I placed my hand in his and he shook it. Why had I been secretly hoping he would have brought it up to his mouth and kissed the backside of my hand? He seemed like the type who would do that.
For the love of all things, Kaelynn, this isn’t a fairy-tale movie.
But then he winked, and it was so much better than a kiss on the back of the hand. “So you’re the one helping Morgan start her new adventure?”
I loved that he called it that. It was going to be an adventure. One that would help so many people.
“Yes, that would be me.”
“At least now I know your name.”
Laughing, I nodded. “Same to you.”
“Any good pick-up lines yet?” he asked with a teasing smile.
“No, thank goodness!”
We stared at each other for a few moments before Nash focused on his sister. “So when are we busting out the cake? You know I only came for Danny’s cake-making skills.”
Morgan hit his shoulder. “Yeah, right. Are you going to give a speech?”
I waited for him to tell her no, that there was no way he was going to stand in front of all these people and speak. He surprised me, though, with his answer.
“If you want, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”
Morgan beamed with happiness as my heart melted on the spot. Then she turned to me, a look in her eyes that said she was about to do something I wasn’t going to like.
“How about you dance with poor Kaelynn? No one has asked her yet.”
Nash caught my gaze, his eyebrows turned down in disbelief. “What type of pansy-ass friends do you have, Morgan? I mean, who could resist that shirt she’s wearing?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Just do me this favor, will you?”
When he smiled, my breath stilled. It actually caught in my chest. He wasn’t even smiling at me, for Pete’s sake. It was the way his smile said so many things. That he loved his sister and would do anything to make her happy. That he’d dance with a lonely woman at a birthday party so she didn’t feel left out. Yeah, he looks like a keeper.
I glanced around the private room we were in. It was on the small side, so I couldn’t imagine Nash would really ask me to dance in these tight quarters. The Sedotto itself was huge. The main bar area had a small dance floor set off to the side, and the private room we were in had a stage area that was also being used as a makeshift dance floor and a display for all the food.
When Nash put his hand out for mine, I almost declined. So many things were spinning around in my head. This was my best friend’s brother. He had vowed off all women, especially women like his ex. I might not be exactly like his ex, but I was pretty sure the fact I had more money than I knew what to do with would probably play a huge factor in how extremely opposite I was to her. It was best if I declined and went about my business.
But I didn’t. Oh no. I had to make everything complicated.
Ignoring every warning bell going off in my head, I found myself placing my hand in his. When his hand rested lightly on my lower back, guiding me through the crowd, my entire body heated. I’d never had a man’s touch make me feel this way. For a moment, it threw me off balance and I couldn’t focus. On anything.
It’s just been a long time, Kaelynn. When was the last time a man actually touched you? A beyond good looking, caring, sweet, body-to-die-for man?
As we made our way onto the small dance floor, the fast song changed to a slower song. I paused and waited for Nash to change his mind. He didn’t. He shrugged.
Lord help me.
Had Morgan never showed me a picture of her brother? Maybe she had and I didn’t pay attention.
I glanced up at Nash.
No, if I had seen a picture of this man, I would have most definitely remembered.
“Shall we?”
Nodding, I let him pull me closer as Shania Twain’s “From This Moment On” played.