Page 59 of Heat Advisory

I wanted it to be true, but for me, the reality was that it didn’t always work out that way.

I knew people made it work—my own sister Anna had a quickie Vegas marriage to her husband—but I still worried. I knew deep down, though, whether I was ready to admit it or not, I was worried because I was already half in love with this man, and if it didn’t work out, I wasn’t sure I would ever recover.

An hour later, after the ceremony and after nearly a million photos were taken, we were in the reception area eating our meal. I was seated at the far end of the long table with the other bridesmaids. Jay was at the other end of the table with the groomsmen. We may not have been seated together, but every time I looked in his direction, his eyes were on me.

Every. Single. Time.

The bride and groom finished their dance, and Morgan moved seamlessly into her father’s arms while her new husband took his mother’s hand, and the four of them shared the dance floor.

I watched them as something in my chest tightened. Last check, my own father was still in prison, this time for a different crime. Not that I’d want him standing beside me on my big day like this, but there was a quiet ache in knowing I’d never have that moment—the simple ceremonial spin across a dance floor with the man who was supposed to show up for you. The man who was supposed to put his children above himself.

I must have drifted deeper into that thought than I realized because I didn’t hear anyone approach. A hand appeared in front of me, palm up, followed by a familiar deep voice at my ear.

“May I have this dance, Cora?”

I wanted to hesitate. To play hard to get. Maybe give him a tease of a “Hmm, let me think about it” sort of line, but my body had other plans.

My hand acted of its own accord, stretching out to take his. I stood from my chair and followed him as he led us to the dance floor.

My heart was hammering like I’d just sprinted a mile in heels.

My high school self had dreamed of a moment like this, dancing with him in a sexy suit, me in a dress I felt beautiful in.

High school me would be doing cartwheels right now.

Current me was having a sudden overwhelming rush of adrenaline. The kind where your stomach fluttered and your brain short-circuited, and you were ninety percent sure you were about to pass out from sheer, stupid, glorious attraction and excitement.

We walked to the dance floor, which was filling with other people as the bride and groom finished dancing with their parents.

Jay pulled me close—not gently or politely—so I was flush up against him. His hand slid to my lower back like he’d been waiting for this exact moment too. I could feel the heat coming off his body and transferring into mine.

“I am the luckiest man in this building,” he murmured, voice low enough that only I could hear, “because I get to dance with the most beautiful woman.”

My brain, which had only just begun to come back online, short-circuited again.

He didn’t wait for me to answer. Instead, he leaned in closer, so close I could feel his breath against my ear. “I never got to take you to prom, so I plan to dance with you all night—both here on the dance floor and back in our room.”

His eyes were dark, hungry, and locked on mine like he was already undressing me in his head.

Me? I was doing the same exact thing, but I wasn’t going to let him see that.

“You seem awfully confident that this is going to happen between us tonight,” I taunted him, even though we both knew it was inevitable. Mostly because I was pretty sure my lady parts would revolt if I denied them this golden opportunity.

His mischievous smile was making silent promises—promises I really wanted to come true. “Cora, a real man knows when the time is right to break down your walls—” he paused as he stared into my eyes “—and when to pin you up against one.”

That was the moment my ovaries exploded.

At least, I was pretty sure that was what that feeling inside me was—like my reproductive system had just popped confetti.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.

My mind was envisioning Jay pinning me up against a wall and having his way with me, and there was nothing else my brain could seem to focus on.

He leaned in so close I felt his lips brush my ear when he growled, “You keep staring at me like that, and we’re not going to make it to the end of this reception before I take you upstairs.”

Okay, I needed to calm down. As much as I wanted Jay to take me upstairs, my duties as maid of honor needed to be upheld.

Thankfully, the song ended and gave me the excuse I needed.