them to marry. But lately she’d become increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of her life and their long-distance relationship. And then tonight happened and suddenly she was seeing the world through a different lens.
Ryan stood a few feet away, talking to several of their classmates, but he was head and shoulders above them. Ryan wasn’t the sweet, shy boy next door who wore glasses and was slightly overweight she’d grown up with. The Ryan Hathaway she’d met tonight was confident, lean and trim, and wore contacts. There wasn’t anything shy about him. He was sexy and carried it well in a black custom-fit tuxedo.
Jessie hadn’t be able to stop herself from ogling. It had been several years since she’d last seen him. Ryan’s once-curly black hair had been cut into a close-cropped fade along the sides with curly tendrils at the top. And since when did he have facial hair? It was just a smattering—a mustache and fuzz on the chin—but it gave him a hint of mystery and danger. His charcoal eyes had been trained on her for most of the night and, to Jessie’s surprise, she kind of liked it.
When they’d talked, it was like the years faded away and they were just Ryan and Jessie sitting in his tree house and talking about their dreams for the future. Ryan had done quite well for himself. He worked for a high-profile investment company in Manhattan while Jessie toiled away as an associate at a midsize firm in corporate law.
It amazed her that they’d been in the same city yet hardly seen each other. But how would they, when she worked sixty-hour weeks? Sometimes more. She wanted to make partner and the only way to do that was to get those billable hours.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Ryan asked, suddenly by her side. She’d been so engrossed in thought, she hadn’t seen him wander over.
“Just thinking about how so much has changed,” Jessie said, glancing up at him from underneath her lashes. “You, especially.”
A large grin spread across his incredibly full lips. Why hadn’t she noticed how divine they were before? “Me? I’m the same Ryan you’ve always known.”
Jessie shook her head. “I beg to differ. You’re different.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
She smiled. “No, it’s a great thing.”
He regarded her silently for a moment, as if weighing his options. “Care to dance?”
“I would love to.”
Any thoughts she had evaporated the moment Ryan pulled her against him. Jessie felt...well, sort of strange because they’d never danced together. Maybe when they were little and had been playing around. In his arms now, Jessie felt acutely aware of her body and the way her breasts crushed against Ryan’s chest.
Raw masculine heat radiated from his close proximity, causing her heart to flutter uncontrollably. And when Ryan pressed his body against hers and slid his thigh between the softness of hers, Jessie nearly lost it. This was Ryan. It wasn’t right she should be feeling these things...but she did.
He smelled so good. Felt so good. When he wound his arms around her waist, Jessie wanted to reach up on her tiptoes and sweep her lips across his. What was wrong with her? Ryan was her friend, but he didn’t feel like a friend. She glanced up and peered into his eyes. He didn’t look at her like one, either.
His ebony gaze raked over her face, his eyes trained on her mouth. He was going to kiss her. And she wanted him to. Desperately. She wanted to feel his lips crushed against her own, only then might it slake the hunger growing deep in her belly. She licked her lips in anticipation and watched Ryan’s eyes grow dark with desire.
He wound his fingers through her shoulder-length bob, bringing her face to his.
“Ryan!”
“Tell me you don’t want me to kiss you,” he taunted.
Jessie opened her mouth to say no, but she couldn’t get the word out. And it would be a lie because she did want Ryan’s kiss. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for an unforgettable kiss, when suddenly there was commotion behind them.
Startled, Jessie glanced over Ryan’s shoulder to see Hugh saunter into the ballroom amid much fanfare.
Hugh was her dream guy—all six feet of him. With his classic good looks, she’d been in love with him since she was a teenager. Wavy jet-black hair cut just above the neck, piercing blue eyes, a sculpted face and a square jaw encompassed by day-old stubble made Hugh O’Malley Falling Brook’s hottest catch. He was the man