The Christmas Pact(22)

I held my stomach. “Oh my God. Don’t make me laugh, I really will pee myself.”

He forced himself to his feet. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s go find you a pot to piss in.”

By some miracle, the house was now quiet. I’d heard people talking earlier, but they must have all left the house. I was able to use the bathroom down the hall in peace while Kennedy poured us two mugs of coffee.

We took them back to his room, and after he showered, I watched as Kennedy changed into his tuxedo pants and white shirt. Standing behind him as he looked at himself in the full-length mirror attached to his closet door, I discreetly admired his masculine beauty and the way his muscles looked in that shirt. Not to mention the way those pants hugged his ass.

He turned toward me and I helped him adjust his tie before smoothing the fabric of his shirt. I could feel how fast his heart beat through the material. Our eyes locked for a moment. He swallowed hard. My lips parted in response to the raw heat I saw in his eyes. My growing attraction to him was only adding to this complicated mess.

God. What was Felicity thinking? What could have possessed her to give this man up?

I wondered whether he’d let this whole day pass without admitting the truth to me.





Kennedy



“She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?”

One of Felicity’s great-uncles sat down next to me. Someone had introduced us earlier at the church and I vaguely recalled meeting him some years earlier, but damned if I could remember his name.

The table I’d been assigned at the reception was located next to the dance floor, and I was the only one sitting at it at the moment. Well, and the old guy next to me now. Everyone else seemed to be out on the dance floor or off having a good time. We stared out at the crowd of people jumping around. He must’ve thought I was looking at the woman wearing ten pounds of white and dancing off tempo to the music. But I didn’t give two shits about her anymore. No, my eyes were following the gorgeous lady in the purple dress, the one currently dancing up a storm with my mother. The two of them were hysterical, laughing like they’d known each other for years.

“Yeah. She’s beautiful.”

My mother started to turn right, and Riley grabbed onto her arm to guide her to turn left with everyone else. Riles was pretty good at line dancing. I definitely liked the way her hips moved. My mother, on the other hand, was not so coordinated. I was going to owe my date a foot massage after how many times Mom had stamped on her feet.

I sipped my water, and my eyes caught with Riley’s across the room. She waved for me to join them out on the dance floor, but I was enjoying the view from here just fine. I smiled, but shook my head.

“I haven’t seen my grand-niece since she was a little girl. How about you? You know the bride and groom well?” Apparently, Felicity’s uncle didn’t remember much about meeting me earlier, either, which was just fine.

“Actually, no. It turns out I don’t really know either of them too well.”

Uncle What’s-his-name loosened his tie. “My wife is on the other side of the room. She’s on my ass about watching my carbs. Steal me a piece of that bread in the basket over there, will ya? She’s too busy yapping her face off to notice right now.”

I chuckled. “Sure.”

While Felicity’s great-uncle was busy munching on his carbs, the music changed to a slow dance. Riley and my mother hugged, and my date started walking toward our table. I moved the breadbasket and butter to within the old guy’s reach and nodded. “Have at it. I’ll be back.”

I stood and held out my hand to Riley. “Feel like dancing some more?”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I’ve been trying to get you to dance with me all night. Now you ask me to dance? When your mother’s worn me out?”

I linked my fingers through hers and tugged her back out onto the dance floor. “C’mon. I’ll do all the work. I was grumpy earlier. But my mood has improved.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Oh yeah? Well, I’m glad to hear it. Weddings are supposed to be fun.”

I slid my arms around her and pulled her flush against me. “It’s getting more fun by the moment.”

Riley sighed and turned her head to rest against my chest. We swayed in unison, gliding around the dance floor slowly. One song ended and another began, yet neither of us made an attempt to return to our table. I definitely had no desire to let go of her anytime soon. She felt so good in my arms.

I’d been dreading coming back home for years, dreading this day in particular. And yet somehow at the end of it all, things didn’t seem quite so dark because of her. Riley had done more for me than she would ever know, and I felt like I owed her some honesty. So when the second slow dance ended and a pop song came on, I took her hand and guided her out of the party.

Earlier when I’d gone to the men’s room, I’d watched a waiter sneak behind a set of heavy drapes and disappear through a hidden door. He happened to be coming back in, smelling like a cigarette, at the same moment I finished up in the bathroom, and I caught a glimpse of a nice little secret balcony overlooking the frozen lake outside.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere quiet.”

I looked around to make sure no one was watching, and lifted the drapes.

“After you.”