Beautiful Ties (2 page)

The heat in my cheeks flamed at knowing Brooke had caught me eyeing Jason. I slowly shook my head in denial while trying to wrap my mind around what had just happened. “No, it’s nothing like that,” I said with a nervous laugh. “I don’t even know him.”
And I plan to keep it that way,
I added inwardly.

“Well, I think he
wants
to know you,” Brooke countered.

Her husband, John, wrapped both of his arms around her while still holding his beer, and he kissed her cheek affectionately.

“Who wants to know Abbey?” John asked, nuzzling his wife.

He kissed her temple as we continued to wait for the bartender, who was shuffling out drinks as fast as he could.

“Lily’s cousin,” Brooke answered, nodding in Jason’s direction. “Jason Johnson has the hots for Abbey.”

I snorted with a roll of my eyes. “He certainly has the looks of a hot one-nighter,” I muttered while pondering the idea.
God, he is the perfect male.
I imagined him wrapping his muscular arms around me as I ran my hands up the hard planes of his chest. I licked my lips as I glanced at him one more time out of the corner of my eye.

Damon was saying something, and Jason’s responding laughter was rich and deep. His breathtaking smile hit me hard. It was a sight to behold. I slightly tilted my head toward Jason, so my gaze could continue its downward path across the contours of his full broad chest and shoulders. He had to be at least six-two, and his excellent physique made me wonder if he still worked side-by-side with the men in his construction company in Colorado.

And soon, Jason would be moving here to Lake Tahoe to partner with Kyle. I had no idea how to feel about the fact that Jason and I would soon be working together. The only part I knew for sure was that I had to keep things strictly professional.

I snapped myself out of my daydream with a quick shake of my head, only to come face-to-face with Brooke’s amused expression. I had a feeling she was never going to let this go.

“I’m over the ones who want only one night in between the sheets. I want more.” I shrugged.

“Yeah
,
I can see that.” Brooke chuckled.

“Besides, we’ll be working together, and having one night of fun with him would complicate things,” I said, more for myself than Brooke.

“True,” she agreed as she reached for John’s beer. After taking a swallow, she nearly choked on a mouthful. Her eyes bulged as she glanced over my shoulder. “Uh…Abbey,” she muttered while gesturing behind me.

I already knew who it was without seeing him. My pulse spiked as I spun to face Jason, tipping my head up to meet his eyes. His presence seemed to take over the room. He was so much taller than my petite five-five frame.

“Abbey…” Jason drawled in a sexy tone. It was low and deep, just like his laugh.

The sound instantly filled my insides with butterflies and sent a warm shiver pulsing down my spine.

His eyes glinted with a hint of bad-boy quality. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were avoiding me,” he added, revealing a heart-melting smile.

“I am,” slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.
Shit.
“I mean, I’m just trying to have a good time tonight with my family and friends,” I added lightly as an explanation.

God, he is so handsome.

I could not seem to form a complete thought with him standing so close to me. I needed to keep a great deal of distance between him and me. He had trouble written all over him, and I did not want to sign up for voluntary heartbreak.

No, thank you.

“Oh,” Jason said thoughtfully while staring at me with his gorgeous eyes.

I could now see they were the color of a clear blue sky, and they seemed to have the power to pull me in.

“Well, seeing as though we are going to be working together now, how about I buy you a drink?”

I slowly blinked as I focused on what he was saying. The corner of his mouth curved up, creating the slightest dimple. I wanted to lean forward and kiss the soft curve just once. Luckily, the bartender swooped in and saved me, setting my screwdriver on the counter.

“Thank you, but I just ordered one,” I replied kindly while lifting my glass.

“Maybe another time then,” Jason responded casually.

He looked as though he was going to say more, but then Lily came out of nowhere and tugged on my arm. I was relieved for the interruption because I was still so unsure of what to think about Jason and the feelings he seemed to stir in me.

“You’re not getting out of this, missy,” Lily said teasingly in my ear while yanking me toward the dance floor.

“Getting out of what?” I screeched, grasping that I must have missed something important.

“Catching my bouquet, so you can get your happily ever after,” Lily said, meaning every word.

I laughed silently, remembering Lily was forever the romantic type.

“Oh my God! Yes!” Brooke hollered humorously from her seat at the bar. “She’s definitely next on the list to get tied down!”

When I rotated to glare at Brooke, she only laughed harder.

I turned back to Lily. “Ugh…you know that’s totally not my style, Lily.” I pouted at her, hoping she would take pity on me and let me go. I was already missing my drink.

The DJ announced, “Last call for single ladies to make their way to the dance floor.”

Ah crap!

“Then, you’ll just have to step out of your bubble and try something new. You’ve got this, Abbey.” Lily grinned, maneuvering me to the end of the line.

My eyes scanned the row of women. They all had this fierce look in their eyes, ready to tackle anyone who stepped in their way of catching that bouquet. I returned my attention back to Lily to see that her eyes were sincere and friendly.

Double crap!

Her sweet demeanor was too hard to resist. She had the persona to pull anyone in with her kind heart.

“Okay,” I sighed exasperatedly, caving to her charm.

The DJ changed the song to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” I let out a slow grin at the song Lily had chosen. It was the same song Brooke, Lily, and I had danced to at the bar where we had Lily’s bachelorette party. My eyes snapped back to Lily just as the DJ counted to three with quick succession. Lily wasted no time. She cranked her arm forward and then whipped the bouquet back, the force making a few petals fall to the floor. My eyes widened in surprise as the flowers barreled straight for me. I had no choice but to lift my arms and catch it, or it was going to smack me straight in the face.

Bouquet in hand, I glanced up to see Lily looking over her shoulder at me, eyes beaming, as a grin stretched across her face. I lifted my brow at her as she spun around and headed straight for me. She stopped in front of me.

“No fair! You totally did that on purpose!” I shouted good-naturedly at her.

Brooke cheered in the background. Kate, Ryan’s wife, joined in with Brooke. My eyes briefly lingered on Jason, who was smirking at me. His eyes danced with emotions I could not place, but I was pretty sure I recognized one of them as pure challenge. My heart rate spiked into overdrive. I
always
loved a good challenge, and I never backed down from one.

What could he possibly be up to?

I hurriedly refocused my attention back on Lily. She innocently shrugged her shoulders at me. It was then that I detected the wicked gleam in her eyes. It seems my sweet sister-in-law had a dirty side. I was quite impressed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lily winked at me, feigning innocence.

Kyle pulled her into his arms and whisked her away to remove the garter. All the guests gathered around the couple as Kyle helped Lily to the chair in the center of the wooden dance floor. He gave her an impish smile before slowly sneaking his head under her dress. Embarrassed, Lily’s face turned bright pink, and she covered her eyes with her hands as she shook her head. Cheers resonated through the backyard.

Suddenly, I felt a warm breath right next to my ear, and I inhaled a familiar husky cologne, the same scent I had smelled for the first time only hours ago.

“If I catch that garter, Abbey, I get to dance with you for a whole three minutes, and you won’t be able to run off,” Jason whispered seductively in my ear.

I kept my gaze on the couple in front of me. There was no way I could fall for his sweet charms since we would be working together soon. However, I couldn’t resist a good challenge. I was competitive in every sense of the word, and I also couldn’t ignore the effect he had on me.

I tilted my head to look up into his eyes, ignoring the way they made me feel inside. “Then, I hope you miss,” I replied, stifling my smile.

He let out a throaty laugh, causing delicious goose bumps to break out across my skin.

“Oh, Abbey, one thing about me you’ll learn quickly is that I never back down from a challenge,
and
I never miss a good catch,” he responded confidently.

Before I could figure out what he’d meant or voice my retort, the crowd roared with clapping and laughter. I brought my attention back to Kyle, who was holding a small football in his hand. My jaw dropped. Surely, he had not pulled that out of Lily’s dress, but the look in his eyes told me differently. I had to chuckle at Lily’s creativeness. Kyle ducked his head again and went back under Lily’s dress for round two.

As I wondered if a garter was even under there, Jason bent forward and spoke lowly in my ear, “A football?” He grinned. “The odds are
definitely
in my favor now.”

I bit my lip, praying an all-star college quarterback wasn’t behind me. Out of all the single men here tonight, I had to have a good chance that someone else, anyone else besides Jason, could catch that damn football. I was not sure if I could survive having his hands on me for three minutes without wanting to taste his lips.

Kyle reappeared from under Lily’s fluffy white dress, and he sat back on his haunches with a lacy garter between his teeth. Kyle’s eyes beamed brightly as he let the white material fall from his mouth only to gracefully catch it with his free hand. He leaned forward to place a smacking kiss on his bride’s mouth. Then, he rose to his feet and snapped the garter in place around the football.

“Who wants this bad boy?” Kyle grinned, raising the football in his hand.

I shook my head in pure awe as every single man practically ran to the dance floor.

“Game time,” Jason whispered before strolling over to join the other men. He stood right in the center of the dance floor, and then he tilted his head at me, releasing one wicked grin, before redirecting his gaze back at Kyle.

Brooke came to stand at my side. “Holy crap,” she breathed in wonder, shaking her head. “Have you ever seen so many men jump in line to catch a garter?”

I laughed. “Nope. But I’m pretty sure they just want that football.”

“That sounds about right.” Brooke chortled.

The DJ counted to three. All the single men seemed to brace themselves in anticipation, and I surprisingly found myself doing the same. Kyle faced away from the men. He raised the football and whipped it backward. I held my breath as it went flying. Jason was the only one I was watching. He moved with lightning speed and jumped up as he lifted his hands in the air.

And he caught the ball.

My mouth dropped open in shock.
What are the odds?

“Well, hot damn! Looks like he
is
quite the catch!” Brooke joked. “And he’s extremely determined to dance with you, Abbey,” she added teasingly, nudging my shoulder.

Still speechless, I continued to gawk at Jason. His eyes found mine just then. They were shining with a mixture of triumph and mischief. The look made my heart pound frantically in my chest, and my insides warmed, weakening my knees. If he could melt me into a puddle with just one look, I had no idea how I was going endure the feel of his strong hands wrapped around me for an entire song.

Lily appeared at my opposite side, squealing with delight. “Holy shit! Jason caught it!” she cried.

I turned my wide eyes to her.

“Don’t give me that look! I’ve seen the way you two have been eyeing each other all night,” she purred, pointing her finger at me.

Before I could voice my weak protest, Lily’s twinkling eyes turned back to the dance floor. The DJ announced that the two winners would dance to “19 You + Me” by Dan and Shay,
and Lily squealed with excitement. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jason approaching us.

Lily spoke first, “Did you come to steal my new sister-in-law away from me?”

My gaze shifted to Jason.

“I did,” Jason replied throatily with a mischievous grin. Meeting my stare, he outstretched his hand to me, sending my nerves into a frenzy all over again. “Abbey, I believe you owe me this dance.”

Lily’s eyes bounced between the two of us. As I hesitantly lifted my hand, Lily took a backward step, stretching her arm out behind my back, and she pushed me forward into Jason’s arms. A smile tugged at his lips as he placed one hand at my waist, steadying me. He lowered his eyes to my hand as he reached forward to enclose his much larger hand over my slight one. His touch was warm and strong and confident.

Jason was silent as if absorbing the feel of me, of our first contact since the ceremony earlier today.

Our attraction was palpable and undeniable, like a fierce electrical current brewing among us. I had only known this man for a few mere hours, yet I was already worried about my heart surviving the intensity of his touch for the next three minutes.

Jason slightly lowered his head toward mine. The movement was slow and graceful. His expression was thoughtful as if he, too, was processing what was happening between us. He finally broke the silence. “Ready?” he asked gently.

I was unable to say anything, afraid my voice would squeak, so I answered with a nod.

This day sure had taken so many intriguing yet unexpected turns. My mind was reeling, and I had butterflies in my stomach. In that instant, I decided to hand over the cards to fate, opening myself to whatever it might bring, as I embraced this moment.