Nana squeezed Katie's chin hard enough to make her eyes water. "You have a man now. That's what counts. Now I have to excuse myself and go make water."
Katie watched her head toward the restrooms, then wondered if pounding her head against the wall was an option. Sure, it would leave a bruise, but at least that would give people something to talk about that wasn't her weight or her love life.
"I'm sorry," she said miserably. "This is so much worse than I ever imagined."
Jackson moved close and lightly stroked her cheek. "Hey, I signed up for this. Besides, I like her."
"Wait until she pinches your cheek."
He chuckled, then grew serious. "Don't take this wrong, but your family really needs to stop judging you. You have a great job, you're beautiful and sexy. When you're ready, you'll get married. Any man would be lucky to have you. Alex is an idiot for picking Courtney over you."
Katie blinked at him. There were so many wonderful places to start--she couldn't pick just one.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"You're welcome." He put his arm around her and led her toward the party. "We'll circle by Alex and Courtney and the poor guy can get a look at what he's missing."
Nana Marie turned out to be one of the easier relatives to deal with, Jackson thought three hours later as he and Katie moved together during a slow dance. The McCormick family was large, loving and way too focused on their perception of Katie's flaws. If someone wasn't mentioning her weight--again--he or she was exclaiming over the fact that she had a date. As if that was a surprise.
He didn't get it. Granted, he was a guy and maybe not the most insightful male in the room, but what was the big deal? Katie was gorgeous. She had beautiful eyes, great skin, shiny blond hair and those were just the average parts. Right now, holding her as they moved together to the music, he could feel her br**sts nestling against his chest and rested his hand on the curve of her hip. There was nothing wrong with her shape. On the contrary, his body was telling him it was exactly right.
People were strange and families were the worst. At least he was here and could protect her.
A sweet, slightly floral fragrance drifted to him. The appealing scent made him think of dark bedrooms and tangled sheets. Without thinking, he guided her over to a large pillar at the edge of the dance floor. When they were out of view of everyone else, he bent down and kissed her.
Her mouth welcomed his with a soft pressure that made every part of him ache. Her lips parted and he moved his tongue against hers. She tasted of chocolate and wine and temptation. In a matter of seconds, he was hard.
Trying to be a gentleman, he kept some slight distance between them. At least he tried. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. When her belly came in contact with his erection, she made a sound that was part groan, part purr. He felt the vibration all the way down to his groin.
"We can't," she murmured against his mouth, then nipped his lower lip. "It would be a seriously bad idea. Dangerous even."
He dropped his head and kissed his way down her neck. As he licked that sensitive spot below her ear, he felt her shudder.
"Bad idea for who?" he asked.
"Me. Us. It's just a weekend, Jackson. I don't do one-night stands."
He straightened and stared into her beautiful blue eyes. "Why does it have to stop at one night?"
She was flushed and looked thoroughly kissed. Through the thin fabric of her dress, he saw her ni**les were hard. Angling around, so he was between her and anyone who might see them, he touched the tight tips with his fingers. Her breath caught.
Wanting burned in her eyes. "You are every kind of temptation."
He kissed her again, this time sucking gently on her tongue. Need grew, pulsing inside him. There was something about Katie.
He sensed more than heard someone approaching and stepped back. Seconds later, her parents rounded the pillar.
"There you are," her mother said. "Well, this went well. We're at the halfway point. Two evenings down, two to go. I wanted to tell you that you can leave anytime you want. Everyone is turning in. Tully went up an hour ago. Alone, thank goodness, although she was eyeing one of the waiters."
"We're tired, too," Katie said quickly, not meeting his eyes. "We'll come with you."
They rode the elevator together. He and Katie got out on the same floor and walked toward her door.
"Jackson, I--" she began.
"It's okay," he said, kissing her lightly.
"What's okay?"
"This isn't the time or place. There's too much of your family around for one thing. When the weekend is over, I'll call. We'll go out." He smiled. "In a more normal setting."
"You're not mad?"
"Katie, I'm not seventeen. I can wait." He kissed her again. "You're worth that."
He took the key she'd pulled out of her purse and opened her door. After handing it back to her, he pushed her inside. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay. Night."
Katie floated into her room more than walked. This couldn't be happening, she thought, practically dizzy with delight. It wasn't possible that Jackson really was funny and smart and handsome and interested in her. Was it?
All the signs were there. Only, she'd been fooled by signs before. But there was a very big part of her--okay, all--that wanted to believe he really was one of the good guys.
She'd barely stepped out of her heels when someone tapped lightly on her door and spoke her name in a low, muffled tone.
Excitement and worry battled in her stomach. While she liked a good seduction as much as the next girl, she really wasn't sure she was comfortable climbing into bed with Jackson right now.
She pulled open the door, prepared to tell him that when she saw the man waiting for her wasn't her date. He was her ex-fiance.
"Alex?"
"Katie, hi."
Alex took a step into her room, tripping as he crossed the threshold.
"You're drunk."
"Maybe." He stood in front of her, his expression hopeful. Kind of like a puppy. "Maybe we only tell the truth when we're drunk."
Uh-oh. She didn't like the sound of that. "Alex, whatever you have going on, you need to take it up with Courtney. You two are getting married in less than forty-eight hours." She turned him and gave him a push toward the still-open door. "Out you go."
He stood immovable as stone. "Katie, what if it's a mistake? What if I don't love Courtney?"
Alarms went off inside her head. "You're just nervous about getting married." And a jerk for acting like this less than forty-eight hours before the wedding, but that was a conversation for later. "That's all this is."
He reached for her. "Remember how it was with us? How great?"
"No. I don't."
He gave her a lopsided, sloppy smile. "You miss me. You know you do."
Hadn't she just been mature-girl, not two minutes ago with Jackson? Hadn't she done the right thing? And what? This was her reward? On what planet was that fair?"Okay," she said, giving him a smile. "I need to take care of a couple of things." She pointed to the bathroom. "Just stay right there."
"I could take my clothes off."
She held in a shriek, but instead tried to look seductive. "Oh, Alex. Leave that for me."
He plopped down on the bed. "Okay. I will."
She ducked into the bathroom and pulled her cell phone out of her evening bag. Grateful her mother had given her Jackson's number and she'd put it in her phone, she dialed it and waited.
"Katie?"
"Alex is here. He's drunk and thinks he wants to have sex with me."
"There's a lot of that going around."
"Very funny. I need help."
"Be right there."
He was as good as his word, arriving before she'd walked out of the bathroom. Jackson looked at Alex, then shook his head.
"I don't think so," he said. "You had your chance and you walked away. Now, she's mine."
Confusion clouded Alex's eyes. "You're Katie's new boyfriend?"
"That's me."
"Damn."
Alex stood, leaned a little too far to the right, then straightened himself. He managed to make it to the still-open door and paused.
"Sorry, man."
"Don't let it happen again," Jackson said.
Alex waved and carefully closed the door behind him.
"Impressive," she told Jackson. "Thanks for saving me. If he'd tried anything, it would have been a disaster."
"A scandal, at the very least."
He wanted her. She felt it in his gaze, saw it in the set of his body. But being the kind of guy he was, he would respect her refusal and not even make a second attempt. As she'd thought before...nice.
The smart thing would be to let him walk away. They barely knew each other. This was an overly emotional situation and she wasn't thinking straight. Giving in to sex with a stranger was a big mistake. Huge. She would hate herself in the morning.
All very reasonable arguments, Katie thought as she walked over to Jackson and touched his glasses.
"How well do you see without those?" she asked.
"I see great close up."
"Good."
Sometime between their goodbye and his return to her room, he'd taken off his suit jacket and tie. Her work was nearly done for her. It would be a shame to let that effort go to waste.
"You want to take off your glasses?" she asked.
"What will you give me if I do?"
She laughed. "Whatever you want."
Six
Jackson put his glasses on the table by the door and turned to her. Katie saw the deep green of his eyes, the thick lashes, the perfect lines of his face.
"You're really a very--"
She didn't get any further. Instead of letting her speak, he pulled her against him, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply.
There was no easing into position, no slight brush of mouth on mouth. Instead he pressed his lips to hers as if he meant to have her, and nothing was going to stop him.
The power of his mouth, the heat, nearly had her swooning. Even as she parted for him and met him stroke for stroke, she felt a tightness in her chest. As if she couldn't catch her breath.
His hands were everywhere--up and down her back, along her hips, cupping her rear, then squeezing. She arched against him, bringing her midsection in contact with his arousal. He was hard and thick, she thought desperately. Deep inside, she felt a liquid warmth easing through her.
She hung on, as much to feel his strength as to stay standing. Wanting grew to desperation. Hunger burned like fire, licking through her body, making her whimper.
With an ease that was impressive, he found and lowered the zipper on the back of her dress. He broke the kiss long enough to slip the fabric down her arms, before returning his mouth to hers. He slid his hands from her back to her waist, then up to the black bra covering her breasts.
"God, you feel good," he breathed as he cupped the curves in his hands.
His fingers found her tight ni**les and brushed them. Erotic delight wove through her, settling between her legs and making her squirm. He made quick work of her bra, tossed it aside, then bent his head to her breasts.
He took first one nipple, then the other, in his mouth. He didn't just lick and suck--he feasted on her skin, tasting, teasing, arousing. She trembled, her insides melting, that place between her thighs swelling until it ached. He used his tongue, his lips, his teeth until she was incoherent. When he started backing her toward the bed, she couldn't move fast enough.
They reached the mattress. As she stepped out of her sandals, he toed off his shoes. Her dress hit the floor, as did his shirt and socks. She stood in bikini panties, aware that she was fifteen...okay, twenty...pounds over her ideal weight, but instead of feeling self-conscious, she felt lush. Desirable.
Jackson hid nothing. Not the hunger burning in his eyes or the throbbing of his erection. He let his pants drop, then pushed down his briefs and reached for her hand and brought it to him.
"You're driving me to the edge," he whispered before he kissed her.
She touched his smooth hardness, felt the velvety tip and once again shuddered. But when she would have moved faster, steadier, he pushed her hand away and smiled.
"Let's just say my control isn't what it should be."
Because of her? It was the reason that made the most sense and she was going to enjoy believing it. But there wasn't much time to revel. Not with him tugging at her panties, then lowering them.
She stepped out of the scrap of fabric. He eased her onto the bed, then slid in next to her. They came together in a rush of arms and legs and hot, arousing kisses.
He slipped one hand between her legs and groaned as his fingers sank into the swollen, ready flesh. A finger slipped inside her as he used his thumb to circle her center. The combination, done in perfect rhythm, drove her from very interested to panting in about two seconds.
There was something about the way he touched her. As if he knew exactly what she would like. The finger inside her moved more deeply, then curved up toward her belly, finding an internal fun switch that made her open her legs wide and beg for more.
He eased her onto her back. Her eyes were closed as she lost herself in the sensations washing through her. There was too much, she thought desperately. She couldn't come this fast. But she also seemed to have lost control of everything. There was his thumb going around and around, barely grazing her swollen and hungry center. His other finger matched the movement, but from the inside, touching her in a way that made her want to scream. Her skin was hot, her legs shaking. Muscles clenched in anticipation. It was a runaway train of sexual need and she could only hold on.