Just for Now (21 page)

Jenna sighed as the bride and groom kissed, husband and wife
now. They both looked lit from within, and she envied them their obvious belief
in their future happiness. She found herself praying their marriage would work,
that they’d find the kind of partnership she’d always dreamed of. She had to
blink a tear or two away as they walked up the aisle to the swelling music,
followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Finn grinned at his waving kids as
he passed, a pretty bridesmaid on his arm, and Jenna felt a pang of jealousy.
She’d like to have been the woman by his side.

She pushed the errant thought aside. She was going to a
party, and thanks to Sarah, she looked better than she ever had. She was going
to enjoy feeling like an attractive single woman tonight. Maybe even dancing a
bit.

Harry and Sophie weren’t as thrilled, though, when they were
reminded of the program for the evening.

“Why do we need a babysitter?” Harry asked. “Why can’t Jenna
stay with us?”

“Jenna isn’t working now,” John chided. “She’s having her
holiday, and she doesn’t need to be bothered with you tonight. Don’t be a
nuisance, Harry.”

“Don’t you like taking care of us, Jenna?” Harry asked, his
lip quivering. “I thought you liked us. I didn’t mean to be a nuisance.”

The excitement of the day had been too much for him, Jenna
saw. She crouched down as best she could in her heels and gathered him in for a
hug. “Hey, now. Of course I like taking care of you. I love being with you
both, you know that.” She gave Sophie a squeeze as well. “I need some grownup
time, that’s all. I’ll see you both in the morning before I leave, OK?”

“OK,” Harry sniffed, Sophie adding her own sober nod. Jenna
rose to her feet again, and Maureen offered her a grateful smile as she left
with the children to meet the babysitter in the lobby.

“Sorry,” John said, abashed. “I didn’t put that right.”

“He’s a bit overtired,” Jenna told him reassuringly. “They
both are. It’s been a busy weekend. It was a good idea of yours and Maureen’s
to give them this quiet evening.”

  “What’s going to happen when this job’s over, d’you
reckon?” Sarah asked as the two of them made a stop in the ladies’ toilets
before heading to the ballroom for the reception dinner. “Seems like the kids
have got awfully attached to you. Harry in particular. Does that concern you?”

“A little,” Jenna admitted. “They’re both sensitive children.
Sophie doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve like Harry does, but it’s tender
all the same. And on some level, kids know that a nanny isn’t the same as a
mum. That she’s working, and she can leave. Harry and Sophie are lucky, though.
They’ve had Nyree with them since they were small. And Finn doesn’t seem to
have brought women in and out of their lives. Nobody they’ve been attached to,
anyway.”

“Nah,” Sarah agreed. “Don’t think he’s had anyone that
serious, not since Nicole died. But that brings me back to it. What about you?”

“I’ll still see them,” Jenna said, surprised at the question.
“As long as that’s all right with Finn, and I don’t know why it wouldn’t be. I’m
planning on teaching in Auckland in the new year. I hope to be spending some time
with them at the weekends. I guess I’d better discuss it with Finn, though.”

“He doesn’t seem keen on losing you himself,” Sarah said dryly.

Jenna shot her a quick glance and picked up her purse to
leave. “I hope not. I think the job’s been working out well for both of us.”

“Huh,” was Sarah’s only response.

“Auntie Hetty’s pissed already.” Finn’s cousin Stewart, the
groom’s brother and best man, nodded across the ballroom to where an improbably
red-haired woman was shrieking with laughter.

“Hmm?” Finn brought his attention back with a start from
Jenna, sitting several tables away with his sister, mum, and dad. And several
young men from the bride’s side, all of whom seemed fascinated by her. The
reason was plain to see. Sarah had told him she’d taken Jenna shopping for the
wedding, and that she’d found her “quite a nice dress.” He’d have been happier
with his sister’s choice if he’d been able to join them, instead of being marooned
here at the head table. As it was, he was having a hard time keeping his eyes
off her. “Pardon?”

“Auntie Hetty,” Stewart repeated patiently. “And Sean isn’t
much better. Like mum, like son, eh.”

Finn looked with disgust at his cousin Sean, now weaving his
way across the tables towards him, even though dinner was still in progress. “Aw,
geez. Going to have this again.”

“Price of success, cuz,” Stewart grinned.

Sean wobbled to a stop in front of Finn. “Enjoying the
party, mate?” he sneered. “At the best table as usual, I see. Not down the back
with the peasants.”

“Reckon you could’ve been a groomsman yourself,” Finn said
levelly. “If Dan’d been able to count on you not getting cut before the
evening’s even got well underway.”

“Yeh, right,” Sean scoffed. “Like I’d ever be chosen over
the
famous
Finn Douglas. The Golden Boy. The fucking
All Black.”

“Watch your mouth,” Finn said sharply. “You’re at a wedding.
And there’re ladies here.”

“Yeh, noticed there’re ladies here,” Sean retorted. “Even
your bloody nanny’s special, isn’t she? Blow that for a joke. Why the hell
isn’t she upstairs looking after the kids?”

“Jenna’s a guest here tonight,” Finn told him, eyes hard. He
stood up, deliberately looming over his smaller cousin, and took a menacing
step towards him. “And that’s enough. Rack off.” He stared Sean down until the
younger man’s eyes shifted under his own and he turned to leave, still cursing
Finn under his breath.

“Wanker,” Finn muttered, sitting down again but keeping a
careful eye on Sean as he made his way back to his own table.

“He’s always been rough as guts,” Stewart agreed.

“He’s always been a dickhead,” Finn corrected him.

“That too. Worse than ever these days. You don’t have to see
much of him. Lucky you.”

Finn looked over the maid of honor’s head at Jenna, dancing
with yet another of his young cousins. So far, in addition to his current partner,
he’d danced with one bridesmaid, the bride’s mother, and the groom’s mother.
One more bridesmaid to go, he reckoned, and he’d be free. Unless his mother and
sister thought he should ask them. He groaned inwardly. Surely not.

The song ended at last, and he returned Isabel to the table
and turned to Zara, about to sit down again herself. “Would you like to dance?”
he asked, as politely as he could manage.

His cousin laughed. “Normally, I’d say yes. But I’m not too
keen on dancing with someone who’s looking over my shoulder at somebody else
the entire time.”

He gave her a rueful grin. “Has it been that obvious?”

“Well . . . yeh. To me, anyway. You’re off the hook. Go get
her.”

“Thanks.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You’re a
great girl.”

“Yeh, yeh.” She waved him away. “Someday my prince will
come. Bugger off.”

He began to make his way to Jenna, being claimed now by yet
another partner, one he didn’t recognize. Another of Ella’s relatives, he
guessed. Who was clearly looking down her dress. He started towards them,
veered off in another direction as an idea struck him. He made his way around
the dancers to the corner of the big room, where a DJ sat with his laptop in
front of him, monitoring the playlist.

“Mate.” Finn stopped in front of the white-clad table. “Can
I ask a bit of a favor?”

The young man looked up, recognition clear in his face. “Reckon
you can. What can I do?”

“You must have a fair few slow songs in there,” Finn
guessed. “How about playing, say, four of them for me, starting now? The best
you have.”

The DJ nodded. “Four songs, guaranteed to pull. I could do
that.”

“Don’t shock any grannies,” Finn warned. “But . . . far as
you can go, short of that.”

“Done,” the other man promised. “Best of luck, mate.”

That was Step One sorted. As long as he was the one dancing
with Jenna while those songs were playing, instead of that bloke who was
perving at her now. The song ended, but Jenna’s partner showed no sign of
releasing her, and the slow notes of a saxophone were coming over the speakers.
His song. His dance.

He moved up behind the other man, tapped him on the
shoulder. The young man’s protest died on his lips as he turned and looked up
into Finn’s face, set into its best Hard Man glare.

“Time for you to find another partner,” Finn told him. “This
one’s mine.”

“Right. Sorry.” The man released Jenna without saying
goodbye and hastened back to his table.

“Hey!” Jenna protested. “I was dancing with that guy. And he
was nice. What was that all about?”

Finn stepped up, took her in his arms. “What I said. My turn
now.”

She looked at him suspiciously even as she began to move
with him, swaying to the slow, insistent beat. “Did you come over here to tell
me I was doing something wrong? I know I’ve been dancing a lot, but everyone’s
been so great about asking me, and I’m not working now.”

“Yeh. I’ve noticed how they’ve been asking you. Because you
look beautiful.” He couldn’t resist a peek down the front of her dress himself.
He wasn’t surprised that fella had been so mesmerized. It was quite a sight
from above, the swell of her breasts just visible above the neckline, and that
enticing shadow in the middle. A man could put his hand right down that, get
lost there.

“Really? You think that’s why?” She sounded so pleased, he
couldn’t help but smile. “Your sister helped me pick out this dress. Do you
like it?”

“I like it so much,” he assured her. “But it’s not the
dress. It’s you
in
the dress. You’re gorgeous.”

“We’re getting inappropriate again,” she warned him. “Do you
think this is a good idea? Dancing?”

“I’m past caring,” he admitted. “I’m beginning to think it’s
inevitable. Feels like a freight train coming down the track. And like I’m
standing in front of it, just waiting to be hit. Maybe, just for tonight, we
could forget about everything else. About the kids, and all the complications
of it. Pretend we’ve just met.”

“Dangerous,” she cautioned, looking up at him.

“Like I said. That freight train. My name’s Finn Douglas,
and I’ve been watching you all night. Because you’re beautiful.”

Those full pink lips stretched into her generous smile, and
he felt his heart rate kick up a notch. “Jenna McKnight. I’m glad to meet you.
Because you’re quite something yourself.”  

He felt her move a little further into his arms as the music
shifted to a smooth, romantic Michael Bublé song. Her hand felt right in his,
her body warm as he pulled her against him, moved her around the floor. He
sensed the moment when she melted against him, her head coming to rest against
his chest. Felt her snuggle in closer, run her hand over his shoulder.

Norah Jones over the speakers next, her smoky voice crooning
as the two of them danced, barely swaying together now.

“I like this music,” Jenna sighed against him, and Finn
smiled a bit above her head. As the song ended, he let go of her hand, raised
his own to stroke her cheek. He heard the opening strains of
Unchained Melody,
but he wasn’t waiting for the fourth song. He didn’t think he could. But he
couldn’t kiss her here, either. And he needed to kiss her, so badly now.

“Come on,” he urged. “Let’s take a walk.” He took her hand
and moved to the door, then into the wide hallway.

Jenna went with him willingly. This wasn’t a good idea, but
she didn’t care anymore. She hadn’t drunk enough tonight to blame it on the
wine. It was Finn. She’d been thinking about touching him again ever since that
night in the hotel. Thinking about the way he had touched her, how he had kissed
her. She needed him to kiss her like that again.

He was trying doors now, moving faster. “Finn,” she
protested as she stumbled, her heels sinking into the carpet. “Slow down.
Please.”

He looked down at her in surprise. “High heels,” she
explained. “I can’t walk this fast.”

He exhaled in relief. “Thought you were saying something else.”
He tried the next door, felt the handle shift. He looked inside, shot a quick
glance at the hallway behind them and pulled her through the doorway.

“Where are we?” she asked.

He reached for her, the darkness complete around them.
“Storeroom,” he got out. Then his mouth was on hers, his arms around her. She
felt him walking her backwards, up against the door they had come in. His mouth
insistent now, greedy and feverish on hers, his hands pulling her to him. She
felt the length of him hard against her, and a thrill shot all the way through
her body.

One hand continued to hold her to him while the other moved
to a breast. “Aw, Jenna,” he groaned into her mouth. “I’ve wanted to touch you
here all night.”

She felt his mouth on her neck, his lips and teeth moving against
her skin, and shivered with it. Then the shock as his hand slipped inside the neckline
of her dress, cupped her warm flesh, held her there. She moaned as his hand
moved over her, felt the sensation going straight to her center.

His big body pressed her back against the door, and he
shifted the other hand from behind her, lifted the edge of her skirt to grip a
thigh. His hand moving upward then, the size and heat of it. She was kissing him
back hard now, clutching at his shoulders, lost in his hands, his mouth on her.
Then a new sensation, the shock as the hand on her leg found bare skin. And
stopped there.

He broke the kiss, kept his hold on her, his thumb above the
lace top of the stocking, warm against her inner thigh. She could hear his labored
breathing, and her own, in the darkness.

“Jenna.” His voice was strained. “Are you wearing
stockings?”

She felt herself blushing. “Yes.”