to think I’m moderately unpredictable. Shall we?” He poured a glass, holding it toward her.
She accepted it cheerfully. “We shall.”
He raised his own glass. “Thank you for saying yes.”
For a man who had been with more women than she could count, he really was a softie sometimes. “Thank you for asking me,” she whispered.
She hadn’t had alcohol in a while and drained her glass in two short gulps. Jack quickly refilled it. “Thirsty?”
Caroline took another sip. “A little. Are you trying to get me drunk?” She doubted it would take much.
“I figured it might help you loosen up on the dance floor.”
“We can’t exactly swing from the chandeliers tonight.”
He laughed. “I know. But you’ve had a hard month. I thought you deserved a break.”
She frowned at her cast and sling. “I wish this was off of me.”
“We can get around it.” Jack took the now empty glass out of her hand. “How about we start our little celebration?”
She stared down at her clothes. “Are you sure I’m dressed appropriately?”
He trailed a finger down the center of her chest. “You can take your clothes off if you want. This ballroom can be locked from the inside.”
“Oh, you don’t get that until later,” she said. “You’re just going to have to enjoy me in all my ratty glory.”
Jack pressed play on the iPod then pulled her toward him. “You’re beautiful to me no matter what you’re wearing.”
Caroline put her arm around him and leaned in. “I love you,” she whispered, and smiled as the piano intro and Tony Bennett’s voice echoed across the room. “You’re not all that unpredictable, Jack.”
He moved in for a kiss. “Remember the first time we danced to this song?”
She laughed against his lips before pressing her cheek to his. “I’ll never forget.”
“I thought I blew it that night,” he said. “When I kissed you. But you looked so lovely, and you were holding on to me so tightly, I just thought-”
“I’m glad you did. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to accept how I felt about you otherwise.”
“Are you saying I was right about something?”
“Yes.”
Jack stopped moving. “Can I go write that down?”
Caroline squeezed him tighter with her good arm. “Hush.”
He brought his mouth to her ear. “If you’d told me in January that I’d be here in this ballroom with you, my fiancée, right now this very minute, I would have never believed you.”
She laughed softly. “Why not? You’re the one who had your eye on me from the beginning.”
“I never thought I’d be able to pull it off.”
“Why is that?”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d give me the chance.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to worry about anything ever again. I want you to be happy. Joyful. I want to give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”
He was very carefully avoiding eye contact with her. She kissed his cheek. “You already have.”
They stopped dancing. Jack stared down at the floor. His eyes were damp. He’d been much more emotional than usual lately.
“Jack-”
“Shh.” He pulled her closer to him. “Let me enjoy this. Let me enjoy you.”
Caroline wasn’t about to argue about that. She’d let him enjoy her multiple times tonight, if that’s what he wanted. She didn’t say a word as they started to sway to the music again.
* * * * *
Jack set the half empty bottle of champagne and both wine flutes down on the nightstand, then made a point of going over to the door and turning the lock before sliding off his shoes.
Caroline grinned at him. “Does this mean you’re staying in here with me tonight?”
He pulled down her shorts. “Are you going to kick me out afterward? I really don’t want to do a walk of shame in my own house.”
“No,” she said, adjusting her position so he could unhook her sling. “I’ve wanted you in here for the last month. And you don’t waste any time, do you?”
The kiss Jack gave her was soft, but the erection pressing against her thigh was anything but. “I’ve missed you,” he said.
She rubbed her leg against his groin, just for fun. “Going without sex for this long must have been awful for you.”
“You have no idea. I didn’t even jack off.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “Really?”
He averted his eyes. “Okay, maybe once or twice.”
Caroline would pursue that topic later, after she removed all his clothes. If he was going to do that, she wanted him in the room with her while it was taking place. She