Second Chance at Love (The MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy) (25 page)

Book 2 in the MacKenna Born & Bred Trilogy

He watched them from a distance, noticing the way she leaned
into him as they moved, their bodies swaying to the music in what Seth thought
was much too seductive a dance. What in the hell did Chase think he was doing,
anyway? Seth wondered, becoming increasingly annoyed. He stood there for a
minute longer, a scowl crossing his handsome face, before he turned on his heel
and walked away. He heard the lead singer of the band announce that they were
taking a short break as he crossed the wide expanse of lawn that led away from
the reception area. His mood has darkened considerably.

He thought of Karissa, who looked so beautiful that she took
his breath away. He hadn't spent much time at all with her during the wedding
reception. She'd been mingling all evening, talking to guests and dancing with
one man after another. Now it was his brother's turn at bat, and Seth didn't
like it one bit. Chase can find his own damn woman, he thought, miserably.
Karissa was off limits. And when had his thoughts begun to run along those
lines? The implication that Karissa was his woman came through loud and clear,
even to his own ears. But Karissa wasn't his, so why in the hell should he care
how many guys she danced with and who she chose to flirt shamelessly with?
Because he did, that's why.

He headed toward the garden, with its pretty, colorful
flowers and enormous fountain. It was late September, the final month of summer
in western Montana. It was temperate, a perfect day for an outdoor reception.
The sound of water falling in rivulets down the fountain should have been
calming. So why did he feel like there was a storm brewing inside him? Where
had this jealousy come from? He'd never really been the jealous type. At least,
not until recently. He hated this feeling, this gut-twisting feeling that
churned in the pit of his stomach. He'd been jealous as Karissa had danced with
each and every one of those men tonight. And again when she danced with Chase.
He wanted to wring his brother's neck. Instead, he brooded silently, trying to
think of anything else that would take his mind off of her.

He considered taking Julia Jameson up on her offer of a
night filled with hot, crazy sex. He knew firsthand that she was a sure thing.
He'd had her a few times. The girl had a mouth that could drive a man insane
and a body that was made for sin. As appealing as the thought was, though, Seth
dismissed it. One night stands were a thing of his past. That's not what he was
looking for these days. Sure, the hot, crazy sex part sounded great, but he
wanted to share it with someone who mattered. He wanted to share it with
Karissa. And with this sudden realization came a sinking feeling. What in the
hell am I going to do now? The last thing he wanted, or needed, was to be all
twisted up over a woman, even if she was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed goddess.

Karissa watched him from the entrance to the garden,
wondering what he was thinking. He seemed so angry. Seth was never angry. He
just stood there,  obviously so lost in thought that he didn't realize
she'd been standing there watching him for a full two minutes. She contemplated
retreat, but just for a second. Instead, she moved toward him, and the sudden
movement caught his eye, bringing him out of his stupor. She stopped in front
of him, smiling.

"So, here you are. I was wondering where you'd gone off
to."

"Is that so?" he asked, hating that he was going
to take his foul mood out on her, but not being able to stop himself.
"Somehow I doubt you've had time to give me a second thought. You seem to
be as popular tonight as the queen at Homecoming."

The bite of his words took her by surprise. She tilted her
head and looked up at him quizically. "Is everything alright, Seth?"

He was trying his best to shake it. "Why wouldn't it
be?" he countered.

"I don't know. You just seem...." She took a few
seconds to search for the right word. "Off," she finished.

He chuckled. It was an interesting analysis of his mood. She
had no idea just how accurate she was.

"So, you were looking for me," he said.
"Well, you've found me." He let it hang in the air between them.

Karissa couldn't let go of the feeling that something was
bothering him. "Yes, it seems that I have," she returned, her voice
low and her eyes questioning. "Did you forget that you were supposed to
save me a dance?"

"No, I haven't forgotten. Although, it appears that your
dance card is already full."

She laughed, and the sound of it went straight to his loins.
It was just the right combination of husky and sexy.

"It's never too full for you." She didn't mention
that she couldn't have cared less about dancing with any of those other men;
she just didn't want to decline and appear rude. "So, may I have this
dance, Mr. MacKenna?" she asked, looking up at him with eyes as blue as
sapphires. The pattern in them resembled shattered glass.

His lips turned up into a smile. "Here?" he asked.

She nodded.

"But there's no music. "

"We can make our own," she replied, smiling.

"I suppose we could." Hell, he'd play along.

Still smiling, she walked into his arms. He wrapped one arm
around her small waist and took her hand in his as they began to move to the
non-existent sound of the music.

They moved together in perfect rhythm, as if they were both
in sync with the beat of a music all their own. Seth wrapped his arm more
tightly around her and pulled her in closer to him. She rested her head
comfortably against his broad shoulder.

She felt so good in his arms. He could smell the sweet scent
of her hair, feel the slightly rapid beat of her heart as her body molded
itself to his. Wrapped up in each other, the minutes seemed to pass unnoticed.
The closeness of their bodies generated a comfortable heat that they lost
themselves in completely.

The sudden, piercing shrill of a voice over the microphone
announcing the return of the band for their next set, broke through to their
consciousness. Instinctively, Karissa stepped back.

She didn't know if it was the champagne, or if it was the
closeness to Seth and being folded up in his very strong, very masculine arms,
but her head was starting to get a little fuzzy. It was a good fuzzy, Karissa
decided.

"Do you remember the first time we danced
together?" She watched him from beneath thick, dark lashes.

"How could I forget?" he asked, with a grimace.

"Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty," Karissa said,
smiling up at him. "You hated having to dance in a ballet. You carried on
about it for a week before you finally gave in and basically sucked it
up," she reminded him, playfully. "And the funny thing was, you
weren't half bad."

"Yeah, well, it was a nightmare. No self-respecting guy
should ever be forced to jump and twirl around on stage in tights."

An image of the evil Mrs. Samuels, their high school drama
teacher, popped into his head. He shook his head in disgust.

She laughed, which caused him to smile. He loved the sound
of it. It was all throaty and sexy.

"Was it emasculating for you? Aww...you poor
baby," she teased. "Look on the bright side, at least you looked hot
in those tights. I swear, I'd never heard such whistles and catcalls from an
audience during a ballet performance in my life," she said, giggling.

He eyed her, speculatively. "So you thought I looked
hot, huh?" His lips quirked at the corners. He thought it was adorable
when she actually blushed. "You were a star that night, Rissa. You
captivated the audience with the way you danced. You were beautiful, graceful.
Perfect."

His compliment, and his description of her dance, took her
by surprise. She didn't know why, but it felt good to hear him say it.

"Thanks," she said, tilting her head and smiling.
Then she did something she would most likely regret later, but at that moment
it seemed like a fine idea.

She lifted the front of her gown and stepped onto the ledge
of the fountain, which brought her eye-level with Seth. She bent her knees and
sprung up, spinning in the air as she executed a perfect pirouette. When she
overstepped the ledge and began to lose her balance, Seth was there in a second
to catch her before she fell. He caught her around the waist with both hands
and held her tight. She slid down the length of his body, slowly, until her
feet touched the ground.

The contact was electrifying. Seth felt it like a jolt of
lightning, and released his hold on her as if he'd literally been zapped. He
saw the look of surprise on her face, and thought it could have been due to the
fact that she had nearly fallen and was startled. Or it could have been a
reaction to the powerful surge of electricity that had sparked between them.
Had she felt it, too? She would have to be dead not to have felt it, he
thought.

Karissa was stunned. To say she'd never felt anything like
it before was an understatement. Her gaze swept up to Seth's, and she could see
her own thoughts clearly mirrored in his eyes. His unmistakable response to
their contact thrilled her, and gave her the confidence to be just a little bit
brazen. She'd waited for what seemed like forever for this moment, and she
wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through her fingers....