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He was laughing by the time she was done, which was much better than lusting. “It’s the untied shoelaces for me.”
“Oh, you want me to tie them? We don’t bother with that where I’m from.”
She toed off the boots and bent to pick up a pair of elegant high heels, dangling them from one hand. “I want to wait until the last possible second before I put these on. My feet aren’t used to them. I’m just hoping they don’t bleed.”
“I can carry you down to the ballroom,” he offered.
“Yes, that will definitely stop any rumors about us. By the way, how are we going to handle that? Should we sit at different tables? Or the same table, but not next to each other?”
He didn’t like either of those ideas. He wanted her to be close by so they could survive the tedium together. “That would be suspicious, like we’re trying to make a point. Let’s just…don’t do anything a couple would do. No touching.”
“No eating off each other’s plates.”
“Right. No sharing a single strand of spaghetti.”
She held up a finger. “Unless all they serve is a single strand of spaghetti. I reserve the right to not starve myself.”
“Fair enough.” For what he’d paid for the tickets—all five of them—they’d better serve more than one piece of spaghetti. Then again, he might not mind if Jenna’s pretty lips were on the other end of it. She’d applied lip gloss that shimmered along with her dress. They looked plump and enticing and…
“Is there something on my face?” she asked, already lifting a hand to check.
“No. No. You look good, that’s all. I’m not used to seeing you with makeup. I’m…adjusting.”
Self-conscious pink flooded her face. “You look good too. Nice tux.”
“Thanks. It’s the same one I wear at every event I have to dress up for. Everyone’s sick of it.”
“I doubt that.” She picked up her clutch and a silvery wrap that she’d left by the door. “Shall we?”
“Let’s do it.”
“Wait! Let’s take a photo first, so we can send it to the boys.”
She came to his side and they both smiled for her phone, which, by long-ago established habit, he held because his arms were so much longer. She sent the selfie to Annika’s phone, with a request to share with the kids.
She pinged them back immediately. Jenna flashed the screen at Billy to show him. HAWT!! Where’s the others?
Uh oh. Annika wasn’t going to be excited to hear that he and Jenna were on their own. Jenna left her on read and tucked the phone into her clutch. She probably didn’t want to explain the situation to her always protective older sister. “I think I’ll put my shoes on here so I can practice on the way down. Can you…”
He took her wrap and clutch from her so she could sit down and slip her shoes onto her feet. After she stood up, she staggered a few steps toward him, then grabbed onto his arm. “Shit. I forgot how to do this. I think the last time I wore heels was high school prom.”
“I mean…you wore them for about ten minutes. Then you danced in your socks.”
“I didn’t wear socks to prom. Those were tights.”
“Oh, I remember. It was hell getting them off you in the truck,” he teased as she tried to right herself.
She made a face at him as she straightened back up. “I just realized we have a problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I can’t be hanging on to you all night. That will give the wrong idea. But I also might fall on my face if I don’t.”
“Safety first,” he said virtuously, offering his arm again.
“No.” She wagged a finger at him as she walked back and forth on the carpet. Still wobbly, but gaining confidence. “I can do this. Annika and I used to play dress up and practice being career women with high heels.”
“Not models?”
