“Just try and stop me.”
Then, he laid the sweetest, most passionate kiss Shelly had ever witnessed on his bride.
Three-and-a-half hours later, the reception was in full swing. There had been photos upon photos and so much food had been eaten that Josh felt like he was going to explode. He’d hardly had one moment to himself all night, and he certainly hadn’t had a chance to talk with Shelly.
Every time he turned around, she was off getting another photo with the bride. Then, when he thought he could finally catch her, Lena’s parents had started talking to her, or someone from their work had pulled her aside. He was starting to think that he wouldn’t get the opportunity he so desperately craved.
Glancing around the reception area, Josh saw Shelly near the makeshift bar. Standing, Josh was about to make his way to her when he saw Rachel sitting at her table by herself, watching everyone dance.
He had seen Mason chat with her and pull her into several dances. Rachel had smiled and moved to the music with ease, but there was something off. Josh headed toward her table, finally deciding to find out what it was.
“Hey there,” he said as he pulled the chair out beside her.
Rachel looked over to him and smiled. “Hey, Josh. Nice night, huh?”
Josh relaxed into his chair. “I’ll say. Have you ever seen a couple so stupid over each other?” he said, hoping to get a laugh from her.
However, instead of the usual burst of joy he would get from Rachel with the colored hair, he got a small grin from the new Rachel with the black hair.
“They seem very happy,” she told him.
Josh leaned toward her, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder. She looked over at him, and Josh couldn’t help but see the raw emotion that was welling in her eyes.
“You don’t,” he whispered.
“I don’t what?”
“You don’t look happy,” he explained quietly. “In fact, every time I see you I feel as though you look sadder.” Josh watched as she straightened her spine and blinked her eyes, trying to hold back the moisture forming there. “What’s going on, Rach? You haven’t been yourself lately.”
She shook her head, smiling sadly at him. “It’s nothing to worry about. I think I’m just a little out of whack. Not having Mom and Dad here today was just hard.”
Josh thought that might have been some of the issue at hand, but for some reason, he felt it went much deeper than that. Obviously, she didn’t want to discuss it right now, so he squeezed her arm and assured her, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”
Rachel nodded but kept her mouth taut with tension. “Man-Eater is looking over here. I’m pretty sure she wants to get her hands on you.”
Josh chuckled, looking over his shoulder.
Shelly was indeed staring across the room at them. Looking at his watch, Josh nodded and told Rachel, “I think I’ve got time for one more dance.”
Rachel smirked then. “Before what? You turn into a pumpkin?”
Josh stood and shook his head. “No. Before I hit the road.”
Rachel tried for a full grin but once again failed. This sad version of her was worrying Josh a lot.
“Drive safely, okay? And, Josh, thank you.”
“Anytime, Rach. You know I’m just a phone call away,” he reaffirmed.
Then, he turned, heading toward a certain blonde.
Shelly watched as Josh made his way across the dance floor to her.
Mason and Lena had left half an hour earlier, and the festivities were starting to wind down. All night, Shelly had wanted to talk to Josh, but there hadn’t been one moment where she could get away. But right now, well, she had nothing to do except watch him walk toward her.
He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that molded to every tight muscle the man possessed. Under that, he had the same crisp white shirt as Mason, and instead of the cobalt blue tie that Mason had worn, Josh’s tie was a light blue to match the bridesmaids’ dresses. The man looked sexy in a suit, and Shelly wanted to take it off of him, piece by piece.
When he finally stopped in front of her, holding out his hand, Shelly slipped hers into it, allowing him to pull her out onto the dance floor. Tugging her in tight, he held her in a waltz-hold as the music switched, and Sinatra started singing “The Way You Look Tonight.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever get to speak to you tonight,” he spoke softly against the side of her head, moving them gently around the floor with the other couples.
Who knew he could dance so well? Shelly thought as she held on and let him lead, loving the feel of his body as it swayed against her own.
“I know. It was crazy how busy it was—all the photos and people and food,” she said.
“Oh god, yes, the food,” Josh said with a false groan.
Shelly chuckled a little, and then looked up to see he was looking right back at her.
“I love this song,” she told him with a smile.
His eyes crinkled at the sides as he stared down at her while moving them in a slow twirl.
When they were back to a basic step, he agreed. “Yes, it’s one of those classics that definitely stood the test of time.”
Shelly felt his heartbeat against her chest, and she was starting to get nervous as he watched her with an expression she hadn’t seen before. It was almost as though he was unsure of his next move.
Well, she could help that along. After all, she didn’t want him to guess what she wanted tonight. She planned to make it crystal clear.
“Will you come home with me tonight?” Shelly asked, and then licked her bottom lip, waiting for the answer she assumed was inevitable.
The one thing, however, that Shelly had not expected was being taught the valuable lesson of one should never assume.
Josh looked down at the beguiling woman in his arms and hated what he had to do next. He had no clue what her reaction was going to be. In fact, he was almost worried that she might tell him to go to hell and never talk to him again, but he had decided last night that this was what he needed to do if he was ever going to be more than a roll in the sheets to her.
“I’m leaving tonight,” he told her as the music stopped.
As they stopped swaying around the floor, he watched as the hurt moved across her eyes, and she pulled back a little, shaking her head.
“I don’t understand,” she stated in an annoyed tone before she turned away.
Josh followed as she moved off the dance floor toward the door leading to the front porch of the venue. When he got outside, he saw her making her way down to one of the seating areas that overlooked Lake Michigan. She must have heard his feet crunching on the gravel because she suddenly turned to him.
“You’re running away!” she accused.
Josh took a step closer to her and was about to reach out, but at the last minute, she turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. A light breeze was teasing around them, and as it blew through her beautiful curls, Josh tried to remind himself that this was for the best.
“No, I’m running forward, Georgia. So, catch up to me, would you?”
She spun around on him with that comment, and this time moved up close to him, pointing a finger.
“You first tell me I’m not ready and that you don’t trust me.” She paused, chest heaving as she bit her bottom lip, and then she shrugged helplessly. “Yet, now, when I try to tell you how I feel you stop me at every turn,” she ended, sounding completely defeated.
Josh made the final step to her, reaching out to grip her shoulders. “Shelly, look at me.”
She tipped up her head, facing him with huge cerulean blue eyes that were filled with angst and tears.
He smiled sadly at her. “I don’t want a girlfriend.” He felt her stiffen and knew what conclusion she was jumping to. “I also don’t want a woman who only decides she cares after a hot round of sex.”