But he raised his brows and produced an identical stack of cards from the inside pocket of his jacket. “Here. I’ll call you on Monday to set up a meeting.”
“Wonderful!” the woman trilled as she tucked the card into her handbag. “I look forward to it.”
When he looked back across the table, Josie was beaming at him like a proud parent.
“They grow up so fast!” She wiped a pretend tear from the corner of her eye. “I’ll make a marketing expert out of you yet.”
His lips pinched together as he crammed the cards back into his pocket. “Itismy business, after all.” He hated that he sounded testy, but God, how many emotions was he supposed to juggle in one night? Lust, pride, regret, relief. It was too much—and that was before Finn’s handsome fucking brother chose that moment to stand and offer Josie his hand.
“Shall we?” he asked, and she grinned up at him and chirped, “We shall!”
Add murderous jealousy to that list.
His eyes tracked their progress to the floor, and any hope that he’d been at all circumspect about his surveillance was dashed when Lily patted his knee under the table.
“You could ask her to dance next, you know.”
“I don’t—”
She cut him off. “Oh please, you’re not fooling anybody. Just do it.”
Ridiculous. Him, dancing? His bulk on the dance floor would have all the grace and charm of a barge.
“Quit tormenting him, sweetheart,” Grant said. “Come argue with me on the dance floor.”
Every starchy bit of Lily melted as her husband pulled her to her feet and they walked away hand in hand, leaving Erik alone with Byron’s brother, who was immersed in God knew what on his phone.
Nothing to do but watch the happy couples swaying to Lady Gaga’s cover of “Your Song.” He had strong opinions on the topic of wedding songs after lingering around the periphery of countless receptions over the past half a year, and it was usually one of his favorites. But tonight Gaga’s singing dragged on and on while his narrowed eyes focused in on the places where Jake’s hands made contact with Josie’s body: her fingers, her waist, her back where her dress dipped low. He wanted to storm the parquet floor and forcibly separate the pair of them. Then, to his horror, the deejay queued up a second slow song as Gaga’s final notes faded, and Josie and Jake showed no signs of leaving the floor.
He was up and out of his chair without a second thought, striding across the room to the opening notes of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Touching Josie’s shoulder took every ounce of courage he could summon, but he did it, forcing his arm up, allowing his fingers to skate along her upper arm. She looked around in surprise.
“Dance with me.” Now that the words were out, he was aware of how likely she was to loudly tell him to fuck off. They hadn’t exactly had a proper apology session yet, and she could be… impulsive.
After a split second of silence, she cut her glance to Jake and said, “I guess you’re off the hook.”
His insides eased when Jake turned and left the floor without argument and Josie moved into his waiting arms. It was the two of them now, and the reception hall shrank to the small circle of space that encompassed only them as Elvis’s voice crooned through the speakers.
His nerves fled as his fingers took their place at her waist, half on the soft material of that damn dress and half on her warm back. It felt right to be touching her. His skin had been craving hers for two weeks, and if he had to stand in the middle of a group of people to satisfy that need, so be it.
She slid her arm around him and he pulled her closer, only relaxing into the dance when she gave a little sigh and melted into him. While she and Jake had chatted through the entirety of their song—and Erik knew that to be a fact because he’d watched every second of it—all her words dried up once she was in his arms. But her eyes never left his, and they seemed to be asking a question.
He could guess what it was, or at least land in the ballpark. And he owed her those answers. So as the song came to an end, he dropped one hand from her back but kept hold of her fingers with the other, using that connection to lead her off the floor and out onto one of the balconies overlooking the sleepy street below.
By some miracle, the area was empty of guests, but he still led her through the velvety summer air to a dark corner where the strands of lights twined overhead didn’t quite penetrate. She leaned against the metal railing with her back to the street while he leaned against it with his back to the building. It was an apt metaphor for the two of them: in the same spot but facing opposite directions.
“Good cake,” she said after a moment.
Small talk? Okay. If that’s what she needed. “Thanks. It’s what I do. Good speech.”
She flashed a cocky smile. “Thanks. It’s what I do.”
“Are you seriously not into him?” Fuck, that was abrupt, but he had to know.
“Who, Jake?” Her laughter floated over the muffled sounds of the party raging just beyond them. “No. Not for years and years. Now he’s just fun to tease.”
His fingers tightened around the metal railing. “Like I’m fun to tease?” The words hurt his throat, hurt his heart, butChrist, he needed to know. Needed to know if he was just another Jake to her, another man to string along and laugh about.
She studied him in silence for a moment, until he worried that she didn’t intend to answer.
