Page 87 of First Chance

“I didn’t want any other fuckers trying to dance with you.”

“It was one guy and his friend. There’s not exactly a line of people waiting to cut in.”

“You’re right, they all dispersed the moment I claimed you.”

“You’re so funny,” she giggles in amusement, but I wasn’t joking in theslightest.

I tip her chin up to look at me again, and her breath catches in her throat. “Darlin’, you’re sin in a sundress. Every man wants a piece of you, and I’m not exaggerating.”

She looks startled by my statement as if she has no idea of her effect on men.

“But, not you?” She asks suddenly, forcing me to spin her so I have a second to formulate my answer.

“Especially me,” I whisper into her ear after she spins back into my chest.

I shouldn’t, but I let my mouth linger, dragging my lips along her cheek.

We stop swaying, stop moving entirely, while she digests my answer. Admitting how much I want her isn’t a part of our deal, but I can’t lie to her either, not with how unwanted she’s felt her entire life.

“Then why wouldn’t you kiss me?”

“Because your first kiss should mean something. It should be special, and I am not anything special.”

“I think you’re special.” The world moves around us, but we’re in our own bubble, her soft eyes gleaming at me with tenderness that I don’t want.

Because it makes me want it too much.

I don’t always get the chance to stand this close to her, to really see the intricate details of her face that I’ve appreciated from afar many times. The exact curve of her cheek and jaw, her supple lips painted red. There’s something special about seeing your infatuation right in front of your eyes.

“Lochlan Dane?” A voice speaks from behind me, and I want to punch whoever it is for interrupting this moment.

“Ah, yes. I thought that was you,” he says when I turn around. Randall Porter.

“What can I do for you, Mayor?” I ask gruffly as Jo saddles up next to me. I take full advantage of our scheme and pull her closer to my side.

“I was hoping to speak to you again regarding your property. I’ve heard that you’re entering a new stage in your life.” He gestures to Jo, which is odd since the news of our “engagement” is still mostly under wraps.

“I’m not interested in selling my property now or ever. No amount of discussion will change that.”

“Well, I’m sure your new bride will want a say. She is from an affluent family after all, and she’s used to a certain lifestyle.”

“Excuse me–” I’m about to add a colorful name to my sentence when Jo interrupts.

“I’ve never been happier than I am now, with Lochlan and at the sanctuary. Whoever your source is, let them know that bribing us with money is not going to solveanyone’sproblem. Have a good day.” She dismisses him by turning away and walking back toward the table where the guys are sitting without a second glance.

That’s my girl.

Mayor Porter starts to say something else to me, but I silence him with a look, following Jo’s lead through the dense crowd.

We end up piling around our single picnic table listening to the band. A couple of the guys keep taking turns going to the beer stand, and despite Jo’s refusal any time someone offers her a cup, she keeps stealing sips from mine.

I don’t mind.

Fake or not, I’m a selfish bastard, and I want her all to myself. I like it when she brushes against me when she’sstanding too close, and how she smiles at me first when she hears a song that she likes.

She leans into me where I’m standing against the wooden tabletop, lingering to avoid being bumped as someone walks by, and I drink it in. When it happens again, I notice her tense, and it isn’t until I tip her chin to look at me that she relaxes.

“That guy brushed his fingers down my thigh,” she admits.

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