Page 18 of Surprisingly Us

“Of course. You have all the power. And with great power comes great responsibility.” His hazel eyes light with amusement.

“This one goes out to all the single women at this wedding who could easily be charmed by Rhys Spencer tonight,” I say before placing my hand on his shoulder.

With his hand clasped over mine, his other hand drops to my waist. Immediately, I feel the weight of it there. Foreign, yet not uncomfortable. His fingertips press lightly against the silk of my dress to draw me closer. My other hand lifts to his shoulder, again taking in the smooth texture of his designer suit.

I’d been teasing him about his purple suit, hoping to affect him the way he’d annoyed me with an old nickname, but of course, he was too confident to be upset.

“Are you single, Lettie?” Rhys’s voice is low, a husky edge to it as he murmurs in my ear.

“Of course,” I blurt out.

He laughs. “What does that mean?Of course?”

“Yes, I’m currently single.” I don’t bother to mention that has been my permanent status.

“And no date tonight?” he asks.

“No, I’m focused on other things right now.”

I’ve been focused on other things my entire life, but that’s not relevant information to this conversation. Besides, there’s no need to tell Rhys that I’ve got zero dating experience or that there’s a half filled out dating profile sitting on my laptop at home.

Let’s not think about any of that right now or I will break out in a red splotchy rash.

“I see.”

Over Rhys’s shoulder, my eyes meet Hunter’s. He’s dancing with Sophie, holding his fiancée close, but he’s eyeing me and Rhys with concern.

“Your dance career,” Rhys says. “That’s what you’ve been focusing on?”

“Yeah.” I nod, letting him lead us around the floor. “What about you?”

“My dance career never quite took off, so I’ve had to settle for crashing weddings and tricking beautiful women into dancing with me.”

“But, seriously?”

He flashes me a cocky smile, then shrugs. “I had a few business meetings.”

“How long are you staying in the city?” I ask, wondering if he’ll disappear again after tonight.

“I might stick around a while.”

That’s Rhys. Aloof. Keep things vague. Never able to commit.

He’s been like that since the accident. Since his parents died.

I decide now isn’t the time to get into the past. Right now, all I need to do is finish this dance with Rhys, then I’ll be able to get on with my night knowing that he will be keeping his hands to himself.

The lull of the music and the magic of the female singer’s airy voice has the whole dance floor floating. Rhys and I are no exception. We sway, our bodies pressed together, and it’s just easy. I take in a breath, and it feels like the first in this whirlwind of a day.

As the song comes to an end, Rhys spins me out before gently pulling me back to him.

I’m a moment away from asking where he learned to move so easily when I remember.

His mom. She loved to dance and would make Rhys practice with her.

It’s a fond memory, Abigail forcing a moody teenage Rhys to lead her around the patio. He’d pretend he was annoyed, but by the end of their dance, he was grinning ear to ear.

The memory fades as my watch buzzes with a notification and I pull away to silence it. It’s the alarm I set to remind myself to decorate Hannah and James’s suite.

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