she was supposed to marry.
The tailored white tuxedo he wore fit him handsomely, but he’d always looked good in a suit. The fact he was there was a big deal considering he hadn’t been back to the States for months. Everyone at Falling Brook Prep had loved Hugh and she’d been no exception. So why had she been falling over her onetime best friend?
Jessie immediately pushed against Ryan’s chest and stepped a few inches away.
“What is it?” he asked and then swiveled in the direction of her gaze. His expression turned from sexy and slumberous to irritated. Ryan glanced back at Jessie. “Now that Hugh is here, the party’s over?”
“Ryan...”
He held up his hand. “It’s okay. I was only a stand-in until the man you really wanted came along. If you’ll excuse me...”
He didn’t make it far because Hugh blocked his path. “Well, if it isn’t Ryan Hathaway. How are you, man?”
“Fine.”
Ryan tried to move past him but Hugh wasn’t budging. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Jessie’s shoulders. “Thanks for keeping my lady occupied until I could get here. My flight got delayed. It was a real bear traveling from London. How’s my Jess?” He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
Jessie glanced over at Ryan, who was fuming at her. “I’m...uh, good.” She felt like a total heel to have her boyfriend in front of her when two seconds ago she’d been lusting after Ryan.
“I’m going to mingle.” Ryan, not waiting for a response, made a hasty retreat.
Jessie watched him leave, feeling incredibly guilty for leading him on. If Hugh hadn’t arrived...
“Never known you to be so tongue-tied, babe,” Hugh responded, breaking into her thoughts.
Jessie blinked, refocusing on Hugh. “I’m shocked. I didn’t know you were coming.”
Hugh grinned broadly. “I wanted to surprise you. I know it’s been tough the last few years with our long-distance relationship, so I was trying to make an effort.”
Jessie forced a smile. “I appreciate that.”
“Do you? Because I could do with a better greeting after not seeing each other for months.” Hugh wrapped her in his embrace and planted a long kiss on Jessie’s lips, but all she could think about was the anger etched on Ryan’s features as he’d departed.
* * *
Would he ever learn? Ryan wondered as he stared at Hugh and Jessie from across the ballroom. Hugh was in his element with a crowd of their Falling Brook prepsters flocked around him, Jessie standing by his side like an adoring girlfriend.
Of course, she hadn’t been so adoring moments before Hugh’s arrival...
When he’d looked at her, Ryan had been entranced by the bow of her slightly parted mouth, by her slender throat and the gentle swell of her breasts. Jessie had made his breath catch and he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. Warning bells should have sounded in his head the minute she’d looked at him the way a woman looked at a man—him—like she wanted him to kiss her. He’d taken full advantage of her desire for him, sweeping Jessie into his arms and showing her just how good they could be together. He knew what he wanted and it seemed Jessie had finally, truly, seen him.
Not as a friend.
But as a man.
A man she wanted.
Had he mistaken the signs that she was interested?
Surely not, Ryan wasn’t a novice when it came to women. He’d read Jessie’s body language. The way she’d leaned into him, pressed her small but firm breasts against him, which had caused him to nearly erupt.
Ryan had had a crush on Jessie since he was six years old when she’d moved to Sycamore Street with her parents and brother, Pete Jr. The Hathaways and Acostas had been close neighbors once. Their fathers had played golf at this very same country club, while their moms had volunteered at the prep school. Both families had often met up at soccer games to see Ryan’s two older brothers, Ben and Sean, or Pete Jr. play soccer.
Meanwhile, Ryan and Jessie had shared an easy rapport, often spending hours in each other’s company, hanging out at one of their homes playing video games or riding their bicycles to the town square for ice cream. But Jessie had never seen Ryan as anything other than a friend. The situation had only worsened after Black Crescent’s hedge fund tanked, leaving the Acosta family as collateral damage in its wake. Adversity hadn’t brought him and Jessie closer. Instead, they’d grown further apart.
“Are you all right, Ryan?” one of