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“I’m sure they do,” she managed to say, knowing he was waiting.
“You should let me show you sometime.”
Riley refused to take him seriously. “Ah, poor Justin. Are you upset you don’t have a date tonight?”
Eyes locked with hers, he shook his head. “Quite the opposite. I purposely came alone.”
Surprised, and further flustered by his answer and his look, Riley stared at him. “Why would a muscle-flexing guy like you do something like that?”
“I was hoping you’d be here without a date.”
The South Carolina humidity had just gone into overdrive and was drenching her skin.
Resisting the urge to fan herself, she tilted her chin upward. “What good would that do you?”
“Based on past experience? Not one bit.” Looking way too charming, he gave a self-deprecating laugh. “But a guy can hope you’ll take pity and at least say yes to one dance.”
Dance with Justin?
Riley gulped at the thought of wrapping her arms around his neck, of his arms around her waist. She’d need more than her hands to fan her if she agreed to that. Something along the lines of the jet blast from a Boeing 747.
“Maybe later,” she answered, thinking that if she said no he’d persist, and that if she said yes he’d pull her onto the dance floor with the other couples now.
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
Most likely he’d move on to one of the few other dateless women there, all of whom she’d seen talking to him at different points since arriving.
“Maybe you’d like to see the gardens? There’s a small lake with a fountain just over that rise. I’m told it’s worth the short walk.” He gestured beyond the porch to a lighted walkway.
Getting away from the party appealed more than getting away from Justin.
She set her glass down on a table, then nodded. “Please.”
Seeming surprised she’d agreed, he smiled. “You just made my night.”
His smile was so genuine, so endearing, her breath caught. She fought against saying she’d changed her mind and was leaving the party she hadn’t wanted to attend to begin with. Even though that was what a smart girl would do.
Her IQ was dropping by the second.
“You wish,” she quipped, not waiting for him as she headed toward the path he’d pointed out.
He quickly fell into step beside her as they made their way along the cobblestoned walkway. Trimmed bushes, flowers, and solar-powered lights bordered either side, giving a sense of privacy and filling the air with the scent of sweet gardenia.
“I do, you know.”
“Do what?” She didn’t look at him, just carefully made her way along the path, thinking she should have gone for different shoes as four-inch heels weren’t ideal for garden walkways.
When she’d chosen them she’d been thinking of how the extra height would make her look taller, feel thinner, more in control during what she’d known would be a rough experience.
“Wish you had just made my night,” he clarified.
At his response, Riley stumbled, reaching out to keep herself from falling at the same time as he moved to catch her.
She fell into his arms. Literally.
Embarrassed, she glanced up, both cursing and blessing her heels. They’d caused her to stumble, but they also gave her the vantage point to more easily look into his eyes.
Blessing? She wasn’t supposed to be looking into Justin’s eyes—much less easily. Nor was she supposed to be pressed against his hard body.
