by the glamour and glitz of the night.
Only American royalty like the Andersons could afford to pull off a wedding like this one. Stormy would bet her entire bank account, which actually wasn’t that much, that she couldn’t have afforded even a single flower among the many placed so elegantly in the hundreds of exquisitely designed centerpieces.
She eyed the door longingly. Just a few more hours . . . How had she ever let Lindsey convince her it was a good idea to crash the society wedding of the century? If Stormy made it through the evening undetected, she swore she would never listen to her best friend again.
Of course, how many times in her life had she had that same thought? Too many times to count.
At least she sort of looked like she fit in with the crowd—or somewhat fit in. That meant she looked nothing like herself on this beautiful summer night in Seattle.
Lindsey had insisted she wear the ridiculously tight red dress she currently felt plastered to her skin, and her friend had layered on so much makeup that Stormy felt like a clown. With the dyed blonde hair taking the place of her naturally brown hair, she barely recognized herself. When she had gotten a look at herself in one of the gilded mirrors hanging on the walls of the banquet hall, Stormy could hardly believe she was staring at her own reflection. The girl in the mirror almost looked like she belonged at the lavish wedding. Almost.
At least she looked old enough to drink. Even if she wouldn’t be for a few more weeks. She reached up and clasped the chain around her neck, feeling more secure, if only slightly. She never left home without the simple piece of jewelry she’d designed herself.
Stormy scanned the room for Lindsey. Only the flies on the wall would know what excitement her friend was off having. Lindsey certainly wasn’t hiding in a corner somewhere.
Enough was enough. With or without Lindsey, Stormy needed an exit strategy. She gathered up her glittering clutch, slipped her feet back into the ridiculously high stiletto heels she had borrowed from Lindsey, and then covertly tried to make her way to the door.
She was mere inches from freedom when she felt a solid, masculine hand touch her bare shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat and she froze. Busted. Okay, play it cool, Stormy. Just smile, pretend like you belong here for five more seconds, and then make a run for it.
“Are you lost?”
The deep baritone of the voice sent a shiver down her spine. She really wanted to turn and look at him, but at the same time she didn’t. Cowardice wasn’t normally one of her traits, but she was in uncharted territory and she was trying to flee.
“No. But thank you.” She took another step.
“Are you refusing to have a conversation with me?”
Now she seemed rude. His voice didn’t change, but she could swear there was a challenge in it. Dammit! Stormy couldn’t resist a challenge.
Stormy finally turned, and when she looked up, she found herself gazing into a set of sea-green eyes with the longest eyelashes she’d ever witnessed on a man before. She found herself speechless.
“Let’s dance,” he said, holding out a hand, not concerned by her lack of vocal abilities.
This wasn’t a good idea.
“I don’t think so. I really need to go,” she told him. But he didn’t remove his outstretched hand, and she didn’t want to pull away and call attention to them having this conversation.
What if the people standing around realized she was crashing this wedding? She was going to murder her best friend if she ever found her again.
“One dance won’t take long.” The deep timbre of his voice made her stomach stir. Uh-oh.
His dark hair was rumpled, and his stark white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, showed a nice view of his tanned chest. And those shoulders—oh, those shoulders—looked as if they could carry a roof trestle on them. There was a bit of youthfulness in his face, but he had to be a few years older than she was.
What was one dance going to hurt? The racing of her blood proved she wouldn’t dislike it. Heck, even if she were caught, it might just be worth it to have this man’s arms around her for a few minutes.
He said nothing else as he waited, confident she would cave. He was right. She watched a smile lift the corners of his mouth as he moved