And the Wedding Date

Chapter 4

Stone was trying everything he could to keep his heart from racing. He'd asked Cassandra to dance, which was possibly a bad idea. For appearances sake, they had to dance, so that wasn't it exactly. It was just that she had no idea how to two step and he really wasn't that great at himself. So they ended up generic slow dancing, which meant that her arms were around his neck, his hands were on either side of her waist and they were way too close. But backing up too far would be suspicious except to possibly talk. And really what could he talk about with her pressed that close to him, the smell of her floral perfume and her fruity shampoo in his nose? It was all he could do to keep his heartbeat steady so that he didn't give himself away to her. He'd been trying to look off in the distance instead of at her, but got to thinking that probably wouldn't look right, so he chanced a glance at her face. She had an odd expression on her face and he tried to decipher it for a few moments before deciding just to ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" She asked. She'd been so distracted by him, they'd never been this close for so long before. And to be fair, they'd only really been this physically close today, both times they'd kissed. Not for the length of a song, actually she was pretty sure this was the second song in a row, she'd lost track. She'd been too busy trying to keep her heart from pounding so loud that he could hear it. And how to answer this?

"You seem . . .I don't know . . .distracted."

She was distracted. Distracted by his hands touching her hips, by the delicious smell of leather from his vest combined with the woodsy smell of his cologne. Distracted by the memories of his lips on hers. But she couldn't tell him that. So she glanced around the room and came up with a suitable reply.

"I just feel like everyone in the room is watching me. It's a little unnerving. Reminds me of when I was Prince Charming. Only Cassandra doesn't like the attention the way he did."

Jacob chuckled a little. "You're new. You're someone these people haven't seen a hundred times at a hundred different events. That's all, they don't mean no harm."

Cassandra nodded and sighed. "Still though."

Jacob smirked. A thought that Ezekiel Jones might have been proud of drifted through his head. And while he wasn't that proud of it, if it meant tasting her lips again . . . .

"Well, if you kiss me, people will automatically look away." He shrugged as if it was a completely casual statement. "I mean it's an option."

She caught herself before she beamed, she didn't want him to think she really liked the suggestion. She instead sighed. "Well we did practice, seems like we shouldn't waste it. And you're right they will stop staring."

"Okay then, you gotta look up at me here, Cassie. Remember we practiced?"

She let out the lightest of giggles, anyone nearby would have thought they were flirting. Carefully tilted her head toward the hand that he had taken off of her waist to rest on her cheek, she let him guide them into the kiss. No noses bumping this time, just the right amount of pressure, completely gentle and sweet.

And secretly, neither of them wanted it to end.

They broke apart and Jacob noticed one of his sisters rolling her eyes while others were pointedly looking away. Well, that worked anyway.

"Want to take a break from this dancin'?"

"Yes, please."

A little while later, they were talking to a few of Jacob's friends. Cassandra had noticed one of them, Tommy, kept glancing at a pretty brunette on the other side of the room. Then he would look back at her and Jacob, his head tilted as if trying to figure something out. When Stone had gone off to get another beer, Cassandra took advantage and walked closer to Tommy.