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But then his thoughts turned to this wedding and being Jillian’s escort. The longer they danced and the closer he held her in his arms, the faster his heart raced.
Jillian was always beautiful, but tonight she was a knockout. Maybe it was the peach dress with the short skirt and the teasing neckline. Or perhaps it was the way she had her blond hair pinned up with just wisps fringing her face. Whatever it was, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
That had never happened to him before. Sure he’d had his share of women pass through his life including a number of buckle bunnies, but none of them had turned his head. Tonight, Jillian had definitely turned his head. And he would love to have a casual fling with her, but there was nothing casual about Jillian. She was all about the flowers and romance, the dinner and starlight, the happily-ever-after kind of girl. She was the type of woman he’d gone out of his way to avoid.
Until now…
Attending this wedding with Jillian on his arm had him reconsidering his options. His gaze met hers. Perhaps he should roll the dice again and see what happened.
But could he ever be the man she wanted? The man she deserved?
He tried to imagine himself waking up each morning with Jillian in his arms. That wasn’t hard to imagine at all. In fact, that would be the easy part.
It wasn’t until he added in the baby that things got complicated. Diapers led to school and homework. Not to mention the car pools and the challenging teen years—
Jillian stopped dancing, jerking him from his musings.
He continued to hold her. “Why did you stop?”
“Because the music ended.”
He stood still and listened. There was nothing but the murmur of voices. The song ha
d in fact ended. He glanced toward the live band who were setting aside their instruments. And so his excuse to hold her in his arms had come to an end.
Avery reluctantly let her go. And then he presented his arm to escort her from the dance floor. He was still considering the tsunami of unexpected emotions that he’d experienced out on the dance floor.
Jillian stopped in her tracks and turned to him. “I think we should call it a night.”
“Now? But what about the cake?”
“I…I changed my mind.”
“If you’re sure—”
“I am.”
It was just then that he heard them call out for all of the single ladies to line up for the bouquet toss.
A worried look flickered across Jillian’s face. “We have to hurry.”
He couldn’t help but smile as she took him by the hand and led him to the coat check. He wondered why she was rushing away when she was the one who wanted to marry and have a baby.
Jillian was moving quickly, weaving her way through the crowd of well-wishers. He had to admit that he’d never seen Jillian run away from anything. So what or who had her moving so fast?
It wasn’t until they were outside and alone that he reached out for her hand. “Hey, slow down. There’s no one out here but you and me.”
“I just want to go.”
Snowflakes gently fell, adorning her hair. And then a flake landed on the tip of her nose before it melted. The street lamp made her eyes twinkle. His gaze dipped to her lips that were glossy and just perfect for kissing.
Without pausing to consider the ramifications of his next move, he reached out and pulled her to him. He leaned forward and claimed her lips. At first, she didn’t move as though stunned by his action. He lassoed his desire, not wanting to move too fast and scare her away.
Her lips were warm and soft. He moved slowly and hesitantly.
And soon she greeted his kiss with an eagerness of her own.
Her arms slipped up over his shoulders as his hands wrapped around her slender waist. He pulled her closer. At the same time, her fingers combed through his hair.
