Kylie was just about to tell him that she was both a fulltime mother and a working woman who didn’t have time to be “out and about,” when she felt a sudden quiver in her midsection. She knew without a doubt that Chance was in close range.
She didn’t want to seem too obvious when she scanned the crowded ballroom, but knew from the way her heart began hammering that she didn’t have to look far. He stood on a raised dais, staring directly at her. The person standing by his side was a man and not a woman, which gave her some relief. It was easy to tell the man was one of his brothers, as the resemblance was striking.
What was also obvious was the intensity in Chance’s eyes. She could almost drown in the look she saw there. Male interest. Male appreciation. Male longing. Even a novice like her could recognize the three. He was silently sending her a message, one her body fully understood. Her hormones were on ready, set, go. But she knew there was something else involved here; something she hadn’t counted on happening. It was also something she wasn’t prepared for.
Emotional feelings of the deepest kind.
Now she understood why she’d been having all those vibrant and uncontrollable urges since meeting Chance. And why her body was so aware of him whether he was with her in person or was talking to her on the phone. The thought that he easily ignited her fire had always bothered her because she hadn’t understood the why of it. Whenever he kissed her she got caught up in his special skill of tongue-play, as if his tongue was made for her and hers for him. She hadn’t wanted to get in the same fix she’d been in with Sam; something she now thought of as forbidden obsession.
She was old enough now to know better. She was at that age of maturity where she no longer took things at face value. She didn’t trust easily and had a tendency to expect the worst. But standing here being absorbed in Chance’s heated gaze she knew at that moment that it wasn’t about obsession, nor was it about lust. It was about love.
She had fallen head over heels in love with him.
“And what do you do for a living, Kylie?”
She tore her gaze away from Chance upon hearing Dr. Peterson’s question. “I own a florist shop.”
“Oh? Where?”
“In the newly developed section of town, Hazelwood.”
“That’s a nice area, but if you ever want to move to another location, a friend of mine owns a couple of buildings that he’s leasing downtown and—”
“Good evening, everyone.”
That deep, husky voice made the pounding of Kylie’s heart increase. She glanced up and met Chance’s direct gaze.
“Chance! It’s good to see you,” Lena said, deliberately showing a lot more enthusiasm upon seeing him than she had Dr. Peterson.
“Thanks, Lena, and it’s good seeing you as well.”
He then gazed back at Kylie and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m Chance Steele. And you’re…?”
Kylie wondered what game Chance was playing, but at the moment deciding to go along with him. “Kylie Hagan.”
“Well, Ms. Hagan, it’s nice meeting you. And I’d like to introduce my brother, Morgan.” He then proceeded to introduce Morgan Steele to both her and Lena. It was only then that she noted that he’d given Derek no more than a cursory glance. Kylie immediately felt the tension that surrounded the three men and was bewildered by it.
“Derek,” Chance acknowledged.
“Chance. Morgan. I thought you guys ran in packs. Where’re the other two?”
Chance’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Bas and Donovan are around here somewhere. Why? Are you looking for them?”
“No.” Derek then turned his attention to Kylie. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Hagan, but I’m being beckoned elsewhere.”
“And it was nice meeting you as well, Dr. Peterson.” The man quickly left. Once he was no longer in sight, Kylie turned to Chance to inquire what that had been about, but found her hand enveloped in the warmth of his when the orchestra began playing.
She met his gaze and all thoughts of Derek Peterson were forgotten as she was immediately swept away by the intensity in Chance’s dark eyes and the warmth of the smile that spread across his features. “Would you dance with me?” he asked quietly.
She wondered if he could sense her inner turmoil. Did he know the emotions she was feeling were real and far exceeded the ones she’d assumed she had felt for Sam all those years ago? What she’d felt then was the passion of a young, naive girl. What she was experiencing now was the passion of an adult woman who had discovered love for the first time and knew there was no place for her to run, and no place for her to hide. There was nothing she could do but accept her fate.