Magical Weddings (124 page)

He’d broken up with her because he hadn’t wanted to be committed to the first woman he’d seriously dated in college. He’d wanted to play the field more. He’d been right in the middle of his beer pong years and the thought of being tied down to one girl, even a girl like Jenna, made him nervous that he’d miss out on everything college life had to offer.

He hadn’t realized how quickly and deeply she’d fallen for him back then. What was a fun and flirty few months together for him had apparently been a serious and meaningful connection to her.

Jenna made it clear to him when they broke up that she would never forgive him for hurting her. And so far, it seemed like she was staying true to the sentiment. She was only here putting up with him because of Leah.

At least she’d been that way until their kiss. Then it was almost as if a switch had flipped inside her and she’d melted into him. Hell, he hated to admit it, but he’d felt himself melting, too.

He couldn’t let that continue.

Although if he wanted to stick to that plan, he’d have to be more careful from now on. Ending up with his arm around Jenna’s shoulders and massaging her tight muscles had not been on the dinner menu, yet somehow he’d still ended up in that exact situation. He didn’t even remember consciously thinking about putting his arm on the back of her chair. He definitely didn’t remember deciding to touch her, to massage her skin. Hell, he didn’t know who’d been more shocked by his action, her or himself.

He wasn’t about to let something like that happen again. Being humiliated and rejected by his ex-girlfriend wasn’t on his to-do list for the weekend.

They were shown into a private roped off area where they had a booth all to themselves alongside the already packed dance floor. Here they had VIP bottle service as well as somewhere to relax and hang out without having to fight for space at the bar.

Somehow, Max found himself at the front of the line. Instead of taking a seat immediately, he stepped to the side to allow the couple of honor through. Since it was their night, he figured they should get to sit wherever they wanted. As he expected, they sat in the middle of the giant semi-circle booth. He purposefully sat on the opposite side from Jenna, not wanting to risk any further touching. Of course, his seat choice also inadvertently meant she was in his direct line of sight pretty much the entire time.

Jacob ordered a couple rounds of shots. While they waited for drinks to arrive, the base-filled music thumped, sending vibrations through his body. He wasn’t much of a dancer usually, but tonight he had a bunch of pent up energy just waiting to explode. Dancing in the crowded room, with music blaring, might be exactly what he needed.

Their shots arrived and everyone grabbed one. Max raised his glass. “To Jacob and Leah. May we all look forward to toasting you at your twenty-fifth wedding anniversary someday.” They saluted each other with their shots. Just as they were about to drink, he continued. “And hopefully you’re not married to other people by then.”

The laughter from his friends was genuine and rewarding. He couldn’t think of two people who were happier, or more meant to be together, than Leah and Jacob. Seeing them together over the years had made him realize that a serious relationship with someone didn’t have to mean an end to nights out with the guys, or going to games, or any of the other things he enjoyed. If he was lucky enough to find the right girl someday, he could definitely see himself committing to a forever kind of relationship.

“Seriously though, you two are awesome and I think I speak for all of us when I say we wish you many happy years of marriage. You’re made for each other and I can’t imagine anything but good times ahead for both of you. Cheers.”

They downed their second round of shots.

He didn’t know what Jacob had ordered, but it was good. And strong. The alcohol warmed his throat on the way down but left a pleasant cherry and chocolate taste in his mouth. He preferred whiskey or tequila, but the shot wasn’t terrible.

Jenna licked her lips as she put her empty glass on the table. She’d been a flavor he’d enjoyed. Even after dinner and drinks, the memory of the taste of her mouth still lingered pleasantly on his tongue.

Don’t go there, buddy.

“Who wants to dance?” he asked to no one specifically. He wanted to start moving, get out of that booth where he was forced to watch Jenna lick her lips. He needed to do something other than sit around.

“Great idea!” Leah stood and grabbed Jacob’s hand, pulling him up from the booth along with her.

“I thought you were my friend,” Jacob grumbled in a half-joking, half-annoyed tone. The smile on his face gave away his true feelings. He didn’t really mind dancing with his soon-to-be-wife.

The dance floor was more crowded than Max expected and he was immediately separated from his friends. He could see the bridesmaids dancing together a few feet away, but had basically lost the bride and groom as well as the groomsmen. Every time he carved out a little space for himself to work his way closer to the group, he was nudged into someone and sent off course again.

The fourth or fifth time it happened, he was in mid-shimmy, minding his own business when he got shoved to the side, completely knocking him off balance. He bumped into someone’s back and caught her around the waist before she was tossed off her feet and onto the dance floor.

“I’m sorry,” he yelled over the loud bass as he waited for the woman to get her balance back. “I was pushed. I didn’t mean to bang you like that.”

“It’s okay,” he heard as the woman turned in his arms to face him.

But it wasn’t any woman he’d bumped into. It was the one woman he was trying to avoid—Jenna. And she looked damn good all hot and sweaty on the dance floor. And he’d just said he’d banged her.

Don’t I wish?
His balls tingled at the idea.

She felt good against his body, wrapped in his arms, and vibrating to the music. Instantly, the feeling he’d had on the boat while he kissed her rushed back to him, leaving him breathless and lightheaded.

Damn. This wouldn’t help cure his tingling balls. If anything, she’d just made the sensation ten times worse and impossible to ignore.

Jenna braced her hands against Max’s chest. He felt good under her palms. She tried not to pay any attention to the muscles flexing beneath the thin material of his shirt as he pulled her closer and away from the throngs of dancing bodies around them. She’d almost gone head first into a sea of feet when he’d bumped her from behind, but luckily he’d caught her before she fell.

Or unluckily, depending on how she looked at it.

It could have been anyone in the club who grabbed her, but no, it had to be Max. How was it they kept getting forced together? First it was Leah’s fault, but now? The club’s fault? Fate? Bad karma?

Who did I piss off? I’m just destined to be shackled to my ex the entire time?

She pressed against his chest and tried to take a step back, but he held her close, his hands like vice grips on her hips. Really big, sexy vice grips.

Stop. Don’t think about his hands.

But it was too late. Her mind had already taken her back to one of their times together. If she remembered correctly, his hands were always very good. Strong, firm, attentive.

She slammed the door on those memories. No way was she going to fall into the trap of nostalgia again. She’d mistakenly let it happen once or twice, or twenty times, since their breakup and while it temporarily made her feel like a happy kitten purring in a milk drunk stupor, it also tended to leave her vulnerable, weak, and longing for someone she’d spent a long time getting over—Max.

Peering up at him, she was about to ask him to let her go when she saw his lips moving, but couldn’t hear a word he said over the music. “What?” she yelled. She shook her head and turned her face slightly so her ear was pointed more in his direction.

He leaned down to her, his mouth an inch from her ear. “I didn’t realize it was you. Are you okay?”

This time she heard his words. She also felt his breath as it caressed her earlobe and it sent a shot of heat through her body.

Oh, she was fine, all right. But she wouldn’t be for much longer if she kept hanging out in his arms. Every second in them made her yearn for more of his body to touch hers.

Which was weird.

Normally, when she saw Max, these old feelings didn’t creep up. She’d worked hard to completely get over him and usually when she saw him, it was sort of awkward but not with any real feelings attached. Why was she suddenly having these bouts of longing and desire flare up?

She leaned in to whisper back and his scent swirled around her like a thick fog. It wasn’t cologne, just him. He smelled like sexual afterglow mixed with sunshine. It was intoxicating and arousing, which was all the more reason to get away from him again, despite the part of her that wanted to linger in his arms. “I’m fine. Let’s go find everyone else.”

He stood strong as if rooted to the ground. “It’s impossible to find them in this crowd. Let’s dance for a while then head back to the table once we see someone sitting there.”

She pondered her options for a moment while Max started to move to the beat, grinning as if challenging her. Sure, they could go back to the table, but if no one else were there, then she’d be forced to sit and talk to Max one-on-one. At least out here, she had all these other people around as a buffer. And the music made her want to dance. She just hadn’t planned on dancing with Max.

Deciding to give in she smiled and nodded then began swaying her hips. His hands tightened on her waist for a moment before he finally released her. She thought she’d be relieved to be out of his grasp but instead a sinking feeling of missing something filled her.

She shook off the sensation as best she could and focused only on dancing. The more she swayed, the more he shimmied. Before she knew it, he was dancing so close their bodies bumped into each other. A few times, she was knocked against his chest again and his arms steadied her. But she didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. She felt more okay being around him than she ever had.

And when he peered down at her with his piercing blue eyes, she could tell his discomfort was gone too, replaced by something far closer to resembling interest rather than awkwardness.

“I’m dying from the heat in here. Want to go outside for a bit?” Max asked after they’d danced for more songs than she could keep track of.

She didn’t know how long they’d been out there, but by her thirst, it had been awhile. She nodded. “I need a drink,” she yelled, going up on her tiptoes to get closer to his ear so he’d have a better chance of hearing her.

They stopped quickly at the bar and Max ordered them each a bottle of water and something an electric blue color in martini glasses. With drinks in hand, they made their way to the outdoor party area. He led the way to the only open seat along the railing and motioned for her to sit. She put down her drinks on the table in front of her. Inching over as much as she could, she made enough room for him to sit beside her and patted the seat to indicate that’s exactly what he should do. After all that dancing, she couldn’t imagine he’d be any less tired than she was.

The music from inside the club still filtered out into the fresh air but it was dampened. It felt good to take a deep breath after being crowded on the dance floor. She was still shoulder-to-shoulder with the people next to her on the bench but at least she didn’t have people on all sides anymore.

“It’s crazy in there,” Max said, sitting and downing half of his martini. She quickly followed suit. She had no idea what he’d ordered, but the blue liquid had a fruity taste with a hint of coconut and was exceptionally refreshing. “I saw the rest of our group for about thirty seconds before they disappeared into the crowd.”

“Me too. I knew the clubs would be busy here, but I had no idea it would be this packed. There are people everywhere. It was fun dancing but I did start to feel almost claustrophobic.”

“It was fun dancing, wasn’t it?” He smiled and it lit up his whole face. He looked happier and more content than she’d seen him all day. “I’m usually the guy sitting at the table while everyone else goes out to dance, but that was a good time. You’re a great dance partner.”

“You’re not so bad yourself. You should do it more often.”

He shrugged. “It’s not really my thing.”

“What is your thing?” They’d only dated a few months and while she knew that at the time he enjoyed college sports and frat parties, she didn’t really know what else he did for entertainment.

“I like to play poker with the guys.”

“Surprise, surprise. What guy doesn’t like to do that?” She was joking, of course. There was nothing wrong with poker. She’d played it a few times herself. Hopefully he could hear the teasing tone in her voice.

“Sometimes I go to hockey or football games. Mostly I like to do something a little more exciting.”

“Like what? What excites you?” she asked, then felt heat rush to her cheeks. That question could totally be misconstrued.

He arched an eyebrow and grinned. “Lots of things excite me.” He held her gaze for a long moment.

Long enough that she wondered if he’d say something else about being excited. She’d left herself open for a suggestive comment with her question. She bit her lip as she waited, almost hoping he’d have something more to say.

But that was a stupid game to play.

The last thing Jenna wanted was to be the source of his excitement.

Even as she tried to convince herself it was true, her body contradicted her. Heat and moisture pooled low in her belly, making her want to squirm in her seat.

He looked down at his drink and swirled the liquid in his glass. “But I was talking about stuff like skydiving and zip lining, although I don’t get to do those very often. Recently I’ve been taking my scuba diving certification so I can go out next winter when I go to Mexico.”

“That’s awesome. You couldn’t pay me to jump out of a plane, but jumping out of a boat and sinking into the deep blue ocean is absolutely the most amazing experience ever.”