Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)(11)
Author: Diane Alberts

“What can I say? You make me poetic.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Sure I do.”

“Want proof?”

“You gonna write me a poem now?”

“Nope. I’m going to sing you a song.”

Her eyes widened. “No, you’re not.” When he opened his mouth, she covered it again. “Don’t you dare.”

He pulled free and belted out a few lines of the Taylor Swift song. She punched his arm and looked over her shoulder, making sure no one noticed. Everyone nearby looked over, in various shades of interest, trying to figure out who was singing Taylor Swift.

“Stop it,” she whispered.

He ignored her, and she buried her face in her hands. But when he held a note so long that even the bartender stared…she couldn’t help it. She burst into laughter and waved her hand frantically. “Oh my God, you win. Please. Stop singing to me.”

He cut off instantly. “Are you sure? I could keep going. I know the whole album by heart thanks to a teen I once took care of in Europe.”

She dropped her forehead into her palm. “Please no.”

“Fine. Want me to stop?” He shifted his weight and leaned on his knee. “Tell me about your list.”

He was awfully interested in her little sex list. She grinned and shook her head. “Nope. Not happening.”

“Fine…for now.” His lips twitched and he tugged on her hair again. “I heard a rumor you girls all picked groomsmen to seduce.”

She studied her drink, not sure where he was going with this line of questioning. “Who told you that?”

“Kady, of course.”

“She never could keep a secret,” Christine muttered.

He pressed a hand against her lower back and moved closer. Her stomach tightened at the innocent touch. Tiny little electrical sparks seemed to shoot from her scalp straight down to her belly, setting her on fire. Damn Taylor Swift and her songs. “Did you pick one?”

She didn’t even attempt to pretend not to understand his question. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His gaze darkened. “Did you? Tell me, or I’ll force it out of you with another kiss, or even worse? A song.”

God, yes. She’d love another kiss. Wait. No, she wouldn’t. He was garbling all her thoughts with those eyes of his, and those soft touches he kept torturing her with. Swallowing hard, she shook her head slightly. “No.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, his voice low and deadly sounding. “No, you didn’t pick one? Or no, you don’t want a kiss or a song?”

“Both,” she said, her throat parched.

“Why not?” He curled her hair around his finger, urging her closer. She didn’t move, even though the pressure hurt a tiny bit. He could tug on her all he wanted. She wasn’t getting any closer. Not until she knew she could handle the close proximity, thank you very much. Which would be…never. “Do you have a man waiting back home?”

Not for over a year, much to her friends’ dismay. They were always pushing her to take more chances romantically. To be more like she was in her job in her personal life…but it just didn’t work that way. It wasn’t as if she could just push a button and fix herself with a flick of her thumb. Hence the sex list. “Why do you care?”

“Because I don’t like the idea of you having another guy in your life. Not after what happened between us last night. Also, if you have a man, I couldn’t do all the things to you I plan to do tonight, either.” He tugged harder on her hair, and she bit down on her lip, still refusing to budge. “Why are you fighting me so damn much?”

She gave him what she hoped was a challenging look. “Why are you pulling me closer?”

“Because I don’t want to fight this anymore.” His mouth curved upward into a small smile. She couldn’t help but watch, fascinated by how damn kissable his lips were. “I want to be friends, and more importantly? I want you in every possible way. I’m not talking about one time. I have a feeling once wouldn’t be enough for us.”

Heat rushed through her, centering on the wetness between her legs. Really? Was that all it took for her to get turned on by him? Him telling her he wanted her? Pathetic.

Well, too bad he couldn’t have her. How cocky of him to think he could, after a single kiss in a hotel foyer. She wasn’t that easy to get. She needed to remember this moment the next time he turned those bright-green eyes her way, instead of turning into a puddle of need. Leaning close, she bit down on her lip, watching as he stared at her mouth. “You want me more than once? Really?”

“Yes.” He shifted closer, his grip on her hair getting tighter. He thought he had her ensnared. She could see in his eyes. “I can’t stop thinking about you. I even dreamed about you last night. About how f**king amazing you tasted. How alive you were in my arms. Hell, I even dreamed about the way you cried out my name in Mexico when you came all those years ago. About how tight you felt around me… That’s something I could never get out of my head, no matter how hard I’ve tried.”

She swallowed down the moan that tried to escape and chugged the last of her martini just in time for the bartender to bring the new one Tyler had ordered for her. She slipped her hand into his pocket, took her phone back, and then hopped off the stool. “Well, keep dreaming, because that’s the only time you’ll get to touch me, or hear me cry out in pleasure, again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to work on my list.”

New martini in hand, she walked off with her head held high. If her entire body was screaming for her to turn around and straddle him, right here in the freaking bar, well, it could piss off.

She wasn’t giving in.

Chapter Six

Damn it all to hell, that woman was stubborn. He could f**king see the desire in her eyes and yet she pushed him away again. Refused to give in to the white-hot passion burning between them.

Tyler downed his drink and handed the empty glass back to the bartender. “I’ll have another, please.”

For a second there, he’d thought he had her. But she’d rallied and held him off, her adorable nose pointed up in the air the whole time. When he’d thought that she had a man back home, an inexplicable rage had filled him. Jealousy, too. Lots of ugly green Hulk jealousy.

After all this time, he still ached to have her. Any other woman in his life had trouble holding his attention for longer than an hour, yet with Christine…being back in her company made him feel as if he’d never stopped thinking about her. Never stopped wanting her.