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Casey sipped and the alcohol slid down her throat with ease. She licked her lips and turned to watch Austin shrug out of his suit coat jacket, dropping his tie to the table.
“How about a dance, Case?”
She frowned. “Hard pass, sir.”
Austin rolled his eyes. “Fine. Can we talk then?”
“Why bother? You were pretty clear upstairs.” Bringing the cup back to her lips, she gulped until only the ice remained.
His eyes widened as her empty drink met the table. “Let me try to explain.” He pushed his full glass over to her. “Please?”
She eyed it with a frown but tugged the glass closer.These are really good.“Go on then. Tell me why you don’t want me here.”
Austin sighed and dropped his hand to her lap as he scooted closer. He toyed with the yellow fabric of her dress, rubbing the outer layer of chiffon between his thumb and index finger.
“It’s not that I don’t want you here, Case. Honestly, I wantnothingmore. You were the first person I thought of after they offered me the job and selfishly, I wanted to ask you to move here seconds—”
“Selfishly?” Casey interrupted. “Austin, the day we met, you told me about this job and how much you hoped for it. Your entire career has been building toward it.”
He gripped her knee and squeezed. “That’s all true, but Case, I’m not all that matters here.”
A shadow draped across the table, Josh’s silhouette blocking the twinkle lights. “A dance with the maid of honor?” He grinned and reached his hand out.
Her stomach plummeted to the floor as her eyes widened. “Oh, God,” she murmured, swatting at Austin as he barked out a laugh beside her. “Josh, umm... I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
Mavis giggled and dropped into the seat beside Casey, the back of her hand dragging across her brow as laughter fell from her lips.
Josh’s gaze darted from Casey to Austin and from Austin to Mavis. He grinned. “What am I missing here?”
Casey shook her head and elbowed Mavis in the gut as the giggles burst from her lips in full force. “Let me level with you, Josh. I’ve managed to survive the entire day without tripping or falling once. But if you take me out there right now in front of all these people...” She nodded toward the dance floor. “I promise you I’ll quickly become the comedic relief of your wedding day.”
Josh snorted and tilted his head. “Oh, come on, you can’t be that bad.” He grasped her hand and tugged until her butt left the chair. “Besides, we need something to liven up this party.”
Oh, shit.
“Kill me now!” she shouted over her shoulder as Josh led her to the center of the dance floor and gripped her waist with his left hand. His fingers tightened around her palm as he tugged her closer.
Squeezing her eyes shut, his voice whispered in her ear. “I won’t let you fall. You know Austin would kill me if I did.”
She breathed in as his body moved. Gripping him tightly, the nerves bounced around in her belly while he swayed to the tune.
“Relax,” he whispered with a laugh. “You’re just fine...”
“Umm, says you!” Her eyes popped open—a sea of spectators stared back as Josh pushed her away with a fancy spin. His arm yanked her back into his body. Breathless, she giggled. “Don’t do that again!”
“Oh, come on! You can’t tell me Austin hasn’t made you do this yet.” Dipping her body backward, her curls touched the dance floor. Her head dizzied as he yanked her back up, bringing her face inches from his own. “He’s a showoff, you know.”
Old Crow danced through her memory, the slow country song vastly contrasting with the quick steps Josh forced her into. He led her around the full floor, sureness in every step—his grip never loosening from her palm or waist.
“I’m gonna pick you up,” he whispered with a mischievous smile.
“Oh, God! Josh!” A bubble of laughter spilled from her lips as he grabbed her waist and lifted her petite frame. The cool air whipped through her hair as her tired and aching feet left the ground. He spun her body in a full circle, the fancy twirl breathing exhilaration into her heart.
Her toes touched the ground as the song ended. Leaning forward, he pecked his lips on her forehead. “See. Not that bad, right?” He grinned and spun her body away until he dropped her hand into Austin’s outstretched grasp.
“My turn?”
The sheepish smile on his lips paired with his pleading eyes melted her.I can’t fucking resist you, Austin Templeton.She leaned into his embrace as Josh winked at his brother.
