Jaded (32 page)

“No? I thought you just said you’d changed.”

“I did,” he said. “But I don’t change for others. Do you get what I’m saying?”

She was quiet a moment. “Explain.”

They were nearing the welcome line and Luke felt the pressure to get himself understood in a rapidly shrinking window of time. He panicked. “I’ve changed a lot. A hell of a lot. But I didn’t do it
for
anyone. I changed because of you, but not
for
you, Isabella.”

They were at the end of the welcome line and had turned to begin receiving the guests. Isabella looked visibly shaken as she processed his words. He was happy this had come up, overjoyed that they might be jumping one of the final hurdles between them and a happy ending.

A thick silence settled and guests began filing past. Isabella leaped into social mode and began shaking hands and thanking guests for coming, passing out big smiles like they were candy.

Luke felt a tingle in his hand as it inched closer toward the curve in her waist. The only contact he’d made with her that day was holding her hand during the ceremony. He couldn’t resist it, welcome or not.

His hand settled around the soft curve of her hip. He pulled her close to him in a swift movement and pressed the length of his body against hers.

She gasped softly but didn’t react otherwise, too ensconced in her social duties to respond as she might have in another setting.

When there was a brief lull in the guest-greeting, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered hotly, “Isabella, I can’t stop thinking about you. All day, every day, you’re all I think about.”

She cleared her throat and stared ahead, wringing her hands together.

“I know,” she whispered, turning to look at him. Their faces were so close he felt her breath on his chin. “I mean, I know how you’re feeling.” She paused, and then turned away. “You plague me too.”

“Good word choice,” he whispered, but that was all he could get in before the next wave of guests rolled through. He smiled when appropriate, shook hands, felt like a small cog in the bigger Moreno family wheel. The thought was strangely satisfying to him. Maybe he could get used to seeing these people more often...family reunions, holidays, the next big Moreno wedding on the docket...

Luke knew, above all else, that he had no idea where life might take them. He feared that it would be away from each other, but if Isabella decided against him, then so be it. He would try until he couldn’t try anymore; that was the only thing he was sure of. He wouldn’t let the woman he loved slip like sand between his fingers. He was going to do everything in his power to make her realize that they—Luke and Isabella—deserved a fighting chance.

***

Pictures lasted for what felt like eons to Isabella. By the time she and Luke had gotten to the reception, she thought she was going to explode. She needed to get on the floor and dance away all the tension that had been building up inside her. Or drink lots and lots of martinis.

“Here’s our table.” Luke picked up the small folded card with their names on it and tucked it into his jacket pocket. They were seated among many others at a long table reserved for the bridal party. Name cards for Lizzie and her date sat directly across from them.
Thank you, Kitty, for thinking of this detail.
Her sister didn’t let things like that slip.

With the commotion of everyone getting seated, socializing about the ceremony, and a last-minute emergency that she and her mother took care of involving the punch bowl and misplaced decorations, it was a while before Isabella had a chance to talk to Luke.

“So what do you think?” she asked, arranging her dress around her as she settled into the chair. “It’s a full-fledged Moreno affair.”

“Impressive,” he said, turning his chair to face her completely. She couldn’t help but feel swallowed up in him. She loved it, the way he made her feel adored and maybe even the center of his world. “I’ve never been to anything like it, in fact. Will you invite me to the next one?”

“Well, the only Moreno girl left is me.”

He winked at her. “I guess I won’t need an invitation then, huh?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight a smile. “Slick.”

“Will you dance with me at least once tonight?” he asked, leaning in closer. She noticed the impatient look in his eye—as though this was the last dance of the night at the school prom and he’d wanted to dance with her ever since fourth grade.

“Yeah, okay.” She tried to affect a nonchalant air, but wasn’t sure if she had succeeded. She wondered if he could hear the blood hammering through her veins at the mere thought of having her body pressed against his for an extended length of time. “After enough drinks, it should be no problem.”

“Want to start now?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Don’t move an inch.”

She watched him walk to the bar counter. He strutted confidently toward the barman, said a few smooth words with a wave of his hand, and soon returned with two drinks topped off with umbrellas. He was gorgeous.

“Thanks,” she said, graciously accepting the alcohol. She took a deep breath, slowly swirling the straw around her drink, loving the hum of the people around her, Luke at her side, all her loved ones crammed into one big room. She looked up at him and smiled. “For everything, I mean. For getting the drink, but also for being here with me. I appreciate it.”

“Bella, I say this with one-hundred-percent sincerity: there’s nowhere else on earth that I’d rather be.”

She grinned, wanting to exist in this moment between them forever. “Same here.”

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said. He paused, eyes traveling up and down the length of her arms. “I’m not sure how you feel about me, since you only recently started talking to me again.” He looked at her pointedly. “But uh...would it be okay if I touched you tonight? Just a little bit?”

She inhaled sharply, making a display of mulling over his request. “I don’t know. You’ve already made a couple moves on me.”

“You’re right. And I apologize if I overstepped a boundary.” He held his hands up in exaggerated submission. “But you can’t really blame me, can you?”

She watched him, a small smile on her lips. “Minimal touching is all I can allow.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” He placed his hand over hers on the table. “And I’ll start here.”

Fuzzy warmth spread through her body and she loved this interplay between them, loved making him beg and take his time and watching him squirm. But she couldn’t prolong it forever and she knew it. Besides, she was still biding her time. What he’d told her in the church had rocked her to her core, cementing yet another crucial aspect of his character. Time would tell what happened from there. But all she was interested in was enjoying the ride.
Things will sort themselves out and become clearer and clearer,
she counseled herself. She’d gotten into too much trouble in the past from making rash decisions based on a self-imposed time limit, and she was determined to avoid that this time.
Just let things unfold, and decide from there
.

***

Later, as the food was settling in their stomachs and the hall was noisy with voices and music, Isabella was finishing her second glass of wine. She and Luke had been engaged in light conversation with Lizzie, her date, and the other people around them. Luke had been behaving wonderfully the entire time—joking with the others at the table, fetching drinks for everyone, making intense yet infrequent contact with her hand and waist throughout dinner. It had given Isabella the chance to sit back and observe him, to really see how he would fit in with the rest of her life outside of her house and their infrequent dates.

The effect this had on her, both in mind and body, did nothing to push her to the side of cutting Luke out. In fact, getting the chance to observe Luke in this sort of social environment only reinforced her infatuation with him. He was smooth, he was chatty, he was sociable, and he was so damn good-looking. He was the kind of guy she could take places, share new experiences with, someone open to everything and anything and the kind of guy everyone would fall in love with. Best of all, she knew what lay beneath, how much he cared for her. She knew that his looks and charm would be a killer combination in her family—in fact, the longer she watched him, the less she could help herself from dreaming up what sort of future was in store for them.

After the traditional wedding dances, cake cutting, and other formalities, the DJ announced that the dance floor was open to everyone. Luke turned to her, pleading with his eyes.

“Not quite yet,” she said. “Maybe after another drink.”

“Done,” he said, and immediately set off for the bar.

She had to pry her eyes from him while he conversed with the bartender, finding herself inexplicably drawn to cataloguing his every quirk and movement.

“Jeez, Isabella. It’s pretty obvious who you’re crazy about.” Lizzie tipped her glass in her direction and took a sip.

Isabella sighed. “Is it that obvious?”

“When are you guys gonna make out? The anticipation is killing me.”

“We shouldn’t,” she said automatically. “I mean, I’m just not sure if...”

“If you should follow your heart?” Her friend leaned closer to her over the table. “Isabella, I’ve seen you in love before. Plenty of times. And believe me, what’s happening here with this guy is...something else. You know it and I know it.” Lizzie winked. “You’re doing a very poor job of hiding it, by the way. Staring at him all the time is not the way to tell a guy you’re not thinking about him.”

Isabella sighed, frustrated. “I just can’t figure out what to do.” Her residual indecision was irritating. She felt obligated to hold herself accountable to her former resolution, but everything in her body was telling her that was old, outdated, and completely irrelevant.

“Honey, just follow your heart,” Lizzie said softly. “I know what you’ve been through, but you’ve learned a lot. It’s okay to try again. It’s been almost a year since David and you broke up. It’s okay to fall in love and get swept away with all of this.”

“But you know what he did...” Her words were true but the emotion behind them was lacking. She was testing the last barrier. She wanted to hear it from someone else, another source as close to her as her own heart.

“I do, but you’ve learned all the details about it. You know it back and forth, up and down. It’s worth a shot, at least. If you don’t try, you’ll kick yourself later for letting someone like him get away.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I know so. What you’re trying to do is noble, rejecting love and all that, but it’s not realistic. You are a loving woman and when someone like Luke comes along...well, I think it’s worth a second look. We’re not all perfect. And everyone learns and grows.” She paused. “Besides...there’s something different here.” Lizzie nodded toward Luke at the bar, a smile creeping across her face. “I don’t just mean that he’s different from the other guys you’ve been with. There’s something stronger underneath it. This isn’t just falling in love with a guy...this could be...
the guy.
” She shot a knowing glance and Isabella bit back a smile, feeling an eruption of butterflies and tiny explosions all throughout her chest and stomach.

Spinning the stem of her empty wine glass between her fingers, Isabella sighed. “You’re right, Lizzie. You’re so right. Like always.” She offered her friend a smile.

“Besides, you know all this already. You’re just trying to be a hard ass.”

Isabella laughed, noticing Luke making his way back to the table. “Yeah, you hit that on the mark.”

“Ladies, I’m sorry to interrupt your bonding time,” Luke said as he sidled back into his spot. “But I have a very important delivery for this lady here.” He set a glass of wine in front of Isabella. “This is my ticket to a slow dance, and I’m not wasting my time.”

Isabella raised her eyebrows as Luke settled in next to her. “Were you thinking a slow dance? Sorry to burst your bubble, but I was expecting a jig of some sort.”

“Let’s just say that the next song that comes on is ours.” The two couples raised their glasses and clinked. “Cheers.”

Lizzie and her date became absorbed in conversation. Luke turned to her. Their eyes locked and Isabella’s hand, still clutching the glass of wine, hung suspended in the air midway through her attempt to bring it to her lips. No words were spoken but Isabella swore they were communicating more than they ever had before. She got shivers up and down her spine.

“I know I’ve already touched you several times tonight...maybe I reached my limit, but...can I have an additional touch?”

She grinned and nodded.

Luke’s hand gently cupped the side of her face. Her eyes instantly drifted shut, relishing the feel of his fingertips on her cheek.

“And I know I already said this, but... You look beautiful tonight.”

She opened her eyes and caught his gaze once again. “Thank you.”

He drew his hand away and rested it on the table. “Are you ready to dance?”

She complied instantly.

He led her onto the dance floor just as a slower ballad began. He gave a thumbs-up to the DJ, who saluted him from his booth. Isabella giggled. They stood facing each other as other couples swarmed the dance floor.

“This is going to require a lot of prolonged touching,” he said, a small grin making its way onto his face. “Is that okay?”

“I think I’ll allow it just this once.”

His hands slid around her waist and settled at the top of her hips. Isabella moved close to him, allowing him to tighten his grip around her. His scent clouded her senses, and before she knew it, she was putty in his arms. She buried her face in his chest, allowing the rhythm of the song to mix with the feel of his hard body pressed against hers. She could barely support herself on her two legs—his proximity rendered her nearly incapacitated.

He took a deep breath, pulling her even closer. His hands ventured down over her rear end, causing chills to erupt all over her body. He buried his face in her shoulder and groaned.