“Hey, Jessica,” Sam said in his smooth drawl. Despite the fact that he happened to be one of the hottest rock stars in America, Sam had managed to keep a fairly low profile here in Haven. Jessica had been skeptical of her friend’s whirlwind romance at first, but Sam seemed like an honest-to-God great guy, and he and Carly were obviously completely smitten with each other.
In fact…
Carly was waggling a blindingly gorgeous diamond solitaire ring in Jessica’s direction, her smile almost as dazzling as the ring. “Look what happened last weekend while we were in LA.”
“Oh my God!” Jessica whisper-squealed. “That’s so exciting. Congrats, you guys.”
“Thank you,” Carly and Sam said in unison.
“That’s some ring. Way to go, Sam.” Jessica grinned at him. “So I guess we’ll be attending another wedding soon.”
It was practically a wedding epidemic at this point, and Jessica was thrilled for her friends, but…ugh, she was twenty-eight years old. Almost twenty-nine. And so single she hadn’t had sex in almost a year. It was pathetic, really.
“Would it be tacky if we had our wedding here too?” Carly said. “Because this place is so amazing. Oh, look, there are the guys!”
Ethan, Ryan, and Mark had taken their places in front of the crowd, and damn, but they were a good-looking trio. Ethan with his tousled blond hair, blue eyes, and that charming grin that just wouldn’t quit. Ryan with his brown hair, plentiful tattoos (which were hidden today beneath his charcoal gray tux), and bad boy attitude in place.
And Mark. Mark with his military-style close-cropped black hair, his dark eyes always so full of mystery, and the deep scar that creased his right cheek. His skin was a beautiful shade of bronze thanks to his father, who was African-American. Back in high school, Mark had shown her the faded, wrinkled photo in his wallet, the only photo he had of his parents. His mom, petite and blond, his father tall and handsome, much like Mark himself. Just teenagers when they had him. They’d died in a car crash when Mark was six, leaving him adrift in the foster care system.
No doubt it was the reason he was so closed off now. Her heart broke for that little boy, orphaned and all alone. She’d loved that boy when he was on the cusp of becoming a man, loved him with all her heart. And rather than loving her back, he’d walked away. And so, no matter how much she hated the things he’d had to go through, she couldn’t make the mistake of falling for him again.
Butdamn, he was something to look at. So handsome in his tux. Somehow, the scar only added to his sexy intrigue. She wanted to trace her fingers over it, kiss it, kisshim. And seriously, what was the matter with her right now? She didnotstill want Mark. She didn’t even like him. She hated him for walking out on her the way he had.
So what if he looked delicious enough to eat? She shifted in her seat and stared out at the vineyard to her left until the ceremony started. The bridal party came first, radiant in their lavender dresses. Then the music shifted, and beside her, Carly gasped.
Gabby was the vision of beauty and happiness as she walked down the aisle with her father at her side. Her dress was simple but flowing, with lace edging the bodice and a full, lacy train. It was stunning, only slightly less stunning than her smile. She wore tiny white roses in her hair, and…yeah, Jessica felt herself getting teary-eyed.
She dabbed at her eyes as Gabby and Ethan exchanged their vows. The love stamped all over both of their faces was just…wow. That’s what Jessica wanted. She wanted a man who looked at her the way Ethan looked at Gabby. She pressed a hand to her heart when they were pronounced husband and wife.
Ethan pulled Gabby into his arms and gave her a kiss that made everyone in attendance whoop and cheer. Yep, Gabby was a lucky lady; that was for sure. After the ceremony, guests drifted to the patio for drinks and hors d’oeuvres while the bridal party had photos taken. Jessica walked around, making casual conversation while trying not to stare at a certain tall, handsome groomsman who was smiling—yes, smiling—for the camera on the other side of the lawn.
Finally, the reception got under way, and Jessica was relieved to find herself at the table with Carly, Sam, and a few other people she’d gone to high school with. She made small talk while she ate (and shared a few giggles with Carly as several female guests came over to their table to fawn all over Sam).
When they opened up the dance floor, she figured why not? She was feeling much better, and a couple of glasses of wine from the open bar had only improved her mood. She moved to the beat of a popular dance song with Carly, Emma, Gabby, and several other women. Their friend Mandy spun around in the center of the group, her red dress twirling. Jessica wished she could be that uninhibited, but no, she was content grooving quietly on the sidelines.
After a couple of dance tunes, the music changed, and a ballad began to play. Dancers coupled up, and Jessica headed for the bar. Halfway there, she almost walked right into Mark. He blocked her path, those dark eyes as serious as ever and locked on hers. “Good to see you back on your feet.”
Something warm and tingly grew in her chest. “Yeah…um, thanks again for the Popsicles.”
He nodded. “Want to dance?”
Dance? Was he serious? “Actually, I was just headed to the bar…”
“One dance. I have a business proposition for you.”
“A what?” And what did that have to do with dancing? “If it’s about the Adrenaline Rush, I already agreed to offer discount coupons to the race participants and a spa package to the winners like I did last year.”
“And we appreciate that, but this is about something else.”
What in the world?“One song. And this better be good.” She narrowed her eyes at him before leading the way to the dance floor. She stopped at a quiet corner in back where they might be able to hear each other talk.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Mark said, and the way he said it made her cheeks heat and her heart flutter.
“Thanks. You look pretty dashing yourself.” Which was true, but this felt a little too much like flirting. She put her hands on his shoulders, keeping an arm’s length between them like one of those awkward middle school dances. And still it felt too close.
His hands settled on her waist, warm and strong, and she could smell the fresh scent of his aftershave. Her heart was already beating too fast, and this was so ridiculous. She had to get this silly attraction under control, and pronto. This wasMark. Been there, done that.
“We lost the land,” he said as they began to sway to the music.
