“We did.”
“But when I kissed you just now, you didn’t feel it.”
She looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry.”
He tipped her chin with his fingers. “Don’t apologize for something you just don’t feel. It’s either there or it isn’t, and you can’t manufacture chemistry. I had a great time tonight. Thanks for showing me around.”
He opened the car door and went around to open hers, then walked her to her front door.
She turned to face him. “I really wish there’d been something, Joe.”
“Me, too.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you at the bar.”
She watched him walk away and knew Joe would never step foot in Riley’s again.
Even worse, she still didn’t have a damn date for the wedding.
She turned around and went inside.
SEVEN
THE WEDDING CEREMONY HAD BEEN BEAUTIFUL. THE church had been decorated with white calla lilies and ruby roses with baby’s breath and assorted greenery Jenna knew nothing about. It was beautiful. Seeing Tara walk down the white-carpeted aisle in her dress had made her breath catch. She’d looked stunning. Mick had tears in his eyes. Her big, tough-as-nails brother had shed a tear.
Her brother Mick was a married man now. Jenna still found that hard to believe. Her big brother, who had teased and tackled her and looked out for her when they were kids, had found the woman of his dreams and married her. And he had a teenaged son who he was going to officially adopt. Nathan was going to become a Riley.
Sometimes the world moved at such a fast pace it made her head spin.
Jenna had stood on the altar and listened to the priest perform the ceremony, truly listened to the words as Father Abrams told them about love and faith and finding that one person you were meant to be with. As she watched her brother and Tara look at each other, she knew for a fact that two people couldn’t possibly love each other more.
Shockingly, she’d cried. She’d never thought it would happen. Strong and stoic were her fortes. But she’d stood on the altar with tears rolling down her cheeks as Mick and Tara recited their vows.
She’d have to work harder at her intestinal fortitude before Gavin and Liz’s wedding.
After the ceremony the wedding party hung behind at the church to take pictures in multiple shots. Jenna had to admit that had been fun. Sometimes family could be overwhelming. Today, she couldn’t get enough of them.
When there was a spare moment in between photographer shots, she hugged her brother.
“I’m so happy for you.”
Mick grinned and put his arm around her. “Thank you. I’m a lucky guy.”
“You are. Take good care of her. She’s special.”
He squeezed Jenna’s arm. “I know.”
The day turned out glorious. Cold, but bright and sunny. A perfect day, without a cloud or raindrop in the sky.
The bride and groom were happy, Jenna’s parents were beaming with joy, and that’s all she could ask for.
And the bridesmaid dresses didn’t suck—thank you, Tara—so Jenna would survive the day.
She’d given up on finding a date for the wedding after that disastrous episode with Joe. The poor guy. She’d felt awful about it. No more dating for her. Not until she found someone who knocked her socks off.
Correction. Someone who didn’t play sports who knocked her socks off.
That might be a tall order, but she knew he was out there somewhere. And right now she just didn’t care. She had enough to deal with today, and a man wasn’t even on her radar.
Okay, one man was.
Tyler.
She’d noticed him sitting in one of the pews at the church when she walked down the aisle, couldn’t help but catch sight of his dark hair as he stood and watched her, his gaze riveted to hers.
Butterflies. Giant butterflies in her stomach when she looked at him.
She’d quickly looked away, focusing on the altar instead. Today was about Mick and Tara, not her conflicted feelings about Tyler Anderson.
The wedding had been smooth and beautiful and had gone off without a hitch, allaying Tara’s last-minute jitters.
Now if she could get some food and a drink, this day would be perfect.
They piled into the limos and made their way to the reception hall. The guests were already gathered there, so the wedding party was introduced, then the bride and groom to thunderous applause.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Riley. Jenna still couldn’t get used to that, but she already loved Tara like a sister, and Tara’s son Nathan like a blood nephew. It didn’t matter that Mick wasn’t Nathan’s real father. He was family to the Rileys and always would be, from now until forever.
Nathan looked so handsome in his tux. Nearly seventeen, he was going to be one serious lady-killer someday. He definitely fit in with all the Riley men. Both her brothers looked gorgeous as did her dad. Jenna couldn’t help but grin. She was going to have to order a lot of pictures from the photographer.
As the bride and groom took to the floor to have their first dance, Jenna’s ridiculous waterworks started up again.
Good Lord, was she a basket case today or what?
“I see you’re full of tears today, too.”
Her mother wrapped her arm around her. Jenna leaned against her and laughed.
“I can’t seem to help myself. They’re so happy, Mom.”
“I know. And they deserve it. I’ve never seen two people more in love.”
Jenna could only nod as Mick led Tara around the floor. Tara was breathtaking in her cream and pale pink strapless ball gown, a true vision with her blonde hair pulled up, diamond drops in her ears and across her throat—a wedding gift from Mick.
“She looks like freakin’ Cinderella.”
Her mother laughed. “She’s stunning. And so are you.”
“Thanks, Mom. But no comparison. This is Tara’s day.”
“You’re gorgeous, Jenna. The ruby red dresses Tara chose bring out the blue in your eyes and make your hair stand out. And what they do for Maggie and Elizabeth’s hair—I’m telling you, she chose the best dress for all of you.”
“She did.”
It was the bridal party’s turn to dance, so Gavin danced with Maggie as best man and maid of honor, Liz danced with Mick’s cousin Cole, and Jenna got to dance with Nathan.
“You look all grown up.”
Nathan grinned. “I kinda feel that way. And sometimes I still feel like a kid.”
She laughed. “Enjoy the feeling-like-a-kid moments. They’ll be gone before you know it.”
“I know. I’ll be off to college soon. Only one more year of high school after this.”
“I’m not sure we’ll let you leave us yet.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be ready to go.”
“Oh, trust me. You’ll be ready. Too much of the Rileys can be suffocating. You’ll have your bags packed and sneaking out the door in the dark of night so we can’t tie you to us.”
He squeezed her hand. “I like having you all for family, Jenna.”
“We all like you, too, Nathan. A whole lot.”
He turned her so they were facing Mick and Tara. “My mom and dad look happy.”
“They are. And they will be. Forever.”
She felt him relax.
The night flowed smoothly. She ate, finally, so she was content. Everyone danced, and she wandered around to greet the guests.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
She was picked up and whirled around. When she was set down, she whirled around with a glare. She rolled her eyes when she saw her cousin’s smug grin.
“Cole. Don’t you know it’s impolite to annoy the crap out of a lady?”
“First, you’re not a lady, you’re my cousin. And second, annoying the crap out of women is what I do.”
Her cousin Cole was and always had been a big pain in her ass, second only to her brothers in that department. A jock just like Mick and Gavin, Cole played in the NFL and was one of the best wide receivers currently playing for Green Bay. And he had the giant ego to go with his giant talent. But she loved Cole nearly as much as she loved her brothers, despite all the years he’d spent tormenting her when she was a kid.
Her uncle and her dad must have been a hell of a duo when they were kids, because they sure passed it on to their sons.
“Shouldn’t you be off doing shots with the guys?”
“On my best behavior tonight. I promised my mother and Aunt Kathleen.”
“And when have you ever kept a promise?”
“Never. But since they’re both here with their eagle eyes, I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Aren’t you just a boy scout?”
“Yeah, until about midnight when I ditch this shindig and head to a club. I’ve got some babes waiting for me.”
“And the media will be right behind you, waiting for you to get into a fistfight or some new scandal that’ll make headlines. The new bad boy of football.”
Cole shrugged, then grinned, the dimples in his cheeks doing nothing to diminish his rugged good looks. No wonder the media loved him.
“Hey, not my fault I’m photogenic.”
“Yeah, your mug shot was charming. I’m sure Uncle Jack and Aunt Cara were thrilled with that.”
“That was bullshit. And I’ve got great attorneys, and that was thrown out of court.”
She shook her head. “It pays to make money, I suppose, but you’re pushing thirty now, party boy. Isn’t it time to grow up?”
He laughed. “Just call me Peter Pan. It’ll never be time to grow up.”
She waved him off with a shake of her head. Cole was trouble with a capital T. Great football player, but he did like his social life. Maybe a bit too much.
She grabbed a glass of champagne and was watching Gavin and Liz and Mick and Tara dance when she felt a warm presence behind her.
“You’re not dancing.”
Tyler. She’d successfully managed to avoid him for the past couple hours. She turned to face him.
Oh, did he ever clean up nice. Dressed in a black suit and tie that fit him as if it had been tailored for him, his dark hair spilled over the collar, making her want to sift her fingers through it to see if it was as soft as it looked.
“No, not dancing.”
“Who was the guy you were hanging out with? Your date?”
She frowned, then realized he was referring to Cole. She laughed. “No, that was Cole Riley, my cousin. You might recognize him from the Green Bay team. He plays wide receiver.”
Tyler nodded. “Thought he looked familiar. You Rileys like to breed the sports players, don’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
“So where’s your date?”
Refusing to rise to the bait, she said, “Didn’t bring one tonight.”
He cocked a brow. “Oh, you have more than one?”
She didn’t answer.
“How about a dance?” he asked.
“Where’s your date?”
“Didn’t bring one tonight.”
Her lips curved at the ditto. The music was hot and she wanted to dance. She’d had more than a little champagne tonight, and she felt good. So good, in fact, she tingled all the way down to her toes. Tonight was all about magic and romance. Not that there was any romance between her and Ty. But there was chemistry and he was the hottest guy here, so she might as well dance with the devil she knew.
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
Ty hadn’t expected Jenna to say yes.
He thought the guy she was talking to was her date. He was relieved to find out it was her cousin Cole. When he found out she hadn’t brought a date tonight, he got his game plan in order to get her on the dance floor, or get her alone. One way or another, he was determined to have her in his arms tonight, figuring he’d have to do some fancy maneuvering.
For it to be this easy? Hell yeah. He took her hand and led her onto the crowded floor, then watched her groove to the beat of some seriously hot dance music.
Jenna looked beautiful tonight in a red dress that clung to every curve of her body—a body she knew how to move. He wanted to put his hands on her, to feel her move like that without clothes on. She swayed her h*ps and pivoted around, and his dick twitched when she shook her ass. She got into the music, raised her hands in the air, undulating her body in time to the beat.
He inched up closer to her, fit his body against her, wrapped his arm around her waist, and rocked with her to the music, expecting her to kick him back. Instead, she put her arm around his and let her head fall against his chest. He inhaled her scent and tried to keep up with her since he wasn’t much of a dancer, but hell, he was happy to let her take the lead since she obviously knew what she was doing.
When she turned around, she slung her arm around his neck and pressed her body against his, rocking her h*ps against him.
She had to notice he was getting hard. But she drew closer and ground against him.
To torture him, no doubt to get back at him for showing up at the bar and hitting on her all the time. But her gaze met his, her clear blue eyes not filled with anger, only interest.
And when the music slowed to something sexy, she didn’t push off and walk away, so he took her hand in his, slid his arm around her back, and drew her in close.
He should probably say something to her, but he didn’t want to break the spell. If he spoke, she might actually remember who she was dancing with, so he stayed quiet, content to breathe in the vanilla scent that seemed to always be part of her. He stroked his hand along the top of her back. Her skin was soft.
She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “You’re quiet.”