The blonde says something to the brunette, who leans her head back and laughs. The sight makes me lick my lips as I think about kissing down her exposed neck. My stomach rumbles and I smile as I decide to have dessert before dinner.
Chapter Four
Sugar
“How do you do that?” Nikki asks through a laugh as we enter the wedding reception together, and I can’t help but laugh with her. She’s right. Somehow, we always time it so we walk in right when it’s time to cut the cake. She swears I have some magical watch that tells me when it’s time for dessert.
“Wow,” I breathe when I look over to where the bride and groom are cutting into the masterpiece. “That looks incredible.”
My mouth is watering and I didn’t have lunch today, so my morning muffin and coffee are long gone.
“They look so in love,” Nikki sighs.
She’s staring sweetly at the couple, but I’m zeroed in on that cake. I want a better look at it, but the bride and groom are still feeding each other and they seem to be enjoying it. Lucky them.
Nikki snags two flutes of champagne from a server as he passes by. He almost trips over his own feet when he sees her and I stifle a laugh as I take a sip.
“People aren’t even dancing yet.” She takes a swig from her champagne as she sways to the light music they have playing overhead. I don’t think the dancing is going to start for a little while because everyone is still mingling. “I’m going to make a round. You snatch us up some seats.”
She’s off before I can protest, but she’s unable to sit still. Nikki believes when she finds the one she’ll know it instantly. She’ll make a couple rounds and check out who’s here before coming back and having cake with me in a little bit. She thinks she’s here for true love, but I know the cake always perks her up when she comes back to the table empty-handed.
I nervously glance around the room and try to find a seat. One of the hard parts about crashing a wedding is seating charts. Sometimes everything is mapped out and people have assigned seats. With others it’s a free-for-all except for the bridal party.
As I walk around I see the colors for this wedding are deep reds with gold accents. Flowers cover every table and I can tell a lot of time and care was taken with all the details. It’s elegant, but there’s a relaxed feel to the party so I’m guessing no seating chart. I glance around to find an empty table to snag for us and I freeze when dark eyes catch mine. My heart gives a strange flutter of excitement as I stare at the man, but after only a second I jerk my gaze away from him. What the hell was that? He’s moving toward me and I turn in the other direction in a panic.
My heart is still fluttering and I’m not sure what it is but I know I’m not prepared to face him. My phone rings inside my small bag and I cringe when I realize I forgot to put it on silent. Thank God someone isn’t giving a toast right this second.
I reach into my purse and pull it out, thankful that it gives me a reason to look busy. I’m certain dark and sexy is following me without having to look back.
“Hello,” I chirp too loudly into the phone, making a blonde woman turn to look at me. I try to walk away from the party as I peek out of the corner of my eye to see the dark-eyed man standing there staring at me. He has his arms folded over his broad chest and is openly watching me. He’s in an all-black suit, and with the way he’s looking at me, I don’t know if he’s in the wedding or if he’s security. Oh God, we’ve been caught!
“Sugar, are you there?” Jack’s voice breaks into my thoughts, reminding me I answered my cell phone. Play it cool. If I look like I belong here, then people will believe I do. I repeat the motto Nikki taught me and focus on the phone call.
“Jack?” How the heck did he get my number and why is he calling me?
The man in the suit takes a step closer to me and our eyes meet again. They aren’t as dark as I thought when he was across the room. From here I can see a honey color that swirls around his irises and it reminds me of caramel—my second-favorite thing after cake.
“Yeah, it’s Jack from work.”
I keep forgetting that I’m on the phone while I’m staring at the man. Where the hell is Nikki? If I’m about to get kicked out, she needs to show up. She can flirt us out of any mess. A strange lick of anger courses through me at the thought of Nikki sliding up next to the stranger. I chalk the irritation up to Jack calling me.