Scorching Secrets (12 page)

The moment is short lived when we hear the sound of a camera click. Emma is standing there with her cell phone pointed toward us and a large smile splayed across her face. “I couldn’t help it. You two looked too cute.” I roll my eyes and look back toward Ryanne, but she is looking at Liam.

With a huge grin, she looks him up and down and says, “You clean up nice.”

“Th-thank you.” I laugh at his stutter, which results in a glare from him.

“Let me get one picture of the two of you together,” Emma says, pointing between Liam and Ryanne. When Ryanne groans, she continues, “It’s only one picture. It won’t kill you.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” she mumbles as she steps closer to Liam.

He wraps an arm around her small waist while she places a hand on his chest. It takes every bit of strength I have to not growl at how close they’re standing. Where did this possessiveness come from? Posing for the picture, her leg peeks out of the slit. I have trouble dragging my eyes away from the exposed skin. I see her in shorts every day, but there is just something about that dress…

I clear my throat and walk over to the couch. David is shaking his head at my reaction, but I can see the amusement in his eyes. For the first time, Ryanne notices that Larkin is also dressed up. “You’re coming too?”

“Yep, I’m crashing the wedding. Someone has to keep an eye on the both of you, while Liam is just focusing on you.”

“Oh.”

“Ok, come here.” She looks up at him, confused. With an exaggerated sigh, he explains, “I’m going to take you to the church and make sure you find Jane and then I’m coming back here for Liam.” She walks over to him, and he wraps his arms around her waist and disappears.

“Holy crap, I’m so screwed,” Liam says while running his hand through his long hair.

“I’m good. I know.” Emma is really proud of herself.

“Did you have to be that good?” Liam asks. “I’m going to have to fight off every guy there.”

“Especially the drunk ones,” adds Logan. “Hopefully there won’t be too many people there, and she can block their thoughts since she won’t be able focus on Colton.”

Emma looks toward me. “You’re so lucky she’s oblivious to everything around her because you were staring at her like you wanted to rip her dress off and mmhmm mhmm mmhmm—” David covers Emma’s mouth so she can’t finish her sentence. I glare at Emma; I can tell that she is smiling under David’s large hand.

“Thank you.” I say to my brother. He nods at me but continues laughing.

Larkin transports back into the room, laughing. “Jane is just like you, Emma. The first thing she said when she saw Ryanne was ‘Of course, you wore that necklace.’
Then
she complimented her on how she looked.” He walks over to the couch. “You’re in trouble, Liam. All of Ross’s groomsmen have already taken an interest in Ryanne.”

Of course they have. I clench my fists. She’s only been there a couple minutes and already attracted the attention of all the males in the building. I really wish I was the one going. The image of her burying her face into my shirt when she read the mind of that man in the mall keeps running through my mind. The whole ordeal with Adam is so fresh in her mind that she gets scared whenever she hears something like that. Most men don’t censor their thoughts which freaks Ryanne out. Liam must have known what I was thinking. He pats me on the shoulder, “I’ll watch out for her.” I thank him and watch as Larkin transports him to the wedding. I run a hand through my hair and start pacing.

“I don’t think we really thought this through all the way.”

Pausing briefly in the doorway, I push back all the thoughts. There aren’t that many people back here, so it’s not too difficult. Larkin warned me to be extra careful with the thoughts tonight. If I concentrate too hard on pushing them back, I’ll wear out much quicker. Tonight is one night that I don’t want to pass out. I want to be here for Jane.

“Where is your date?”
she asks me as I enter the room she’s using to get ready before the ceremony. Before answering, I glance over my shoulder and see all the guys’ eyes on me as I pass. What are they staring at? I give my attention to Jane in front of me. My grin is instantaneous; she looks beautiful. She is wearing a large A-line gown with a halter neckline. The top portion is simple, but as the dress lengthens, the beaded lace becomes more prominent. Two-dimensional flowers on the lace are an exact replica of the three-dimensional flower on my dress. Her hair is done in an extravagant up-do with small spiral curls framing her face. A large chapel train follows her as she walks.

“He’s here somewhere; I wanted to see you first. You look amazing!” She runs over to me and gives me a hug.

“I’m so glad you could make it; it’s been too long, Ryanne. You look beautiful. Thank you for wearing the dress.” She bends down and lifts the dress a little to see if I was wearing the shoes she gave me. She smiles when she realizes that I listened to her.

“You have very little faith in me,” I tell her.

Rolling her eyes, she hands me a small bouquet of pale yellow flowers. “You’ll walk in after Mindy and before Amy.” I turn, and both Mindy and Amy wave at me. “After the ceremony, we’re going to take some pictures, so be ready for that. You won’t have to give a speech or anything at the reception; don’t worry about that. I know how you are with public speaking. I think that’s about it. Please try and enjoy yourself tonight.” I nod, give her another hug, and follow Mindy and Amy out of the room. The wedding is going to start in fifteen minutes, and we need to get into our positions for the ceremony.

The doors of the church open, and Mindy walks out. I wait until Amy taps on my shoulder and then I follow her. Ross and his groomsmen are already waiting at the end of the aisle. Bouquet against my chest, I concentrate on not tripping as I walk. Ross smiles at me when I walk past him. I wink back at him and get in line behind Mindy. I turn around and see Amy halfway to us. I look around the seats looking for Liam but can’t find him. An organ sounds behind me, and everyone stands up and faces the back of the church. Jane is standing there, arm linked with her father, but her attention is on Ross. When she sees him, her smile widens. Jane looks beautiful, so it is no surprise that Ross has the same expression.

As Ross says his vows, I let my mind wander. Will I ever get a chance to have this? A wedding? I don’t even know if I’ll make it out of this situation alive. I feel tears well up in my eyes because of how beautiful the ceremony is and because I’m unsure if I’ll ever have a chance to experience what Jane and Ross have. It’s too dangerous. I look out at the crowd again and finally find Liam sitting in the middle, toward the back. He smiles sadly at me, knowing what I’m thinking. Liam has this uncanny ability of knowing what is on my mind. He knows how to comfort me in situations like this.

After the ceremony, I’m forced to endure an endless amount of pictures. The photographer makes me stand here, smile like this, pose like that, etc. It is exhausting. I don’t know how models do this. Toward the end, I’m sure my smile looked more like a grimace.

At the reception, I have to sit up at the center table with Jane and Ross and the rest of the bridal party. Liam is sitting off in the corner, politely talking to the couple beside him. During the meal, we keep making eye contact and giving small smiles. Mindy leans over to me, “Is that your date?” I follow her line of sight and see her looking at Liam. I nod.

“He’s hot.” I glance at Mindy. She looks younger than I originally thought. Though probably in her mid-twenties, she shouldn’t be ogling Liam. Granted, Liam does appear older than he actually is. That’s a mage quality apparently.

After the father daughter dance, Jane drags me out to the dance floor. “You have to dance. Where is your date?”

I’m not sure. I try to look over everyone, but even with heels on, I’m still on the shorter side. A slow song starts to play through the speakers. My eyes continue to bounce around the dance floor looking for Liam. Ross moves through the dance floor and grabs Jane around the waist, twirling her into his arms. She laughs lightly as they start moving around the dance floor and away from me. I smile and look toward the table where Liam was previously sitting, but it’s empty. I stand awkwardly by myself on the dance floor while couples move around me. Where’s Liam?

I’m about to walk back to my chair when I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to find Liam standing there, smiling down at me. “May I have this dance?”

Relief floods though me, and I smile at him. “You may.”

I step closer to him as he wraps his arms around my waist. Because of the heels, I am only about six inches shorter than him now and am able to wrap my arms around his neck. We dance in silence for a while before he leans down and whispers in my ear, “Is something wrong? You seemed a little upset during the ceremony.”

“I’m fine. I was just thinking,” I pause and glance around the room. Everyone seems really happy. I wish that I could be that carefree. I’ve already been through so much that I don’t know if it’ll be possible to be like that again. Liam waits for me to continue. “I was just thinking about how I might not ever get to experience this myself.” I glance up at him and see him watching me. “Despite the appearance I put out, I want all of this. I want to find love, and I want to get married. I want to walk down the aisle in some ridiculous dress and be blissfully happy. But I don’t think that’s going to be possible.” I lean forward and rest my head against his shoulder. He tightens his grip around me. Jane’s watching me from across the room with a smile. I try to smile back at her. I look past Jane and see Larkin standing in the corner, watching the room.

“You can’t think like that, Ryanne.” Liam rests his chin on top of my head. “You never know when you’ll find love. Look at David and Emma. They found each other under strange circumstances, and you already know that they are going to get married. Your time will come.”

“How do you know that?” I whisper.

“Because you’re Ryanne freaking Arden.” I chuckle at his expression. “I know you, Ryanne. I know how you think. Don’t close your heart because you’re afraid. You may have already met the one you’re meant to be with. You never know. Let everything play out like it should. You have so many people that care for you and will protect you. You’re not going anywhere any time soon. I promise.”

I let his words sink in. I
do
do that. I run away from my emotions. I shut myself out for fear of getting hurt. I just don’t think I can handle opening myself up like that and getting hurt. The song ends but neither of us moves. Thankfully the next song is also a slow song.

“Do you think I can do this, Liam?”

“Do what?”

“Everything. All this magic stuff. I’m afraid of letting everyone down.”

“Ryanne, look at me.” I lift my head off of his shoulder and look into his gray eyes. “No matter what happens, you’re not letting anyone down. We’re here for you. I have complete faith in you, and I know that everyone else does too. You’re way stronger than you give yourself credit for, and you’ll be surprised at what you can do when you accept that yourself. You need to see what everyone else sees.”

I open my mouth to respond when I feel someone tap my shoulder. Jane’s standing behind me with a large smile on her face as her eyes dance between Liam and me. I hadn’t realized that the music had stopped.

“Oh, hey Jane.” She continues glancing between Liam and me. Light bulb moment! “Oh, Jane, this is Liam. Liam this is Jane.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Liam.” She looks at me with wide eyes and an even wider grin. Without even reading her thoughts, I know that she is silently commenting on Liam’s attractiveness.

Liam unwraps an arm from around my waist and reaches out to shake Jane’s hand. “It’s very nice to meet you too. Congratulations on getting married. It was a beautiful ceremony.”

“Thank you. I hope you guys are having a good time.” She looks around and sighs. I look in the direction she’s looking in and see her mother scowling at her. “Apparently, I’m not spending enough time talking with my relatives who flew a long ways to be here. I’ve got to ‘socialize’ with everyone else now,” she pouts. Putting on a fake smile, she turns back to Liam and me, “Have fun!” I watch as she walks away.

“She reminds me of Emma.”

“Yeah, I never realized how similar they are until today.” A faster song starts to play, and I start to walk off the dance floor, but Liam stops me.

“I don’t think so, Ryanne. I know you can dance. You need to have some fun every once in a while.” I stop in front of him and stare at him blankly, unmoving. Laughing, he walks toward me and places his hands on my hips, coercing me into moving. I bite my lip as I watch Liam dance in front of me. He gives me one of his rare smiles as he continues to move me. Considering how ridiculous I feel, I relent.

I relax and move with the music, forgetting all my worries for a short period of time. I close my eyes and let the rhythm of the song move me. Surprisingly, Liam can dance. I would have never pegged him as a dancer before. I can feel his body behind me moving with the music, but I don’t open my eyes. Arms lifted above my head, I dance along with the song. I can feel other people watching us, but for the first time I don’t care. Like Liam said, I need to have some fun.

After a few songs, I feel someone tap my shoulder. “As much as I enjoy watching you guys, I think it’s a good time to get going,” Larkin says. “Some people are starting to get antsy.” I stop dancing and try to catch my breath. Small beads of sweat form on my forehead.

“Ugh, it’s hot in here.” I glance around looking for Jane. “I’ll go tell Jane we’re leaving. Be right back.” I spot her standing in the corner. I make my way over there.

Halfway there, someone jumps in front of me. “Hellllllo there, pretty laaady,” a drunken man slurs. Before I have time to think, he grabs me and pulls me against his chest. For a drunk guy, he’s pretty fast. I push against his chest, trying to move away from him, but his grip is strong. I could use my magic, but that is only as a last resort. I don’t really want to cause a scene, and I can’t risk exposure.