 
    Emotions were conflicted and mixed. Stop now repeated over and over, but it didn’t make a difference. Go, go, go won the internal battle, so I went.
    All I could do was feel. I wanted to touch every inch of her. Before my brain intervened, I unzipped her dress about an inch, desperate to caress the soft skin on her back. That’s when I’d snapped out of the fog that had taken over every single one of my senses. I took a step back, met Tiffany’s eyes and apologized. I’d blown it. She was angry. I’d overstepped our friendship and she looked irate.
    Damn.
    She left the staging area and, I assumed, back to our table. I wondered if I should follow her. I’d decided, no. By the looks of her, it would take a while to cool off. Why did I kiss her like that? You know why. Selfish. I was a selfish bastard.
    A small smile formed at the corner of my mouth. It was so worth it.

Chapter Seven
    Tiffany
     
    “WHY ARE YOUR cheeks so flushed?” Jain asked.
    I returned to the table and attempted to look nonchalant. I guess an Oscar wouldn’t be in my future.
    “I just kissed Todd.” My hand slapped over my mouth about two seconds too late.
    “Todd? You mean the same man you’ve been telling me you have no interest in? The same man we’ve been trying to set up with all our friends?” Her eyebrows lifted, and she sat forward, waiting for my response, or better yet, my excuse.
    “Yeah. About that. Well, it was more of a pity kiss,” I explained.
    “This should be good. Why in the world would you give Todd a pity kiss? I know he wasn’t happy about our set-up with Monica tonight, but I don’t think you needed to kiss him.” Her expression remained amused.
    “No! He gave me the pity kiss.” This was a long story, and I didn’t know if I wanted to go into details yet. “I’ll tell you all about it after the auction. I think they’re almost ready to begin.” I didn’t want to miss the bidding for the brownies.
    Jain gave my back a little rub. “Whenever you’re ready.”
    This was what I loved most about Jain. She always listened whenever I needed to talk. She never pushed or tried to get me to divulge anything I wasn’t comfortable giving. Although, lately, I’d been telling her everything anyway. Every detail. I trusted her like no one I’d ever met.
    People jokingly refer to Jain and me as the Scientist and the Socialite. We’d been working side by side for the past year, creating a non-profit foundation for people who struggled with the financial effects of ALS. My degree in social work and my parents’ connections were the ideal match with Jain. She was passionately involved with all things ALS-related because she’d lost her mom to the disease when she was eighteen. Our pairing was a match made in heaven.
     In a little under a year, she’d become my best friend. Along with Colin, of course. They were a package deal.
    In an hour’s time, the auction wrapped up. Braydon bid and won the brownies for Jain. I hadn’t doubted he’d do anything but win. It was a sentimental gift he’d put a lot of thought into, but the amount he spent surprised me—fifty thousand dollars! He laughed it off and said the money would go toward charity anyway.
    It was heartwarming to see a couple so in love. I watched the way Braydon caressed Jain’s back and stared at her throughout the evening, like she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Jain and Braydon had something special, something missing from my life.
    Enough . I would never have that type of love.  I couldn’t even get a decent date. Fletcher might be partially right. My dad didn’t seem intimidating to me, but to other men? I’d never thought about it. I always assumed something about me was off-putting. I almost felt relief thinking it might be my dad. Although, blaming my dad wasn’t realistic. It was tempting, though.
    I scanned the large room again. Where was Todd?