A fierce streak of possessiveness raced through me. I stepped to her side, sliding my hand around her waist and letting it rest on the soft curve of her hip. “Hey there,” I murmured as I bent low and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.
When I lifted my eyes, I met hers and didn’t miss the sudden flash in them. Although we were ostensibly pretending we were together, I’d just gone a step further than we had taken it thus far in public by kissing her on the neck like that. I didn’t care.
I felt her tremble slightly and watched the pink crest high on her cheeks. A subtle buzz of satisfaction ran through me. If I was going to be a slave to my reaction to her, I wouldn’t mind knowing that maybe, just maybe, she might be as affected by me.
“Hey yourself.” Her reply was husky, and I wanted to kiss her properly. That might be taking things too far just now.
Instead I straightened and looked at the man beside her. “I don’t think we’ve met. Walker Hudson,” I said with a nod, keeping my tone level.
The man’s eyes bounced between us, his gaze cooling as he took the measure of the moment. He nodded in return. “Clyde Phelps. You’re the best man, right?” At my nod, he continued, “Are you as surprised as I was to see Dave fall so hard and fast?” he asked conversationally.
Considering that I didn’t know this man, and knew Dave really well, I knew they weren’t close. Be that as it may, Dave’s days of being a player weren’t exactly a secret. I simply smiled. “Perhaps at first. But then I met Jenny. Dave is nothing if not loyal. He was guaranteed to fall hard, and I’m nothing but thrilled for him. Nice to meet you. We’ll be going because we need to get into the reception.”
I didn’t wait for Clyde’s reply. He called after us, “Nice to meet you, Jade. Y’all enjoy the rest of your weekend.”
With my arm firmly around Jade’s waist, I steered her through the crowd as we made our way into the reception. I had to admit, Jade had thoroughly dissuaded me from the idea that I had control of this situation. If she hadn’t gone and kissed me this morning, I might’ve been able to live within that illusion.
As we crested the top of the stairs, Jade murmured, “Well, I must admit you’re good at marking your territory.”
“Excuse me?”
We stopped in the hallway where it was quieter, the voices muted from the large event room nearby where the reception was being held and the crowd was filtering in.
Jade moved slightly, not stepping away from where my arm was wrapped around her waist, but shifting to face me better. Her dark hair fell to the side, and she brushed it over her shoulder. “Mark your territory. You know, showing up when that guy was being nothing more than polite to me. I swear, men can be just like dogs. Actually, that’s not fair. I adore dogs.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. “I love dogs too, so I don’t mind being compared to them.”
Jade rolled her eyes.
“You did say we needed to put on a good act. Also, you kissed me this morning, so you started it.”
“Is that what I did?” she murmured, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink.
I didn’t know why I said what I said next. Maybe it was all this talk about weddings and love. Maybe it was watching my best friend get married. Maybe it was Dave’s passing comment that I must believe in love if I believed he loved Jenny. Maybe it was because my brain was addled by the hum of desire sizzling through me whenever I was near Jade. Maybe it was my ex-girlfriend’s observation that I seemed to have a lot more with Jade than I’d ever had with her. I didn’t think I would ever know what prompted my next comment.
Yet, the curiosity had been simmering under the surface ever since I heard the rumors that Jade didn’t ever date and was open about her intention never to do so. I wasn’t usually curious like this. But, there were a lot of things I wasn’t usually like when it came to Jade.
“Rumor has it you’ve permanently sworn off men. Tell me why.”
I didn’t miss the brief flicker of surprise in Jade’s eyes. I certainly didn’t miss the way she stiffened slightly in my arms. I barely heard it, but I didn’t miss the hiss of her breath between her teeth.
She was quiet for a few beats, and then she shrugged. “What does it matter?”
I didn’t know why it mattered to me, but it absolutely did.
Chapter Eleven
Jade
What does it matter?
My own question mocked me while we sat at a table during the reception. It didn’t surprise me Walker had heard I didn’t date. Stolen Hearts Valley was a small world. People talked. I also hadn’t tried to keep it a secret. I’d stated my intentions and thrown it back into the faces of anyone who questioned me. Social expectations never sat well with me. People shouldn’t be bound by what others expected of them. Women, especially, had spent so many centuries under the brutal thumb of social expectations largely dictated by men.
I wanted to be independent and sure as hell didn’t appreciate people questioning that choice. I was fine. Better than fine. I savored my choice and the freedom of just not worrying about the whole stupid dating world.
And yet, here I was at a wedding where
