Page 102 of Puck and Prejudice

Her smile wilts. “I came to check on you. You weren’t answering my texts or returning my calls.”

“For a reason. I don’t know what I have to do to make it clear that you’ll never be more than Chad’s sister to me. I don’t want to be your boyfriend, or even your friend.”

Her blue eyes fill with tears, and her lips tremble. “It’s because of Izzie Bennet, isn’t it?”

“She has nothing to do with this. I don’t like you. Truth be told, I only tolerate you because you’re Chad’s sister.”

She gasps. “You’re such a jerk.”

“I know. Goodbye, Carol.” I walk around her and don’t look back.

Maybe I should wait until she leaves—I wouldn’t be surprised if she put a dent in my car out of spite. But right now, I don’t give a fuck.

ChapterForty-One

IZZIE -FIVE WEEKS LATER

Last month went by in a blur. To say I was busy was an understatement. I had to cut the hours at Triana so I could focus on my residency and prevent Armageddon. Watching my mother try to wedding plan with Chad’s mom was like witnessing the clash of the Titans. Some days—who am I kidding,everyday—I wanted to sayRelease the Kraken!

It could be worse. I could have been forced to interact with Jackson, but mercifully, being a Stanley Cup champion kept him away from most of the wedding preparations. Not that the best man has many duties that would involve me.

Or so I thought.

If I didn’t love Jane to death, I’d kill her. Her wedding is in six days, and she decided last minute that the wedding party has to dance Las Sevillanas at the reception. Lydia and I know the dance by heart, and all her friends are dancers, so that’s not an issue. But while the groomsmen might be professional athletes, as far as dancing goes, they all have the grace of giraffes on skates.

I shouldn’t sayallof them. Frederico Tavares, the soccer player, can dance, but he’s the exception.

I was concerned about Lydia getting close to any of Chad’s friends, but Jane smartly assigned her to someone who’s definitely not Lydia’s type—he’s older, which automatically makes him unappealing to her.

Jane’s brilliant idea means I have to teach Jackson the dance—he’s my partner, after all. I should have known she’d try to play matchmaker. She’s as bad as my mother. I haven’t seen him since he came over to confess he had feelings for me and I rejected him. Truth be told, I miss him terribly, but the fear that I’ll get hurt worse is still present.

It’s a little after seven, and all members of the bridal party are in the studio where Jane teaches flamenco. Everyone but Jackson. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and he won’t show up at all.

Jane turns to Chad. “Where’s your best man?”

He checks his phone. “He said he’s running late and to start without him.”

Grayson snorts. “Jackson Darcy? Late? The man’s more punctual than George Washington.”

“Maybe he had a flat tire.” Frederico shrugs.

Or maybe he’s sending me a message that he doesn’t care about dancing with me.

“Did he say why he’s late?” Jane asks Chad.

“Nope.”

“Guys, it’s okay,” I chime in. “We can start without him. I already know the dance, and if he can’t learn, he’s the one who’ll look like an idiot.”

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” the man in question says as he enters the room.

My heart skips a beat, then hammers against my rib cage hard and fast. The adage that says distance makes the heart grow fonder isn’t wrong. Seeing him now after being deprived of his presence for weeks is wreaking havoc on my body and emotions. He hasn’t changed. He didn’t become hotter. But it’s taking everything in me to keep my expression neutral and not show how much I’m pining for him.

I cross my arms. “No, I wouldn’t love it, but I wouldn’t cry about it either.”

He narrows his eyes. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“Oooh… the tension is terrible. I hope it lasts,” Frederico pipes up.

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