Page 7 of Stolen Kisses

My heart raced with the prospect, but then I chastised myself.Don't be silly, Hannah.He’s a grump, and he's Josh's best man. All you have to do is get along with him until the wedding's over.

After we all decided on what bottle of champagne we wanted, I hustled down the hotel corridors, noticing how quiet they were. But the second I stepped outside, I heard voices and music. I followed the sound of clinking glasses. I almost wanted to call Mom and Blair and tell them to come out here. It was amazing, even though the breeze was chilly and the air salty. I even liked the faint odor of seaweed. My sister was right—August was a great month for a wedding. I instantly felt more relaxed.

But all that disappeared when I noticed Chase.What's he doing out here? The guys are supposed to be in the lobby bar.

He was standing in front of the counter, eyes trained on me. He’d changed since we arrived. Now he was wearing a black T-shirt with short sleeves, and it looked great on him—even better than the dress shirt he wore earlier.

“Hannah,” he said in a low voice, and I shuddered.

Was it the wind? The way he said my name? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought you and the guys were at the bar up front.”

“They ran out of ice, and they were moving so slowly that I decided to go get it myself.”

I barely bit back laughter. “Of course you did.”

“You didn’t tell me you were coming to a wedding,” he said.

“What would've been different?” I asked. Wiggling my eyebrows, I smiled.

“I certainly would've made an effort to be... civil. Thank you for not mentioning our encounter to Josh and Blair.”

Aha, meaning deep down even he knew he’d been acting out.

“Did they find your luggage?”

“Yes. I’m getting it tomorrow afternoon. My gift is in there. That’s why I was so...”

“Uptight?” I teased.

He pinned me with his gaze. I shimmied in my spot.

“Yes, Hannah.”

Actually, that made sense. If the airlines had misplaced my wedding gift, I would’ve gone off the rails. I could give him a pass on that.

“Were your clothes in there too?”

“No, just the gift.”

“What can I get you, miss?” the bartender asked.

“A bottle of champagne and three glasses. I’m going to take it to the room.” I glanced at Chase, looking for his reaction.

He held up his hands. “You won’t hear a comment from me.”

We both laughed, and I had to ask, “So you only police my alcohol intake at the airport?”

“Yes, because then I had skin in the game. I was sitting next to you.” His eyes glinted. God, he seemed even more handsome than in the airport. Maybe because he was more relaxed and didn’t have a stick up his ass anymore.

“Hey, what’s taking so long, man?” Two guys came up next to us.

“And you must be the famous Hannah,” one of them said.

“Oh, I’m famous? That’s news to me,” I replied. “Who are you two?”

“I’m Griffin.”

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