Dirk: A Stepbrother Romance(34)

“Hi.”

Jennifer looked over at the man and said hello back. He was ruggedly handsome and he was dressed impeccably. Jennifer didn’t know that much about custom tailored suits, but she suspected that was what he was wearing. He reeked of money, as most of the people around her did. Some of those at the reception seemed to make a show of every bit of jewelry, and took every opportunity to mention their connections, but he carried it all off effortlessly, as if he might as well have been wearing a pair of old overalls. His brown eyes held hers captivated for a moment, before she looked down at her plate.

“So um, thanks back there. I really needed a drink.”

“That bad?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t elaborate and he didn’t press. She ate a few bites and then looked over at him. Jennifer could feel the man’s dark eyes on her and she waited for him to say something.


“Are you here for the bride or groom?”

“Bride, ugh, definitely the bride.”

“You don’t like the groom?”

“He makes her happy. That’s what’s important.”

“So what you really mean is that he’s a pompous jerk,” he laughed.

“Are you here for the groom?”

The man chuckled and nodded.

“That I am. My name is Charles, yours?”

“Jennifer, nice to meet you.”

Jennifer finished her drink and looked over at the bar, debating if she wanted to leave to get yet another one. She found herself attracted to the tall, handsome man and he seemed to be interested in her as well. Before she had time to act first, he excused himself and headed to the bar. Walking back with the drink in each hand, he looked devastatingly gorgeous. He placed her drink in front of her nonchalantly. His hair was a bit longer than was the fashion at the moment, ending at the collar. It had a slight wave to it and was almost pitch black. His skin had an olive tone and his eyes, when focused on a person, were hard to hold a gaze with. They were just so intense.

“Thank you. I think I should slow down, I am starting to feel a bit of a reckless smile on my face.”

“There is a smile on there, and it is beautiful. If you were mine, I would make sure you smiled like that every day.”

Charles leaned in close, but instead of going for a kiss, he just asked her if she wanted to dance. His face was beside hers, his words whispered gently into her ear. She tingled with the non-touch, his hot breath playing with her sensitive earlobe.

“Sure,” she said, trying to play it cool, while a wave of heat washed over her entire body.





2



Jennifer took another gulp and set her glass down. They had long since abandoned their hijacked seating in favor of a more subtle bench of to the side of the venue where they could enjoy some light conversation. The liquid courage helped her hands shake less as he led her out onto the dance floor once again. The quick beat they had risen to was almost immediately replaced with a slow and steady love song that pulled all the couples, including them, in closer. His hand grabbed her around the waist and pulled her near. She gasped as his hands settled just below her hips and her front was pushed against his hard, and apparently very athletic, body.

He moved her around slowly, but she was already breathing quickly from his touch. Her hands encircled his neck and she looked up at him with clouding green eyes. Jennifer could feel her body heating up, both from the vodka, as well as from her carnal reaction to his proximity. There was just something about the way he held her and looked at her that made Jennifer almost swoon. She couldn’t be sure, but she sensed it was more than just the alcohol. The song was over too quickly and she disengaged her arms almost reluctantly as he led them off the dance floor.

She moved back towards the table and decided she needed to sit down anyhow. Her knees were a little wobbly, though she blamed it on booze. Her mother was coming out about the same time and waved to her as Charles sat back down next to her. His chair seemed closer and he was definitely leaning towards her just a little more than was usual.

“So what are your plans Jennifer?”

“Stay here as long as I have to and then get some studying done. What about you?”

“Studying? So you are in college?”

“Yeah, upstate.”

“What are you studying?”

“Law. I plan to work pro-bono.”

“Why?”

“Because I would rather help people than make money.”

Charles did not see a need for a distinction, but he nodded empathetically nonetheless.

“Well, I guess we all have to ‘follow our bliss’, as they say.”

Jennifer looked down at her plate, unsure of how to take his comment, and feeling the effects of the alcohol more strongly than ever. She gaped when she saw her sister on a small stage about to give a speech. She had completely forgotten that she was supposed to give one as well. There was no way she was going to get up there in front of all of those people at this point and give a slurred speech though. She ducked her head slightly and looked around to be sure no one else had located her. Spotting her mother and seeing that she wasn’t looking, Jennifer got up quickly. Walking towards the front of the building, she checked around and then pushed open the door to the coat room and stealthily slipped inside. She figured this would be a safe place to ride out the speech portion of the party.