by Alicia Rae
Lily appeared at my opposite side, squealing with delight. “Holy shit! Jason caught it!” she cried.
I turned my wide eyes to her.
“Don’t give me that look! I’ve seen the way you two have been eyeing each other all night,” she purred, pointing her finger at me.
Before I could voice my weak protest, Lily’s twinkling eyes turned back to the dance floor. The DJ announced that the two winners would dance to “19 You + Me” by Dan and Shay, and Lily squealed with excitement. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jason approaching us.
Lily spoke first, “Did you come to steal my new sister-in-law away from me?”
My gaze shifted to Jason.
“I did,” Jason replied throatily with a mischievous grin. Meeting my stare, he outstretched his hand to me, sending my nerves into a frenzy all over again. “Abbey, I believe you owe me this dance.”
Lily’s eyes bounced between the two of us. As I hesitantly lifted my hand, Lily took a backward step, stretching her arm out behind my back, and she pushed me forward into Jason’s arms. A smile tugged at his lips as he placed one hand at my waist, steadying me. He lowered his eyes to my hand as he reached forward to enclose his much larger hand over my slight one. His touch was warm and strong and confident.
Jason was silent as if absorbing the feel of me, of our first contact since the ceremony earlier today.
Our attraction was palpable and undeniable, like a fierce electrical current brewing among us. I had only known this man for a few mere hours, yet I was already worried about my heart surviving the intensity of his touch for the next three minutes.
Jason slightly lowered his head toward mine. The movement was slow and graceful. His expression was thoughtful as if he, too, was processing what was happening between us. He finally broke the silence. “Ready?” he asked gently.
I was unable to say anything, afraid my voice would squeak, so I answered with a nod.
This day sure had taken so many intriguing yet unexpected turns. My mind was reeling, and I had butterflies in my stomach. In that instant, I decided to hand over the cards to fate, opening myself to whatever it might bring, as I embraced this moment.
Our chosen song began to pour from the speakers. Without another word, he led me to the center of the dance floor, and everyone gathered around the edge. They observed with drinks in their hands as they talked among themselves.
Jason twirled me under his arm once, and I could not help but smile up at him. Even as I wore heels, he towered over me. Then, he pulled me close against his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. I rested my hands on his firm chest, feeling the toned muscles beneath my palms and fingertips. I tried to keep my movements subtle, but my hands wanted to feel more of him. He let out a deep breath while keeping his eyes on me. He continued to move us in tune to the music, never faltering his stride. The slight caress of his hands on the small of my back was nearly my undoing. My skin warmed under his touch. I was unable to stop the urge, and I slid my palms up each curved muscle until I reached his shoulders.
Even with my smaller frame, I seemed to fit against him perfectly. The thought was soothing and nerve-racking all at the same time.
The tangible energy intensified between us with every step. The room around us was quiet, and I had to remind myself that our family and friends were watching us.
“You look stunning in this dress, Abbey,” Jason said in a soft tone while his thumb stroked back and forth against the silkiness of my black bridesmaid gown.
“Thank you. Lily let us each pick out our own,” I answered.
My gaze caught Lily while she was watching us, and I could practically see her eyes shining brighter than the sun.
I glanced back at Jason, smiling softly. “She really is great. I’m so happy she came into my brother’s life.”
“She is. Lily is one of the most kindhearted people I have ever met,” he agreed affectionately. Then, he led me into another spin and brought me close. “But I must say, I’m glad to finally meet you after hearing so much about you,” he said with a sexy-as-all-get-out smile.
I blinked in surprise, wondering how much he had heard about me, so I took the bait. “And what have you heard?”
Jason lowered his head, and when he chuckled, I could feel his warm breath on my exposed throat.
“That you’re beautiful and smart”—he led me backward, never relinquishing the lead—“a hard worker”—he pivoted us to the left while keeping his hold on my waist and eyes on mine before dipping me as the song came to an end—“and stubborn.” He gave me an impish grin.
“Very stubborn,” I breathed, nearly speechless.
His mouth was only inches from mine as his hands cradled my back. I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against mine. I shook away the thought. I had not even known him for eight hours.
“Me, too.” He winked.
Jason brought me upright in one swift motion until my chest was pressed along his. He leaned forward, placed a soft kiss on my cheek, and then drew back. “Thank you for the dance,” he said in a quiet voice so that only I could hear.
All the guests started clapping, effectively ending the spell between us. As I was about to step back, the DJ switched to a swing tempo.
Jason’s eyes lit up as he outstretched his hand, taking me by surprise. “Again?” he asked.
Powerless to deny him and those gorgeous eyes, I twined my fingers with his. “Sure.” I grinned.
I was all smiles as he spun, caught, and dipped me with ease. For being such a strong, muscled man, I had no idea how he could move his hips so fast and with such grace.
And oh my…what a sight it is to watch him move.
The two of us were dancing alongside of Brooke, John, Kyle, and Lily. We all looked like we were on an episode of Dancing with the Stars as we rocked out to the next three songs. We were all laughing and smiling at each other and just having a great time. It was classic.
I took a quick glance at Lily, who kept sneaking peeks at Jason and me.
He must have noticed, too, because he pulled me closer and spoke gently in my ear, “She keeps watching us.”
He laughed as he pivoted us until my back was pressed against his chest. His hands came to my hips, setting our rhythm to the upbeat tempo. I placed my hands on top of his, letting the music fill my soul.
“Yeah, she does,” I agreed lightly, shaking my head. “I think she planned the whole thing.”
I pondered about the football and bouquet. It was like she had been playing matchmaker, but I would not dare voice that out loud.
Jason chortled and then gently tightened his grip on my hips. He spun me around to face him again and pulled me into his warm body. “Well, she might have deliberately aimed her bouquet at you, but I pursued the football.” He grinned wickedly.
I shook my head in wonder, still swaying my hips with his. “And you caught it.” I snickered.
“I did.” He let loose a boyish grin. “There was no way I was going to let someone else dance with you tonight,” he admitted sincerely.
His admission left me reeling. If my heart skipped one more beat tonight, I was going to have heart failure. I gazed into his eyes, feeling emotionally torn and confused. I was curious to know so much more about him, but that would take us into dangerous territory. Jason was going to be Kyle’s partner, so that would make him my future boss. Monday morning, the reception would be a distant memory, and it would be back to business.
The song came to an end. Brooke raced up to my side, rescuing me from having to find a way to politely excuse myself.
She looped her arm through mine. “Time for a drink!” she yelled over the music still coming from the speakers.
“Thank you for the dances,” I said kindly.
Brooke tugged on my arm, forcing me to take a backward step.
“The pleasure was all mine, Abbey.” Jason smiled while watching me back away. He looked as though he was going to say more, but John approached his side and int
roduced himself.
Brooke and I walked arm in arm to the bar and took our seats.
She turned to the bartender and rattled off our choice of drinks. Then, she rotated to face me with questioning eyes. “You’re going to fill me in on every detail about what it was like to be in that dazzling man’s arms for the last twenty minutes.”
“Aren’t you married?” I teased her while crossing my legs.
“Of course.” She laughed. “But I’m not blind, Abbey. Everyone in this room could see the chemistry between the two of you,” she added as our drinks were set down in front of us.
“He is gorgeous.” I let out a dreamy sigh, remembering the feel of Jason’s hands on me moments ago.
Letting loose tonight had been so much fun, but that was all it could be now that the reception was coming to an end.
“But facts are facts, Brooke. And come Monday morning, that man is my boss.”
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for taking the time to read my book. I hope you enjoyed Damon and Gail’s story as much as I loved writing it. I look forward to each one of your comments and reviews, and I thank you in advance for sharing your feedback with me.
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I have so many wonderful people to thank. Each person has truly been a blessing throughout this new chapter in my life.
First and foremost, I cannot express enough thanks to my remarkably talented editor, Jovana Shirley, at Unforeseen Editing. She was the first person I met when I started this journey of writing, and I’m forever grateful for her friendship, advice, and the endless late nights she shared with me while perfecting every single word of this series. She took my original manuscripts and made them shine. Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work!
To my family, who has always supported me with unconditional love, even during the past year when I practically lived in my writing cave—Thank you, and I love you all dearly. *Hugs*
To Shawn Dawson and Kylie Lewis—Thank you so much for gracing the cover of this novel. You both were exceptionally amazing and so fun to work with.
To Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations—Thank you for taking all the photographs and creating a work of art for The Beautiful Series. I am in awe of your extraordinary talent, and I absolutely love the beautiful final covers.
A special thanks to my dear husband, Travis, for taking the time to read my manuscript at a moment’s notice and for giving me sincere words of affirmation when I needed them the most.
To Linda and Tammie—Thank you for your countless hours of reading the series and for giving me that push I needed with your kind and encouraging words.
To the many bloggers who put their hearts and time into reading and promoting my book—Truly, THANK YOU! I’ve made so many great friends along the way. I’m forever grateful to you all.
To all the ladies at InkSlinger PR—Thank you for your guidance and hard work in organizing my blog tours, cover reveals, and giveaways. Without you, I never would have known what steps to take.
To all fellow authors who have become friends—Thank you for writing books where I can lose myself for hours and for inspiring me to write love stories of my own. You have all welcomed me with open arms, and I’m extremely thankful.
And especially to my readers—I can never thank you enough for reading my book. All your support means the world to me. ♥
