The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,228

first notes of the song. “I’m going to play a Billy Joel medley, so make sure you sing all the parts.”

“Oh, shit,” Blair said under her breath. “I don’t know many Billy Joel songs.”

He leaned into her ear. “Should have thought of that before you requested him.”

The pianist started singing the first lines of the song, and Blair joined in as best she could, stumbling over the words. But instead of getting irritated, she laughed and looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him for help.

He joined in, his arm still tight around her back, and she made no move to get away.

They sang the chorus, and then the pianist moved into “Only the Good Die Young.” Blair knew this one better, and she looked up into his face from time to time as both of them sang, laughing when they both stumbled over a line. The rest of the bar had joined in by the time the song merged into “Just the Way You Are.”

Blair’s smile faded, but she continued to sing, and Garrett picked up her hand and held it to his chest. He gave her a grin, and her playfulness returned. The entire bar was singing with them now and drowning them out.

When the song ended, the crowd burst into applause and someone shouted, “You’ve gotta kiss her, man!”

“They’re right, dude,” the piano player cajoled Garrett. “Give the crowd what they want.”

Blair’s back stiffened, but she searched his eyes, and her body softened. “Well?”

He lifted his free hand to her cheek, and her eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips gently to hers. She leaned into him, and he fought the urge to deepen the kiss—a herculean task after the taste of her last night and considering how much he’d dreamed of doing more than this over the last week. Hell, the last several years. But Blair had never been a fan of public displays of affection, and he didn’t want to push her boundaries too far. Baby steps.

He lifted his face and searched her eyes while the crowd cheered and catcalled all around them. She smiled, her eyes lighting up. She looked happy, and his heart burst with joy at the knowledge that he’d played a part in that. His thumb brushed her cheekbone before he dropped his hand and captured hers again.

The pianist had moved on to a Keith Urban song, and the crowd’s attention moved on to someone else.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he was scared to move in case it would be just the jolt she needed to change her mind. But several minutes later, she turned and looked up at him, her eyes hooded. “Let’s go.”

He hesitated, worried that he’d gone too far and that she’d changed her mind about him. Worried that she’d run from him once they left the bar.

She got up, and he followed her out the door, ready for the debate of his life. But as soon they walked out into the summer night, she turned to him and pressed her lips to his. He froze for fear he’d ravage her in public.

When she pulled back, she looked up at him with her sexy eyes. “Take me to your hotel.”

He wondered how fast he could get there.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Blair Myers Hansen wasn’t impulsive. Every move was carefully thought out and executed. So on the surface, asking Garrett to take her to his room seemed impulsive. But she had no doubt that it was the best idea of her life.

She’d spent most of her time in the piano bar trying to talk herself out of it, but no argument had stuck. Ultimately, she believed Garrett’s account of their breakup. And if he hadn’t cheated on her and she was now single, what was keeping them apart?

The speed with which Garrett was ushering her down the sidewalk to his car was amusing. “It’s not a race, Garrett.”

“Says you,” he muttered, looking down at her shoes. “Can’t you go any faster?”

She laughed. “No. I’m not frolicking off to have sex with you. This isn’t some cheesy movie.”

“Then you aren’t properly motivated.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her into an alley. He pushed her back against the brick wall and kissed her roughly, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her to him. When he lifted his head, he looked down at her panting. “Did that help?”

She was grateful the wall was at her back to hold her up. “What was the question?”

He kissed her again, and