Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
As Mom and Dad leave to mingle and grab a cocktail, I scan the area for Tabitha.
I zero in on her with her date, Stephen, the new massage therapist in town.
Well, he won’t be her date for long.
I should have asked her to be my date. Especially after that first time in the barn.
Will she have me?
I walk toward them.
Thirty-Three
Tabitha
I watch Angie and Jason make their rounds with radiant smiles plastered on their faces. They’re in a world of their own, oblivious to the chatter and laughter around them. It’s their day, after all.
A glass of champagne finds its way into my hand, courtesy of Stephen. I take a sip, the bubbles tickling my nose.
“You look beautiful,” he says, his gaze warm.
“Thanks, Stephen,” I say, unsure how to respond.
He reaches out to tuck a stray curl behind my ear, his touch gentle.
The golden light shifts slightly, and the warm breeze carries a hint of a familiar scent. A scent that has my pulse racing. I turn to find Henry standing there, his hands tucked into his pockets.
“May I have a moment with Tabitha?” he asks Stephen.
Stephen opens his mouth, looking ready to protest, but then he seems to think better of it. “Sure.” He steps back.
Henry focuses on me with an intense gaze. My heart’s already beating double time as his blue eyes gleam with an emotion I haven’t seen before.
“Tabitha,” he begins, his voice barely above a whisper. “About last night…”
I hold my breath, waiting for him to continue, wondering if I’m caught in an eighties romantic comedy.
“I…didn’t handle things well.”
It’s not what I expected him to say.
“Okay,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. “Is there anything else you want to say?”
He doesn’t reply.
I sigh. “Okay. Enough. I’m returning to my date.”
He grabs my arm. “No. Please.”
Please? I haven’t heard that word from Henry since I got here.
He leans in, lowers his voice. “Can we go somewhere private?”
I glance around at the lively cocktail reception. Everyone’s too engaged in laughter and conversation to notice us. Soon they’ll be moving to the backyard where the appetizers will be set up and dinner will be served later. We could probably have this discussion right here without anyone overhearing.
And we both know what will happen if we go somewhere private…
I should say no. I should tell him again that I need to get back to my date.
I should remind him that this day belongs to Angie and Jason and that he and I can have a million discussions tomorrow.
So…
“Sure,” I say.
We walk away from the crowd and into the house.
No privacy there.
Staffers are hustling and bustling to get the appetizers set up out back.
So Henry drags me down the hallway, but this time…
It’s the other hallway.
And we end up outside the door of his bedroom.
Already my nerves are on alert. Arousal surges inside me, landing between my legs. My nipples are hard, my stomach fluttering.
Only the faintest sounds of the staff and the music outside drift to us here.
Henry lightly touches the small of my back, guiding me into his room. I step inside, looking around at the space that looks like a monument to his youth. Trophies, awards, and a vintage poster of supermodel Brooke Bailey.
“Brooke Bailey?” I ask. “Where did you find that?”
“The antique store in town back when I was in high school. She’s actually my great-aunt. Or she was, at least. She passed away a while ago.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. My aunt Jade, who’s married to my mom’s brother Talon, is her daughter.”
I scratch the side of my head. “Your family is full of surprises.”
He doesn’t reply.
So I turn to leave.
This is exactly where I shouldn’t be.
Yet I want to be here more than I want my next gulp of oxygen.
“Don’t go.”
I turn back around. Henry’s gaze is intense.
It makes my heart pound in my chest as if it’s trying to escape the confines of my body.
“Tabitha…”
“Hmm…?”
But he says nothing.
Just burns me with those intense blue eyes of his.
I feel like he’s looking straight through my flesh and into my heart, my soul.
A shiver runs through me.
“Cold?” he asks.
At least he finally said something.
I steady myself. “No.”
He cocks his head, takes a slow step toward me. “You looked like you had a chill.”
“I did.”
“I’ll get you a sweater.” He walks toward a door that I assume leads to his closet.
I grab his arm and yank him back.
“How obtuse are you, Henry?” I ask, not nicely.
He glares at me.
“I mean, seriously.” I shake my head. “I’m not cold. It’s you. The way you look at me. You make me feel—”
His lips come down on mine before I can finish.
My mouth is already open, and he shoves his tongue inside.
His kiss is both wild and restrained, a battle between his desire and his control. It sends a shiver of delight through me. I can’t help but respond, that familiar heat pooling in my core.