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*
Grabbing hold ofa chair to keep her upright, Riley watched as Mitch walked away. Her knees were literally shaking. Wow, that was so close. Her whole body was shivering with a need she’d never experienced before.
Rubbing her arms, she inhaled shakily. If the first attractive guy she danced with had this effect on her, it was definitely time to start dating again. She focused on her breathing while she tried to clear her befuddled mind, slowed down her heartbeat.
“Coz? Everything okay?” Craig asked from behind her.
Putting a smile on her face, she turned to face her cousin. “I’m fine. Shouldn’t you be dancing with your bride?”
“I was, but I saw you with Mitch—has he done anything to upset you?”
“No… no. He saved me from having to dance with that old guy who’s been making a nuisance of himself.”
“Barry? Sorry about that. Apparently, he was at the bar and stumbled in here by mistake. I’ve asked someone to take him home. You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m totally fine. I’m just getting my breath back—go dance and enjoy your party.”
“In a minute. You and I haven’t had a chance to talk; you arrived only yesterday. I heard you also got the assignment to do the winter fashion shoot for the same magazine you worked for earlier. I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you. That’s why I arrived so late.” She smiled. “There were several things to finalize before I could get on a plane.”
“Working freelance isn’t easy, but it seems you’re now my sought-after photographer cousin.”
“I can’t tell you how grateful and relieved I am things are going so well. I’m fully booked for fashion shoots until next year this time, I’m happy to say. Thanks to my inheritance and the way you and Aiden always pitched in to help with Dylan, I was always more than fine, but I’m finally at a place where I can relax ever so slightly.”
Craig touched her arm. “Please remember both Aiden and I will be visiting Portland regularly for work, so do let us know if you need help with Dylan? Will you be able to find someone to look after him when you’re working?”
Riley nodded. “Fortunately, he’s starting prekindergarten in September. That would make things much easier. But thanks, coz, I promise to let you know. Now go and dance with your bride.”
Breathing out slowly, Riley followed her cousin back into the hotel. Everything was going to be all right. She hadn’t done anything stupid, so she could relax. And bonus, Dylan and she were only staying another night.
Once she was back in Portland, she’d be too busy to remember anything that had happened here tonight.
After this incident, one thing was clear, though—she seriously needed to get out more, accept invitations to parties, try dating apps or whatever it was single women did these days. If her body reacted this way to the first sexy guy she’d been close to in nearly four years, it was becoming quite urgent.
*
Mitch walked blindlytoward the bar. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but maybe a glass of wine would help dull the ache in his belly.
Damn it, he shouldn’t have danced with Riley. He’d known she was trouble the moment he’d laid eyes on those long, red curls, killer body, and saucy smile of hers way back in February. She’d never been around for long, and during the times she’d been here, they’d barely spoken. She’d teased him mercilessly when he’d been upset with the damn O’Sullivans sniffing around his sisters, but otherwise, they hadn’t spent time together. What he couldn’t have predicted was the way his body would react to her closeness.
He’d never had a reason to touch her before. But then she’d grabbed his hand, telling him to dance with her. Also, he hadn’t been the only one affected by their closeness. He’d heard her soft gasp, saw her breasts straining against the soft material of her dress. Damn it, Miller, this isn’t helping.
“Mitch!” someone called from the table he was passing.
It was Janice: Riley, Mitch, and Craig’s godmother. She was his colleague; they were both teachers at the local high school. She beckoned him closer.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he neared the older woman.
She got up. “I need to go to the bathroom, quickly. Would you mind keeping an eye on Dylan?” Grinning, she lifted the tablecloth. “How anyone can sleep in this noise, I have no idea, but he’s not moving. I won’t be long.”
Taking a chair next to Janice’s, Mitch nodded as he too lifted the tablecloth to watch the little boy sleep. He’d never realized it before, but since he’d walked away from his previous life as a chartered accountant at a big bank in Sacramento and started teaching at Marietta High School nearly two years ago, he’d discovered he liked children. There was something endearing about them, even behind the toughest teenager. You just needed time and patience to reach the soul behind the mask of anger.
As he watched, Dylan opened his eyes. “Mitch?” he asked sleepily. “Where’s Mommy?”
“She’s close by. Go back to sleep, I’m here.”
“You’re not yelling?”
