At that point, I suspected where this was going and I instantly disengaged my hand from hers. Inhaling deeply, I forced a smile on my face, shaking my head, “No, Susan. No.”
Grabbing a basket off the floor, I turned around, a stern expression on my face. But Susan, ever unrelenting in her matchmaking efforts, followed me out.
“Kylie wait. Just hear me out. Just this once.”
I ignored her.
Honestly, I loved my friends. But more often than not, they could be quite persistent in their efforts to get on my nerves. How many times had they tried to do this? A hundred? And how many times have I told them time and time again that I wasn’t looking for ‘true love’?
“If you’re ready to leave, the door is right there. And say hello to Jessie for me, won’t you?”
“Will you stop being so petty about this?” Her voice was rising, just like my annoyance, but for the sake of being friends, I once again chose to ignore her. Rather than responding, I bent to pick up my yoga mat. I was no longer in the mood to exercise.
“Kylie, listen to me. I’m your friend for goodness sake! You’ve been doing this for the past four years. Until when are you just gonna keep lying around waiting for him?”
Breath hitching, I stopped dead in my tracks, slowly turning around to face her.
“This is not about him.”
“Oh, really? Take a good look at yourself. You’re still so young and so beautiful, yet you rarely go out. You don’t see anyone, not even your friends. I’m sure you’d have gotten rid of Susan and I years ago if we hadn’t been so persistent. You work all day, all night, and don’t think I don’t know that you try to avoid contact with even your male colleagues. Why don’t you just—”
“I said this is not about him!”
My breath was shaky, my voice unstable. I knew I was shouting, overreacting, almost doing the very thing I swore never to do when it came to my ex-fiancé. But I couldn’t help it, not when she stood right in front of me, bringing out the very skeleton I’d tried so hard to bury.
“Then prove it.” Susan said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow, “Dress pretty, go to that wedding and steal a man’s heart. Then I’ll believe that you have really moved on.”
And that was how I found myself here at this jolly place brimming with so much happiness it was almost nauseating to watch. It was an exclusive celebration. I knew neither the bride nor the groom, yet Susan managed to get an invitation anyway.
Weddings sickened me.
They reminded me too much of what was, of what could have been, if only…
Immediately I came into the reception hall and saw all the smiling faces, I almost bailed. If not for the firm hands of Susan and Jessie placed on my back, gently reminding me that I shouldn’t even think of it, I would have done it.
But then, like the proverbial beacon in the dark, I’d seem him standing by the side, a grim look on his face as he stared at the bride and groom. He was so stoic, so cool, his mouth set in a firm line. He had a refined air around him, yet he still managed to look totally out of place. Somehow, his stance reminded me of a rugged mafia boss.
Of course, that should have been the red light.
But of course, I just had to choose him as the man whose heart I’d steal at this wedding.
Now, judging from the way our very short interaction had gone, it was becoming very clear to me that I just might have made a teeny tiny error in calculation.
This wasn’t a man whose heart could easily be stolen.
No. He looked like one who frequently stood at the other end of the stealing – a certified heartbreaker. And right now, he was looking at me as if he’d like to have me for dinner.
But I couldn’t back now. Not now. Not ever. And certainly not when Susan and Jessie were watching. I couldn’t let them think I was still hung up on that bastard.
Shoving those thoughts to the back of my mind, I smiled at him, “If you wanted a dance so badly, why not just say so?”
For the first time, I saw the ghost of a smile on his lips as he took a step towards me, “Lady, it seems you don’t know me. I don’t beg for dances… or anything else.”
Those last three words were said in a low, husky whisper and I saw a change in his eyes. He stepped towards me again, closing the gap between our bodies.
Willing myself not to take a step back, I raised my chin. Somewhere along the line, this had turned to a game of sorts. Was he daring me to back down?
“If you’ve got the right to something, there’s no need to beg for it.”
The music in the room changed to a slow, romantic song and he looked up briefly before fixing his gaze on me once more.
“Really?” He paused, tilting his head to the side, “So do I have the right to a dance or two?”
The smile never left my face, yet I gave in to the urge to look away from those dark, compelling eyes of his and the atmosphere suddenly felt very hot. My heart thumped.
What the hell?
Chapter Two
Tom
Having her in my arms as we softly gyrated to the romantic music playing from the speakers was not one of the best ideas I’d had in a long time.
This woman stimulated me intellectually with her biting wit. By daring her to dance with me and actually getting her to agree, my plan had been to somehow prolong our conversation. But from the look of things, things were getting very physical.
Without thinking, I slid my hand down her back to her slender waist, resting
