The casualness of Luke’s tone didn’t fool Gavin. The other man’s eyes were focused like lasers. Strangely, he found himself telling the truth. “Yes. Julian’s back in action.”

“That’s good news, man. I’ve been missing his adventures.”

“Not nearly as much as I have.” Gavin set down his water. “Don’t spread the word around, though. My muse has been a cranky bitch for the last several months, so I don’t trust her.”

Luke nodded before he looked past Gavin’s shoulder, and his face seemed to lose all its angles while his blue eyes went from glacial ice to tropical sea. “Looks like some decisions have been made,” he said.

Gavin swiveled on the stool to see Allie and Miranda walking across the bar with arms linked.

“We came to get the official seal of approval,” Miranda said, her gaze on her new husband.

“Or veto,” Allie said with a nervous smile in Gavin’s direction.

All he could see was how Allie’s upswept hair showed off the creamy skin of her shoulders above the deep plunge of the gown’s neckline. He wanted to bury his face in the shadow cast by the curve of her breasts. Until he realized that other men would want to do the same thing.

Then he noticed that the fabric of the dress was nearly transparent, her arms clearly visible through the short puffed sleeves, and her skin glowing pink through the sheer ivory silk. He was sure that if she stood in front of a bright light, everyone would see the sinuous outline of her waist and hips and the ripe arc of her bottom.

He frowned.

“That’s not a good sign,” Allie said, her smile wavering.

Miranda finished her modeling spin and looked at Gavin. “I’m sure he’s just trying to find the right words to express how beautiful you are.”

He caught the slight note of warning in Miranda’s perfectly modulated voice and realized he was being a jealous ass, but that didn’t stop him. “She looks too beautiful.”

Allie’s smile firmed up as she turned to Miranda. “I knew he wouldn’t like the cleavage.”

“Cleavage! The whole damned dress just needs a strong light to turn it into Saran wrap.”

“That shows what you know about haute couture,” Allie said, floating up to him in the swirling dress. She bent to pick up the hem of the long skirt and show him that the layer of translucent organza was underlain by a layer of opaque pale pink. “It’s an illusion. You can’t really see my skin at all, except through the sleeves.”

“Fiction can be more powerful than reality,” Gavin said. “I don’t want other men even thinking they can see your skin under the dress. And there’s the cleavage.”

He caught sight of Miranda’s face as she threw a glance past him, her eyes dancing with laughter. Turning, he saw the corners of Luke’s lips twitch. Gavin snapped, “Just because your wife is wearing a perfectly respectable dress, don’t lord it over me.”

“I thought I looked like a dangerous siren.” Miranda posed with one leg thrust out through the high slit of her sheath. Now that Gavin wasn’t focused on Allie, he saw that Miranda’s crimson pour of a dress covered only one shoulder and clung to her curves in a way that might be considered sexy. If Allie hadn’t been standing beside her, looking like a deliciously sensuous sea goddess who had risen from the waves on a clamshell.

“You’re in trouble now,” Luke said.

“He only has eyes for Allie, and that’s the way it should be,” Miranda said. “I just wanted to point out that ball gowns are not meant to be conservative.”

Allie stood in front of him, her expression both hopeful and wary. Gavin started to reach for the edges of the neckline to pull them together before he realized it would require a very intimate touch. So he just gestured in the general direction. “Can’t they do something to make the dress less revealing?”

“I’ll ask,” Allie said, tugging at the fabric in a way that made her breasts plump up. Gavin wanted to groan. “But it will ruin the line of the bodice if they change it too much.”

Luke’s broad grin reminded Gavin that he had an overly interested audience. “Ah, well, we wouldn’t want to ruin any lines. Humor me in one thing, though. Avoid standing in front of bright lights.”

Allie laid a hand on his forearm. “Promise. I think the front is kind of low cut, too, but the rest of it is so pretty.” She swished the skirt with her free hand, destroying the last of his resistance with that simple gesture of childlike pleasure.

Miranda swayed up to her husband. “And do I have your seal of approval?”

“Am I allowed to tackle anyone who looks at you too long?” Luke asked, setting his hands on her hips and drawing her between his knees.

“Define ‘too long,’” Miranda purred.

“More than three seconds.”

“That will make for very brief conversations.” She smiled and kissed him in a way that let everyone know that, for Miranda, there was no one else in the room at that moment.

Gavin clenched his fists to prevent himself from dragging Allie between his legs and ravishing her soft, sweet mouth as well. Instead, he cleared his throat in an irritating way. “I understand they have very comfortable rooms upstairs.”

“Go to hell, Miller.” But Luke released his wife.

Miranda’s lips curled into an impish smile as she faced Gavin. “You might consider a necklace to draw the eye away from the, um, dramatic neckline.”

“Of course,” Gavin said, leaping down from the stool. “We will go in search of jewels to adorn you. I understand they have a selection available here for that purpose.”

Allie narrowed her eyes at him. “Is the jewelry included in the ticket price, too?”

“No, but we can just borrow them for the evening, like the Oscars.”

“Oh, that’s all right, then.” He saw the tension leave her shoulders. “Are you coming, Miranda?”

“Tempting, but I’ve got my own jewelry back at Nathan’s house,” she said. “Although if you need a third opinion, just text me.”

As Gavin picked up his notepad and thrust it in his pocket, Luke said, “And I’ll be happy to offer my opinion, just like you did after our visit to Miranda’s farm.”

Gavin muttered something unflattering about Luke Archer, but Allie felt Luke’s comment soak into her heart like a balm. She remembered the story of Gavin intervening in Luke and Miranda’s courtship. Now it seemed as though Luke believed there was something similar between Gavin and her.