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“My brother got a good one,” Xander mused.
“The best,” she agreed.
Xander glanced her in direction, then shook his head. “I can only go as high as second best. Because you are top of the class.”
She felt the heat that never seemed to fully leave her face, telling her that yet again this sweet, sexy man had made her blush.
“Doesn’t look like everyone is having a good time.” Xander subtly tilted his head toward one corner of the room, where Darlene and Mark were having what looked like a very heated conversation.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” she replied. “Darlene’s not really Mark’s type. Or at least, I don’t think she is. She’s a bit brash and loud and in your face, and Mark is a lot quieter. He’s always uncomfortable anytime the attention is turned to him. Besides…” She stopped.
“Besides?” Xander prompted.
“I don’t want to talk about my ex-boyfriend tonight.”
Xander seemed like he wanted to push her to finish, but Gia refused to waste what little time they had left, analyzing Mark and Darlene’s relationship.
As the first dance ended, a faster-paced song came on, one guaranteed to draw everyone out to the floor. Gia hopped up almost immediately when her cousins, Paige and Lacy, joined Gus and Alison.
Xander sighed.
He’d commented the day before yesterday that he was not exactly a fan of fast dances, admitting he preferred to watch. Gia had teased him about it a bit, asking if he really wasn’t a fan or if he had two left feet. He promised to disprove that theory by slow dancing her right out of her panties. Which he had done right in the middle of her living room.
She had vowed not to nag him about the fast dances, but said she would definitely be spending a lot of time shaking her booty.
Xander, the shameless man, said he had absolutely no problem with that. He stopped her before she could walk to the floor, tugging her down for a quick kiss. “Put on a good show for Daddy,” he whispered.
Damn. Her bridesmaid dress wasn’t thick enough that she’d be able to hide her now-tight nipples protruding through the silk.
Gia joined her friends and family on the floor, aware of Xander’s eyes on her. She’d always loved to dance and had been told by others that she was good at it.
Knowing Xander was watching had her trying harder to pull out all the sexy stops. And, to her delight, she realized it was working when Xander was by her side within three beats of the first slow song. He tugged her into his arms, pulling her tight against his chest, letting her feel just how much he was enjoying her show.
“You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” Xander murmured in her ear. “But I’ve changed my mind about the show. Going to have to restrict that dancing of yours to times when we’re alone. You’re attracting too much male attention.”
She laughed, thrilled by his compliment but brushing off his words as just that. She was pretty damn sure no one else was watching.
“I’m serious,” Xander said, tilting her face up with his finger beneath her chin. “Mark hasn’t taken his eyes off you since Darlene stormed out of the reception hall.”
“She left?”
Xander nodded once, then gripped the back of her neck, pulling her in for a kiss she felt all the way to her toes.
This wasn’t the first kiss he’d given her tonight. It wasn’t even the twentieth. They’d sat beside each other at the head table, his thigh pressed right against hers, as they ate the late dinner. He’d even fed her a few bites from his plate.
If there had been anyone in town who hadn’t heard about them hooking up—Gia was certain there wasn’t, because Macie was nothing if not thorough when it came to gossip—there would have been no question about it after tonight.
Every move Xander had made tonight had been an example of pure possessiveness. He’d been staking his claim. It truly felt like she’d been struck by lightning. Every touch, every secret caress, or sexy comment whispered in her ear was heady and hot. What would she give to have this forever?
She closed her eyes briefly, pressing her head against Xander’s chest as she forced that thought from her head.
Just as she wasn’t going to waste tonight talking about her ex, she wasn’t going to squander it wishing for things she couldn’t have.
They stopped talking after that, slowly swaying in each other’s arms, Gia soaking up his scent, his warmth, his protection. The last seemed wasted, given Gia wasn’t in danger, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was safe with Xander in a way she hadn’t felt since losing her parents.
As the song ended, a popular line dance coming on, Xander kissed her forehead, clearly ready to clear the floor.
“I’m going outside on the patio for a little while. Dad and Gus want to smoke cigars.”
