He guides me to the dance floor, and I let him.
Etta James croons from the speakers as this beautiful bad boy pulls me into his arms, his eyes roaming over my face like this is foreplay. He’s a man who makes dancing easy, guiding me around so smoothly I could be walking on clouds.
When he dips his head, his mouth brushes my ear. “You know, don’t you, that by dancing with me, you’re going to make people whisper about you all night?”
I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. They are whispering about me, it’s true, but the whispers have nothing to do with some mystery man.
It was a year ago, but my wedding to William Bailey is still the hottest kind of gossip. A wedding called off two days before the bride and groom were scheduled to say their vows? Young bride ran away to God-knows-where for an entire year? Hell, the people of New Hope usually have to steal the mayor’s cable to get stories that juicy.
“It doesn’t matter,” I murmur. Over Asher’s shoulder, my three older sisters watch me with unhinged jaws. What’s with them?
The song ends and the crowd on the dance floor shifts. Some couples return to their seats and others slide into each other’s arms.
Asher grins. “I thought you didn’t dance?”
“I don’t. Couldn’t you tell?” I shiver under his hot gaze. One dance and I’m contemplating bridesmaid clichés and one-night stands.
The DJ transitions to another song, and I find myself moving into his arms again. We fall into the rhythm of the music, and I’m rethinking my aversion to dancing when I feel a vibration from his hip. He’s busy tracing my shoulder with the rough pad of his thumb and doesn’t notice.
“Is that a cell phone in your pocket,” I whisper up at him, “or did I misplace my vibrator?”
He pulls away and reaches for his phone. “You’re something else.” He glances at the number on the display. “I have to take this. It was nice to meet you, Maggie. Thank you for the dance.” He winks at me as he backs away, leaving me grinning on the edge of the dance floor, dumb with lust.
My good mood vanishes when I turn and see Will and Krystal dancing.
My Will, I catch myself thinking. Which isn’t fair, and I know that, but I keep remembering his arms wrapped around me and his breath in my hair as he whispered, “If you’re broken, I’ll fix you.”
His thumb brushes her cheek, and he’s looking at her with such tenderness, I stumble over my own feet in my rush to get off the dance floor. Loneliness claws at me, digging into my flesh just deeply enough that my eyes wet with tears.
A Note from Lexi
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Harrison and Stacey’s story. Sometimes accepting love from someone else is scarier than being alone—because love means putting ourselves out there, flaws and all. That was certainly the case for Stacey. I hope you enjoyed reading about this couple’s second chance at love. I know I enjoyed writing it.
I love hearing from readers, so drop me a note at writerlexiryan@gmail.com or find me on facebook at facebook.com/lexiryanauthor.
~Lexi
Works by Lexi Ryan
Hot Contemporary Romance
Text Appeal
Accidental Sex Goddess
Unbreak Me (New Adult Romance)
Decadence Creek Series
Just One Night
Just the Way You Are
Stiletto Girls Novels (paranormal romance)
Flirting with Fate
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright © 2012 by Lexi Ryan
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Excerpt from UNBREAK ME
A Note from Lexi
Works by Lexi Ryan