Captivating In Love

by Bella Andre

  Especially by her.

  Chi was right. She had it bad.

  * * *

  Gideon didn’t recognize the song Ari had picked for her first dance, but as he hung back, watching from the sidelines by the bar, he noted that its sweet melody was perfect for the newly married couple’s waltz.

  He wondered if they’d practiced, or if Matt Tremont was simply proficient at everything. Despite the Mavericks’ humble beginnings in a grimy neighborhood of Chicago, each man seemed to be a master of anything he touched. Ari had told Gideon their story—how the Spencers, with little money of their own, had taken in each of the Mavericks as teenagers to live with them and their children, Daniel, who was the same age as the Mavericks, and Lyssa, only a baby at the time. No question about it, they were an impressive lot, Susan and Bob Spencer especially, for their incredible generosity.

  Bob slid his arm around Susan’s shoulders as they watched Matt and Ari’s first dance, Susan misty-eyed, Bob rubbing her shoulder. When the DJ announced that it was time for Mom and Dad to join in, Bob escorted Susan to the dance floor, then handed her into Matt’s arms while he took Ari into his with tenderness.

  Matt’s fellow Mavericks watched, all smiles. Noah slipped his hand into Chi’s while Rosie held Jorge’s. She was so happy, so comfortable in her skin, such a great mother.

  So great, period.

  “And now,” the DJ called, “it’s time for the wedding party to get on the dance floor to help usher our bride and groom into their new life together!”

  Gideon watched as Rosie paired again with Will, her partner on her walk down the aisle. She was so full of life and laughter as they twirled around the dance floor, her skirt swirling around Will’s legs.

  What, Gideon was desperate to know, would it be like to hold her in his arms? To make her laugh that way? To feel the warmth of her body against his?

  But he already knew. It would feel like heaven.

  A small hand curled around his. “We gotta dance, Uncle Gideon. ’Cause we’re part of the wedding party, right?”

  Of course Gideon couldn’t resist Noah’s request—and wherever Noah went, Jorge went too.

  As Gideon led the two boys onto the dance floor, Sebastian rolled Francine out, twirling around her walker as she bounced her knees and swayed in time with the music. It was the signal for all the Mavericks to join in. Kelsey and Lyssa and Chi swung the boys and Gideon into a big circle, stopping only to drag Jeremy in with them when Will whirled Harper away from her brother.

  Through the crowd on the dance floor, Gideon could no longer see Rosie, but his whole body ached to swing her into his arms.

  Then at last, Ari and Bob were close enough that he could cut in and dance with his sister.

  “I know I’ve already said it, but you look so beautiful, Ari.” She led them into a perfect turn. He’d never been a dancer, but she was so graceful that she more than made up for his two left feet. “Seeing you this happy…” The words caught in his throat. “It’s everything I ever wanted for you.”

  “First, you’re too handsome for words.” She kissed his cheek without losing a beat. Then she said, “I am happy, Gideon.” She paused for a moment before adding, “Everything has worked out just the way it should.”

  She’d told him so many times during the past nine months that he didn’t need to beat himself up for anything in the past, but he knew she was just being kind. Yet even now, on her wedding day, she went out of her way to let him off the hook.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. “For everything.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. You know I’d do anything for you. And I wanted your wedding to be everything you’d ever dreamed of.”

  Not that he thought it could make up for the years he was gone, for the years he’d left Ari alone to fend for herself. Nothing could make up for his mistakes. But with all the money he’d been saving over the past ten years, paying for her wedding was the least he could do.

  Beside them on the dance floor, Paige clung to Evan, a glow about her so bright it was like a spotlight. Charlie had joined Francine and Sebastian. Daniel and Tasha swayed together. Then Rosie floated past, this time in Matt’s arms.

  Gideon’s chest clenched. What he wouldn’t give to hold her. To whirl her around the floor. To breathe in the sweetness of her hair, the lightness of her perfume, to feel her body against his.

  Then Matt was reaching for Ari. “You don’t mind if I take my wife back, do you?”

  A moment later, his sister was swept from Gideon’s arms…and Rosie was twirling straight into his embrace.

  * * *

  Being held by Gideon was all Rosie had imagined—and more. The strength in his hands, the hardness of his body against hers, his delicious scent in her head. Though he held her as stiffly as the Tin Man, her skin tingled head to toe with the thrill of finally being in his arms.

  She’d been aware of his well-defined muscles when he’d played Marco Polo in the pool with Noah and Jorge. But there was nothing like her body pressed to his, his arm around her waist, his heart beating against hers.

  Maybe his obvious reticence about dancing with her should have tempted her to let him disappear into the shadows again. But now that Rosie had decided to take off the kid gloves, she wasn’t about to miss this made-in-heaven opportunity. From here on out, she was going to treat him the same way she treated all her friends—with total openness and honesty. Which, in this moment, meant expressing just how much the wedding had meant to her.

  “I have to tell you how touching it was when you walked Ari up the aisle. The makeup artist had warned us not to mess up her work by crying, but I couldn’t help it. And when Matt hugged you like you were already his brother?” She smiled into Gideon’s dark blue eyes. “It was such a great moment. When Noah gave him away, I was a total mess. And then again when they said their vows while holding Noah’s hands.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so happy that she was floating on air. It wasn’t just the wedding—it was this moment with Gideon, his arms around her, his maleness intoxicating her, and finally, after what seemed like forever, the chance of getting to know each other. “It was all so beautiful, wasn’t it?”

  Where she’d been extremely loquacious, he barely managed a nod. But she was still in his arms, and right now, the feel of him against her was all that counted. Other couples floated past them, Evan with a beaming Paige in his arms, Will and Harper, Tasha and Daniel, Charlie in her flame-red dress, Sebastian’s arms tight around her.

  “And the boys?” she continued as though they were having a perfectly normal, two-way conversation. “They’re having such a good time today. And,” she said as she pointed across the dance floor, “I’m pretty sure Kelsey and Lyssa are in love with those two kids.” Chi was out there with the boys too, playing ring-around-the-rosy.

  “What’s not to love?” he agreed. Though his voice was a little croaky, at least she got a verbal response this time. Probably because they were talking about the boys, the two people who were always able to break through the walls around Gideon’s heart.

  Well, Rosie could absolutely work with that. At least for now, when she was so enjoying their dance, the heat and strength of his body against hers, the sense of aliveness that made her want to stretch her arms around his neck and lay her lips on his. If only the song could go on forever, surely he’d realize it would be so much easier to let himself relax when they were together.

  “Doesn’t this song seem like it’s been playing forever?” he asked.

  She laughed, because it was so close to what she’d been thinking—from the completely opposite point of view. “Are you trying to say you’re not having a good time dancing with me?”

  “No.” He shook his head, hard, even stiffer against her now. “Of course I didn’t mean that.”

  “I was just teasing,” she said with a little smile, hoping against hope that he’d smile back. God, she wanted so badly to show him that he could dance, he could laugh, he could be pl
ayful with more than just the boys. If only she could show him that he didn’t need an excuse to be happy, that he was allowed to feel joy. Barring those choices, she opted for saying, “I am really loving this dance with you.”

  In an instant, his eyes turned a smoky blue. It was a new look for him, one she’d never seen before. Maybe the smoke was her special look. She hoped it was about her, that he was thinking about how good she felt, how lovely she smelled, how sexy it was to have his arms around her, their bodies pressed tightly together. Because those were all the things she was feeling.

  She wound her arms around his neck, holding him closer, letting him feel everything she thought, everything she wanted, everything she needed to give him.

  Naturally, that was when the song ended.

  Gideon stopped so fast, she almost tripped. Then he flew from the dance floor like a jet plane taking off into the wild blue yonder, leaving her standing alone in the middle of all the dancers, her arms raised as if they were still around him.

  A beat later, the boys rushed her, squealing and laughing, but she could still feel the imprint of Gideon’s body against hers, could still smell his aftershave, could still feel his muscles under her fingertips.

  And she knew she would wake up in the night longing to feel every moment with him all over again.

  Chapter Seven

  Gideon was still recovering from the world-rocking shock of having Rosie in his arms—and the shock of her saying how much she enjoyed dancing with him—when it dawned on him that she would be seated next to him at dinner.

  Matt, Ari, Noah, Bob, and Susan were seated at the head table, which was decked out with three Lego robots and a trimming of flowers. Jorge, of course, begged to sit with Noah, so they pulled up an extra chair for him. And somehow, whether by design or coincidence or divine intervention, Rosie was now mere inches away from Gideon. Again.

  After their dance, he simply couldn’t breathe. Not without smelling her sweet, luscious scent. It was enough to bring him to his knees…or worse, to tempt him to kiss her the way he’d wanted to for so damned long.

  Thankfully, Rosie seemed oblivious to his careening thoughts as she pointed to the abundance of forks in front of them. “If I hadn’t waitressed when I was in school, I’d have no idea which one of these to use for what.” It didn’t matter what she said—her voice was like music, like stardust falling on him. “It always seemed like a crazy waste of dishwashing when people were perfectly happy to use one fork for everything.”

  He was saved from a response by Bob Spencer, who stood to give the welcome speech. In his mid-fifties, Bob had lost most of his hair, but he was fit. During his working years, he’d been a baggage handler at O’Hare International Airport, and despite injuring his back, he still had the muscles he’d earned lifting heavy luggage day in and day out.

  The Mavericks had seen to it that Susan and Bob had a good life now, trying to pay the Spencers back for all they’d done, even though it was obvious that Susan and Bob had no need for payback. They were good people. The kind of people Gideon wished he and his mother could have been for Ari all those years ago.

  “Friends, robots, countrymen,” Bob began, and everyone laughed at his play on Shakespeare. “Thank you for coming to celebrate the marriage of our son Matt to Ariana, whom we already consider to be our daughter.”

  Gideon not only appreciated that Susan and Bob had welcomed Ari with open hearts and arms, but also that Bob referred to Matt as his son, rather than as his foster kid or his adopted son. It had been the same in that hot desert terrain—bonds were made in the sandbox, made by the tears no one ever shed, made by the blood spilled to save your buddies, not simply by the blood running through a man’s veins.

  “I had a whole bunch of really bad jokes I was going to tell, but my lovely wife—” Bob winked at Susan. “—told me to keep it short and sweet. I promised I’d do my best.” He grinned at the crowd. “Though my sons and daughter would be happy to tell you that short and sweet has never been in their dad’s wheelhouse.”

  “Isn’t he wonderful?” Rosie leaned in close to whisper…and Gideon barely managed to keep from pulling her straight into his arms.

  How the heck was he going to make it through this meal without giving in to his baser urges?

  “We couldn’t have been more fortunate than the day Ari agreed to be Noah’s nanny,” Bob continued. “Not only did she give Noah all the love in the world, she also loved our Matt with her whole heart. Just as we love her with all of ours.”

  Ari was wiping the tears from her eyes as Bob held out his arms and said, “Come here, my precious girl, give me a hug.” Ari stood to throw herself into his arms, exchanging words the microphone didn’t pick up.

  With his arm still around Ari, Bob picked up his glass. “I would like to toast this fabulous new family. Susan and I couldn’t be happier. To love everlasting.”

  Everyone raised their glasses, echoing, “To love everlasting!”

  Gideon turned to Paige on his right, who clinked with her water glass. Then Rosie held her glass up to his, and as the crystal chimed, she smiled. “That was the perfect toast, wasn’t it?”

  “Perfect,” he agreed. But he wasn’t merely talking about the toast, he was talking about her. Rosie was perfectly beautiful, perfectly sweet, perfectly kind and compassionate.

  Only the waitress, who leaned between them to whisk away the salad plates and replace them with their entrees, stopped him from pulling Rosie close to taste the champagne on her lips.

  He got the steak, Rosie got the salmon. She gave a soft moan of pleasure at her first bite. “You’ve got to taste this.” She held out a forkful of salmon.

  She couldn’t possibly know how much restraint it took not to gobble her up when she was so near, when she smelled so good, when he was sure she would taste so much better. If she knew how she affected him, if she knew how little willpower he had, she’d be running a mile a minute to get away. And she surely wouldn’t be so generous with her affection, the same affection she gave to her closest friends.

  Steeling himself, he leaned close, shut his eyes, breathed her in, and let her feed him the bite of salmon. He savored it as he would savor her, if he could.

  “Good?” she asked.

  “Good.” He was afraid his voice would crack if he said more than one word.

  “Steak,” she said, that beautiful sparkle in her eyes.

  “What?” He was too mesmerized to understand.

  She pointed to his plate. “Let me try yours. Just to compare.”

  He cut a chunk off his steak, and when he would have handed her the fork, she wrapped her hand around his wrist and pulled him closer. Close enough to put her mouth on his utensil. Close enough to drive him mad when the sound she made as she relished the food reached straight into the heart of him.

  “That was good,” she said. Then she looked into his eyes and smiled again. “I’m really glad we’re sitting together. I was hoping you would end up being my dinner date.”

  Wait…

  Was she flirting with him?

  He couldn’t wrap his head around the idea. Not only because Rosie could have any single guy at the wedding. But also because he’d gone out of his way to make sure she couldn’t see the depth of his attraction to her.

  Thrown off his game more than he could ever remember, he was damned glad that Will Franconi chose that moment to rise to his feet for the best man’s toast.

  “I’ve known that big lug up there—” Will pointed at Matt. “—since we were beating each other up on the playground.”

  As the Mavericks huzzahed, Rosie leaned over to whisper, “The way I heard it, Matt was the runt who got picked on, and the Mavericks protected him. But look at him now.”

  “We have to thank Ari for being willing to take on Matt and all his robots,” Will continued in a teasing tone. “Fortunately,” he said with a wink in Noah’s direction, “she has Noah to help Matt keep one foot in the human world too.” Then Will’s expression turne
d sincere, heartfelt emotions written on his face as he looked at his lifelong friend. “I love you, man. And I know you’ve picked the perfect woman to love, and be loved by, for the rest of your life.” Will held up his glass, and when the guests had followed suit, he said, “To true love.”

  As everyone echoed the toast—apart from Gideon, who simply held up his glass without actually saying the words—he was amazed by how easily Will threw the word love around.

  But he didn’t have long to mull it over before Rosie was being handed the microphone. She smoothed out her dress before standing up to give her toast, gorgeous in lilac, her shoulders bare, her skin infinitely kissable. Gideon momentarily wondered if she was nervous…

  Before remembering that Rosie wasn’t afraid of anything.

  “Dear Matt and Ari.” As she smiled, her eyes were shiny with tears. “I love you both so much. And I’m so happy for you and for Noah.” The little boy wriggled in his seat when his name was mentioned. “Ari, you and Chi are the sisters of my heart. We made it through a long, hard haul, and we did it together. I couldn’t have made it to this point in my life without you. And I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to go through any of it without you either.”

  Gideon knew most of what Ari’s long, hard haul had been. But he didn’t know about Rosie’s difficult road, not beyond the basics that she’d lost her parents young and had ended up in foster care. Despite the care he’d taken over the past nine months to make sure she never guessed his feelings for her, he couldn’t help but want to know every single thing about her. What made her laugh. What she dreamed about. What she most longed for. What her perfect day looked like. And, in the dark of night, how sweet her sounds of pleasure would be if she ever let him make love to her the way he secretly fantasized about.

  “The four of us—you, me, Chi, and Jorge—we were a family for so long,” Rosie continued. “And now we are so lucky to have Matt and Noah in our family too. I love the way our family just keeps growing. How we keep getting stronger every day.”