Her eyes widen and she pulls back to look at him, then gives a small smile. I can only imagine what he told her.
The couple does their first dance, their bodies seamlessly attached, flowing to the slow song. Then the floor opens up and people rush out to jam.
“Hi,” a deep voice says from behind me. I spin around and look up to see a dark-haired guy staring down at me. He’s pretty cute, dressed in a good black suit with a dark red tie. “Is this seat taken?”
“She’s on the dance floor,” I say and wave at the chair. “You can take it if you need it, I imagine.”
He laughs and sits down. “No, I wanted to know if…you wanted some company.”
My face burns. “Oh. Duh, me.”
“I’m Rick,” he says, reaching out to shake my hand.
“Brooklyn,” I return. His grip is pleasant, though it doesn’t send any thrills through me. “So what do you do, Rick? Other than attending weddings, I mean.”
“I’m in finance,” he says. “I do taxes.”
We talk a bit. I tell him how I’m graduating with my bachelors in science and going on to get my masters. Turns out he went to my school, so we discuss various professors and courses.
“Do you want to dance?” Rick says. He gives me a warm smile. “We are at a wedding, after all, and I haven’t seen you leave this chair.”
“You’ve been watching me?”
“You’re the prettiest woman here.” His smile grows bigger. He’s trying to be charming, and while it isn’t making my stomach flip or anything, he seems decent enough.
“Okay, let’s go dance.”
Rick takes my hand and leads me to the middle of the floor. It makes me think of my hand nestled in Jax’s earlier. Different experience altogether. Different reaction, too. But this is better. Safer. Nothing about Rick screams bad boy.
We move together, swaying to the “Faithfully” by Journey. His hands wrap around my hips and he tugs me closer.
“You smell nice,” he whispers in my ear. His breath is hot on my skin, and I smell faint tinges of liquor.
“Thanks.” I feel him growing aroused against my thigh. Okay, that kind of makes me uncomfortable. I pull back just a touch so we’re not that close.
“So what do you do when the tax rush is over?” I ask politely.
“Oh, it’s never over.” He looks down at me and I see a frown line between his brows. “Tax needs are year-round. My work is very consistent and stable.”
Wow, splendid. I can almost hear him saying he’s quite the catch. I stay silent for a moment. Maybe he’s just nervous or something. Trying to impress me, I guess. I can’t fault a guy for being a little awkward. I get awkward sometimes, too.
Then he’s tugged from me, his hands releasing my hips with a small jerk, and I see Jax right behind him, hand clamped on Rick’s shoulder. Rick gives me a startled look before he’s pushed away and Jax moves in front of me to take his place.
A hot flush of anger sweeps over me. I open my mouth to blast him about being so rude and presumptive when suddenly Jax’s lips are on mine, his hand cupping the back of my head, and I’m drowning in his kiss. Overwhelmed. Unable to think or articulate any words.
His tongue slips along mine, deepening the kiss, and he thrusts my body against him; I can feel his dick growing hard in response to the heat building between us. My pelvis instinctively grinds along its impressive length, and my hands thrust in his hair, touching the seductive strands. His jaw is smooth from a fresh shave.
Just as tantalizing as I thought he’d be.
I’m dizzy and breathless and tasting him, and then Jax groans into my mouth and kisses me harder, hotter, messier, more intensely.
Oh my God, this is a kiss unlike any other I’ve ever experienced. My belly is throbbing so hard, my channel clenching in raw need to be filled in the way I’ve never been. This man is owning me with just his lips, and it’s insane and powerful and commanding and I never want it to stop. It’s also sheer madness.
Somehow I manage to get control over myself and jerk away from him, my body instantly screaming in misery from the withdrawal. I swallow and say as steadily as I can, “What are you doing? What…what just…”
His grip tightens on the back of my neck and he leans toward me, his lips just a breath away.