And then her gaze swung over to Stone.
He sat in the third aisle, eyes piercing into hers as though he knew her exact thoughts. Arilyn waited for him to look away. Duck his head. Ignore her raw want with a practiced ease.
Instead, he refused to retreat from her gaze, taking it all in, until she was the one who finally broke the spell.
“I like your friends.”
She refocused her attention. The lively strains of popular music spilled from the huge speakers, and the DJ held the crowd with an expert ease. The ballroom featured a huge fireplace, gorgeous bay windows with views of the mountains, and rich wood floors. The tables were decorated with endless candles in fall colors, miniature dark pink and chocolate roses, and gaily wrapped boxes of truffles.
“They like you, too. Especially the guys.”
He arched a brow. “Why?”
She gave him a good-natured shove. “You called Slade a big crybaby. Guys love that stuff. They think you’re funny.”
“Do you think I’m funny?” he asked.
“I think you’re a smart-ass.”
“Takes one to know one, little one.”
“What were you talking to Kate and Slade about?”
He gave a half shrug. “A buddy back in the Bronx went through a divorce and used Slade as his lawyer. Slade took good care of him. I appreciated it.”
She fiddled with the napkin. “Even Kennedy likes you. She’s the toughest, you know.”
“Funny, I thought you were.” That comment startled her and made her meet his gaze. His face softened, and he reached out to trail a finger down her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“I find it interesting how you all fit together. Kinnections was a brilliant idea.”
“Yeah. Who would’ve thought a drunken evening would actually churn out a successful business?”
His brow lifted. “Drunken evening, huh? Didn’t you tell me it was the result of a rational, long, thought-out discussion between businesswomen?”
She gave a half hiccup. “I lied.”
“I should’ve known.” They gazed at each other for a while, the air electric between them. “There’s something else bothering you, though. You don’t want your friends to like me?” He stared hard, searching for answers. “Ah, I know. Your ex charmed everyone, so now it’s hard for you to introduce someone new into the mix. I’m just the transitional guy. Am I on the right track?”
Pain slammed into her chest. She jerked back, trying not to hiss at the raw well of emotions that tried to suck her down into a black pit. God, it still hurt. The way five years had passed and Jacob had known nothing about her real life. Sure, she told him things, but this was so different. So real. Stone engaged in conversation, shared a meal, and experienced her best friend’s wedding. Jacob never would’ve attended. Oh, he probably would’ve soothed her by trying, then canceled at the last minute as he had done so many times before. She’d never had a real relationship. She’d been mourning something that never really existed.
“Do you not want me here, Arilyn?” he asked directly. “Is it too soon? Are you regretting taking me?”
The glimmer of hurt in his dark eyes helped her make a decision. Swallowing her pride, she took his hands and gave him the truth. “No, just the opposite. I love that you’re here with me. That you met my friends, and they like you, and we can have fun and laugh together. I never had this, Stone. My ex-boyfriend, well, he didn’t want anything to do with my real life.”
Stone frowned. “I don’t get it. You didn’t go out on dates?”
“No. You see, he was my yoga instructor, and he wanted to keep our relationship private. At first, it was fun. Secret affairs usually are. But eventually, when I asked him to meet my girlfriends and take our relationship public, he refused.” Shame heated her cheeks. Why had she never demanded more? She’d been so passive, taking what he could give her and telling herself she was satisfied. Lying was easier than forcing herself to make a hard decision to leave him behind. “He’s never met Kate or Kennedy. Never been to Kinnections. Never had dinner with Poppy. He gave me . . . nothing. And I guess it was my fault, because I told him it was enough.”
“How long did you date him?”
This was the worst, but she couldn’t lie. “Five years.”
She tried to look away, but he tipped up her chin. The heat from his hand and the delicious scent of his musky cologne warmed her. Stone Petty was deadly in a suit, confirming she might never look at him the same way again. With his staggering height, the navy blue fabric molded to each bulky muscle, stretched across his broad chest, hugged his massive shoulders. The red tie gave him a distinguished dash of style that made her knees weaken. His goatee was neatly trimmed, and he’d shaved, so his cheeks were silky smooth. It was a miracle she hadn’t pulled him by the tie across the table and ravished him right there.
She had high hopes for later.
“Don’t apologize for him being an asshole, little one,” he said. “It’s his loss. You have an amazing support system, and I’m honored you asked me to come with you.”
Her heart melted into a gooey puddle; Arilyn wondered if it would ever recover. “Thank you.” She paused. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He laughed, then dropped his head to press a kiss against her lips. “’Cause I’m hoping to get lucky later.”
She smiled against his lips. “What if I told you I was a bona fide guarantee?”
“I’d drag you out of this reception right now. Especially before that disco shit comes on, ’cause it always does. Or even worse, one of those ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ songs like ‘I Will Survive.’ ”
On cue, “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé beat through the speakers. The women roared and began stomping and flailing their arms around, singing loudly to the familiar lyrics. Arilyn giggled at his disgusted expression. “And if I begged you to dance?”
“I’d say no. But I’ll catch you when they put on a slow song. It’ll give me an opp to get my hands all over you.”
The sexy drawl to his gruff voice made shivers dance across her skin. Before she had time to counter, Kennedy, Kate, and Genevieve shrieked and grabbed her.
“Get up now! We’re dancing!”
Stone put his hands up and shrank in his chair. “Take her. Just leave me, please. I’ll keep your men company.”
Kate’s veil assaulted her face, Gen’s fingers tickled her ribs, and Arilyn laughed uncontrollably as she was pushed and pulled onto the crowded dance floor. She caught sight of all the men with an expression that matched Stone’s. Standing by the bar, they motioned her date over and closed in on him with male support, slapping shoulders, ribbing, and doing the classic testosterone dance boys learned when they were young.
Joy skittered through her. It was so very . . . normal. The way having a real boyfriend should be.
Of course, it was mostly about the sex, but she wasn’t about to ruin a perfect night reminding herself that Stone belonged to her temporarily. At least, his temporary was more than she’d ever gotten before.
She was going to enjoy every moment.
STONE STOOD IN THE circle of men and watched the women dance. He tried not to shake his head at the awful moves they attempted in public, but their enthusiasm made up for their lack of true R&B talent.
Kennedy’s man, Nate, held some kind of odd drink in his hand and seemed to be thinking the same thing. He grinned and jerked his head toward them. “Gotta give them credit for trying.”
Stone chuckled. “What are you drinking?”
“Darth Maultini.”
Stone raised his brow. “Cool, I love Star Wars. Arilyn said you used to work for NASA?”
“Yeah. Then when it disassembled, I focused on private space travel.”
“Impressive. I don’t know too many aerospace engineers.”
Nate’s face lit up. “You got the term right.”