Wishing Star

Chapter 20

Caelum's voice shouted at her from below. "You about ready, baby girl?"

She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, nerves fluttering in her belly.

Yesterday while it was slow at work, she and Sarah spent their free time watching YouTube videos on how to do make-up and hair. Max had a feeling Sarah did it for her benefit because she had known ahead of time which videos she wanted to show her.

She tried to follow the directions exactly, painstakingly completing the smokey eye look with the bold red lipstick. She could see how the lipstick and her dress complimented each other. She had parted her hair to the side, and her wild curls were softened to Hollywood waves threw over one shoulder.

She was nervous for Caelum to see her like this for the first time. She rarely wore make-up, much less fixed her hair. Her mind flashed to Clark, and with a guilty feeling, she couldn't help but wonder what he would think of how she looked as well. She stubbornly pushed those thoughts away and focused on putting one foot in front of the other as she descended the stairs.

The brothers were standing by the door facing each other, and their arms were crossed over their chests as they casually chatted while they waited. Since she hadn't caught their eyes, she took her time to study their outfits. They were both dressed in all-black tuxes, and she swallowed thickly at how handsome they both were.

Caelum's dark blonde hair was parted to the side and was perfectly arranged, so no hair was out of place. Her stare turned towards Clark's hair, also parted to the side, but unlike his brother, his slightly wavy hair was less tamed. It looked like he had also shaved for the occasion. Seeing him without his scruff was slightly jarring.

Her foot hit a creak, and they both turned to look at her.

Caelum's mouth dropped open, and his eyes darkened in a flair of unmistakable heat. "Holy shit." He walked toward her and held out his hand to help her down the last couple of steps.

She glanced at Clark to see him studying her closely, his eyes taking in her body with a hunger that surprised her. The heat in his eyes rivaled his brother's, but he stayed leaning against the door with his arms crossed.

Caelum pulled her to his chest and kissed the side of her head before his lips met her ear. "You're fucking gorgeous."

She ducked her head and looked up through her eyelashes coated in mascara. "Thank you," she whispered.

Instead of leading her to the door, he pulled her into a hug. "I don't want to let you go. Let's stay here, and let me show you how beautiful you are."

She swallowed the lump in her throat at what he did to her insides. "As amazing as that sounds, this dinner is important to you."

He sighed as he backed up. "I know. And that's the only reason I'm not insisting that we stay."

They moved to the door, and she grabbed her clutch that Sarah had thrown in at the last minute to complete her outfit.

To her surprise, Clark took the coat from her hand and helped her into it. "You look lovely," he murmured close to her ear.

Thank you," she said, glancing back at him.

His eyes were trained on the low back of her dress, but as soon as it was covered, they met hers.

He nodded and looked away, opening the door. "Let's go before we're late," he grumbled, a bite to his tone.

And just like that, he was back to his usual self.

Caelum followed her out the door and kept his hand on her lower back. "Don't worry about him," he whispered, leaning close to her ear so Clark wouldn't hear.