Jaci Burton, page 6
part #3 of Play-by-Play Novel Series
Correction. Someone who didn’t play sports who knocked her socks off.
That might be a tall order, but she knew he was out there somewhere. And right now she just didn’t care. She had enough to deal with today, and a man wasn’t even on her radar.
Okay, one man was.
Tyler.
She’d noticed him sitting in one of the pews at the church when she walked down the aisle, couldn’t help but catch sight of his dark hair as he stood and watched her, his gaze riveted to hers.
Butterflies. Giant butterflies in her stomach when she looked at him.
She’d quickly looked away, focusing on the altar instead. Today was about Mick and Tara, not her conflicted feelings about Tyler Anderson.
The wedding had been smooth and beautiful and had gone off without a hitch, allaying Tara’s last-minute jitters.
Now if she could get some food and a drink, this day would be perfect.
They piled into the limos and made their way to the reception hall. The guests were already gathered there, so the wedding party was introduced, then the bride and groom to thunderous applause.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Riley. Jenna still couldn’t get used to that, but she already loved Tara like a sister, and Tara’s son Nathan like a blood nephew. It didn’t matter that Mick wasn’t Nathan’s real father. He was family to the Rileys and always would be, from now until forever.
Nathan looked so handsome in his tux. Nearly seventeen, he was going to be one serious lady-killer someday. He definitely fit in with all the Riley men. Both her brothers looked gorgeous as did her dad. Jenna couldn’t help but grin. She was going to have to order a lot of pictures from the photographer.
As the bride and groom took to the floor to have their first dance, Jenna’s ridiculous waterworks started up again.
Good Lord, was she a basket case today or what?
“I see you’re full of tears today, too.”
Her mother wrapped her arm around her. Jenna leaned against her and laughed.
“I can’t seem to help myself. They’re so happy, Mom.”
“I know. And they deserve it. I’ve never seen two people more in love.”
Jenna could only nod as Mick led Tara around the floor. Tara was breathtaking in her cream and pale pink strapless ball gown, a true vision with her blonde hair pulled up, diamond drops in her ears and across her throat—a wedding gift from Mick.
“She looks like freakin’ Cinderella.”
Her mother laughed. “She’s stunning. And so are you.”
“Thanks, Mom. But no comparison. This is Tara’s day.”
“You’re gorgeous, Jenna. The ruby red dresses Tara chose bring out the blue in your eyes and make your hair stand out. And what they do for Maggie and Elizabeth’s hair—I’m telling you, she chose the best dress for all of you.”
“She did.”
It was the bridal party’s turn to dance, so Gavin danced with Maggie as best man and maid of honor, Liz danced with Mick’s cousin Cole, and Jenna got to dance with Nathan.
“You look all grown up.”
Nathan grinned. “I kinda feel that way. And sometimes I still feel like a kid.”
She laughed. “Enjoy the feeling-like-a-kid moments. They’ll be gone before you know it.”
“I know. I’ll be off to college soon. Only one more year of high school after this.”
“I’m not sure we’ll let you leave us yet.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be ready to go.”
“Oh, trust me. You’ll be ready. Too much of the Rileys can be suffocating. You’ll have your bags packed and sneaking out the door in the dark of night so we can’t tie you to us.”
He squeezed her hand. “I like having you all for family, Jenna.”
“We all like you, too, Nathan. A whole lot.”
He turned her so they were facing Mick and Tara. “My mom and dad look happy.”
“They are. And they will be. Forever.”
She felt him relax.
The night flowed smoothly. She ate, finally, so she was content. Everyone danced, and she wandered around to greet the guests.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
She was picked up and whirled around. When she was set down, she whirled around with a glare. She rolled her eyes when she saw her cousin’s smug grin.
“Cole. Don’t you know it’s impolite to annoy the crap out of a lady?”
“First, you’re not a lady, you’re my cousin. And second, annoying the crap out of women is what I do.”
Her cousin Cole was and always had been a big pain in her ass, second only to her brothers in that department. A jock just like Mick and Gavin, Cole played in the NFL and was one of the best wide receivers currently playing for Green Bay. And he had the giant ego to go with his giant talent. But she loved Cole nearly as much as she loved her brothers, despite all the years he’d spent tormenting her when she was a kid.
Her uncle and her dad must have been a hell of a duo when they were kids, because they sure passed it on to their sons.
“Shouldn’t you be off doing shots with the guys?”
“On my best behavior tonight. I promised my mother and Aunt Kathleen.”
“And when have you ever kept a promise?”
“Never. But since they’re both here with their eagle eyes, I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Aren’t you just a boy scout?”
“Yeah, until about midnight when I ditch this shindig and head to a club. I’ve got some babes waiting for me.”
“And the media will be right behind you, waiting for you to get into a fistfight or some new scandal that’ll make headlines. The new bad boy of football.”
Cole shrugged, then grinned, the dimples in his cheeks doing nothing to diminish his rugged good looks. No wonder the media loved him.
“Hey, not my fault I’m photogenic.”
“Yeah, your mug shot was charming. I’m sure Uncle Jack and Aunt Cara were thrilled with that.”
“That was bullshit. And I’ve got great attorneys, and that was thrown out of court.”
She shook her head. “It pays to make money, I suppose, but you’re pushing thirty now, party boy. Isn’t it time to grow up?”
He laughed. “Just call me Peter Pan. It’ll never be time to grow up.”
She waved him off with a shake of her head. Cole was trouble with a capital T. Great football player, but he did like his social life. Maybe a bit too much.
She grabbed a glass of champagne and was watching Gavin and Liz and Mick and Tara dance when she felt a warm presence behind her.
“You’re not dancing.”
Tyler. She’d successfully managed to avoid him for the past couple hours. She turned to face him.
Oh, did he ever clean up nice. Dressed in a black suit and tie that fit him as if it had been tailored for him, his dark hair spilled over the collar, making her want to sift her fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked.
“No, not dancing.”
“Who was the guy you were hanging out with? Your date?”
She frowned, then realized he was referring to Cole. She laughed. “No, that was Cole Riley, my cousin. You might recognize him from the Green Bay team. He plays wide receiver.”
Tyler nodded. “Thought he looked familiar. You Rileys like to breed the sports players, don’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
“So where’s your date?”
Refusing to rise to the bait, she said, “Didn’t bring one tonight.”
He cocked a brow. “Oh, you have more than one?”
She didn’t answer.
“How about a dance?” he asked.
“Where’s your date?”
“Didn’t bring one tonight.”
Her lips curved at the ditto. The music was hot and she wanted to dance. She’d had more than a little champagne tonight, and she felt good. So good, in fact, she tingled all the way down to her toes. Tonight was all about magic and romance. Not that there was any romance between her and Ty. But there was chemistry and he was the hottest guy here, so she might as well dance with the devil she knew.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
Ty hadn’t expected Jenna to say yes.
He thought the guy she was talking to was her date. He was relieved to find out it was her cousin Cole. When he found out she hadn’t brought a date tonight, he got his game plan in order to get her on the dance floor, or get her alone. One way or another, he was determined to have her in his arms tonight, figuring he’d have to do some fancy maneuvering.
For it to be this easy? Hell yeah. He took her hand and led her onto the crowded floor, then watched her groove to the beat of some seriously hot dance music.
Jenna looked beautiful tonight in a red dress that clung to every curve of her body—a body she knew how to move. He wanted to put his hands on her, to feel her move like that without clothes on. She swayed her hips and pivoted around, and his dick twitched when she shook her ass. She got into the music, raised her hands in the air, undulating her body in time to the beat.
He inched up closer to her, fit his body against her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and rocked with her to the music, expecting her to kick him back. Instead, she put her arm around his and let her head fall against his chest. He inhaled her scent and tried to keep up with her since he wasn’t much of a dancer, but hell, he was happy to let her take the lead since she obviously knew what she was doing.
When she turned around, she slung her arm around his neck and pressed her body against his, rocking her hips against him.
She had to notice he was getting hard. But she drew closer and ground against him.
To torture him, no doubt to get back at him for showing up at the bar and hitting on her all the time. But her gaze met his, her clear blue eyes not filled with anger, only interest.
And when the music slowed to something sexy, she didn’t push off and walk away, so he took her hand in his, slid his arm around her back, and drew her in close.
He should probably say something to her, but he didn’t want to break the spell. If he spoke, she might actually remember who she was dancing with, so he stayed quiet, content to breathe in the vanilla scent that seemed to always be part of her. He stroked his hand along the top of her back. Her skin was soft.
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “You’re quiet.”
“I was afraid if I said anything you’d leave.”
She arched a brow. “Why would I do that?”
“You don’t like me.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “I never said I didn’t like you.”
He arched a brow.
“Okay, I might have given you that impression. But the music’s nice, and you feel good.”
“You feel pretty good, too. Mind if we stay on the dance floor all night?”
She giggled and laid her head on his chest. “All right by me, but these shoes have to go. My feet are killing me.”
He stopped. “Take them off.”
She nodded. “Good idea.” She slipped her shoes off one by one, and handed them to him. He held them by their straps, deciding any woman who’d wear heels this high had to have some kind of death wish.
“How do women walk in these things?”
“It’s in our genetics. It’s why women are the master species. We give birth and we can walk in heels.”
He laughed. “No wonder your feet hurt.” She slid into his arms again and they continued to dance. The deejay was nice enough to play another slow song. He’d have to remember to tip the guy.
“The wedding was nice.”
She grinned. “It was. My brother and Tara are happy. They went through hell to get here, so they deserve it.”
He didn’t much believe in the whole happily-ever-after thing, but for some people, he supposed, it worked. He really hoped it worked forever for Mick and Tara, especially since there was a kid already involved. Tyler knew better than anyone what could happen to a teenager when what you thought was a happy family dissolved in front of you. “Yeah, I hope it lasts for them.”
“It will. They’ve already been through all the rough stuff. The rest of forever will be easy.”
He kept his thoughts to himself. No sense in bursting her bubble. She probably believed in knights in shining armor, rescued princesses, and fairy tale endings.
And love being enough to solve any problem.
All a bunch of bullshit. He didn’t buy into any of it. Right now was what counted, and grabbing whatever you could while you had it. Because nothing lasted.
Including the song, and holding Jenna in his arms. The deejay cranked it up to something fast after that.
“Thanks for the dance,” Jenna said. “I’m ready for a drink.”
“Me, too.”
Instead of walking away, she took his hand. “I know a shortcut to the bar.”
She didn’t ask for her shoes, so he held on to them and let her lead him to the bar. He found them two seats and ordered two drinks. He wanted soda, while Jenna ordered another glass of champagne.
She crossed her legs and the slit along the side of her dress parted, revealing an amazing length of slender thigh. Used to seeing her in blue jeans and T-shirts, Tyler looked his fill, then leaned against the bar to take a drink.
“No champagne for you?” she asked.
“Not my kind of drink.”
She smirked.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just remembered something I said to the girls one night about guys and their choices of drinks.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
She shook her head. “Can’t tell you. Bartender trade secret.”
He could imagine. “I’ll bet you can tell all about a guy from what he drinks.”
She frowned and laid her glass on the bar. “You think so?”
“Bartenders have keen insight. So what would you say about me?”
“You like whiskey, neat. Though sometimes you’ll drink beer. That means you’re independent, not easy to pin down. You like your freedom, but you’re not pretentious. No expensive champagne for you. You don’t like to show off, but you are choosy—no, wait. That’s not the right word. Particular. That’s better. You’re particular. You aren’t going to pick up just any girl. She has to be the right girl.”
“You know all that just from the drinks I order?”
She took a sip of champagne. “Yes. And you also don’t pick up women in my bar.”
“Maybe because I’m waiting for you.”
She tilted her head back and laughed, that sound he loved hearing. “You’re so full of shit, Ty. I like that about you.”
He liked listening to her talk. She had a sharp mind, and seeing the gears of it working got him as hard as seeing her move on the dance floor. “You think you know me, huh?”
“Actually, I don’t think I know you at all. Most men are easy to peg. You I haven’t figured out yet.”
He took a couple swallows of soda. “I’m glad. I’d hate to be predictable.”
“You’re anything but predictable. You annoy me. You like me, and you obviously want me, and you make no secret of that. I like that, because I don’t much care for games. On the other hand, I don’t want you to like me. I want you to go away and leave me alone so I can stop thinking about you.”
He grinned. She was just a little drunk, which meant she was relaxed enough to spill more of her inner thoughts than she was aware of. Which meant this was his opportunity to take things a step further with her, if he played the game right.
“I can’t stop thinking about you, either, Jenna.”
She leaned her elbows against the bar. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think about when you think about me?”
This was a test. She was putting him on the spot to see if he was just bullshitting her.
Actually, he wasn’t.
“I think about your mouth.” He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “I like what comes out of it when you talk to me. It’s sassy and smart. And I sure as hell liked kissing it. It’s soft and wet and you yield under me like you want what I’ve got.”
