Page 78 of On the Rocks

“Which you’re all invited to,” Dominic added. “Obviously.”

A murmur of excitement swept through the room. When I glanced around, I realized that they were seating guests for dinner.

“Guess we should head in,” Paul said. He threw his arm around Dominic’s shoulders. “Let’s get some food into you.”

Probably a good idea. I took Cora’s hand and guided her into the dining room. We sat at our assigned table with Chloe, Nana Dee, and the guys, enjoying a fabulous dinner. After that came the speeches. Once we’d all stood in front of the room and roasted Vincent a little, dinner was cleared away, lights swirled on the dance floor, and the DJ started up the music. After Vincent and Piper had had their moment, I met Cora’s eyes and inclined my head to the floor, raising my eyebrow in question.

Cora grinned, taking my outstretched hand. I twirled her onto the dance floor, basking in the sound of her laughter as she settled into my arms. I tightened my hold, pulling her close enough to me to feel her warm breath tickle my neck. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes,” she said, laying her head against my shoulder.

“Good. I’m glad.”

Paul and Chloe joined us on the floor a moment later. I was pleased to see that Dominic had sobered up enough with the meal to ask Nana Dee to dance. As the floor filled up, I guided us past the DJ, giving him a discreet nod. The music switched overseamlessly to “You and Me” by Lifehouse, the same song Cora and I had danced to on the football field.

She gasped, looking up at me. “Hold on…You arranged this?”

I nodded.

“When?”

“I might have had a little chat with the DJ before dinner.” A chat and a little bribe tended to go a long way. “I really enjoyed our dance on the football field, but I thought you’d like to have the full dance floor experience.”

Cora pressed up on her toes and kissed me. It was anything but chaste—long and lingering and searing—and it definitely had no business being on the dance floor in front of hundreds of wedding guests. But I could tell she didn’t care who was looking. Frankly, neither did I.

“How long did you intend to stay tonight?” Cora asked, her voice low, sultry.

“Why?” I smirked. “Do you have other plans in mind?”

Cora’s arms tightened around my waist. “Yes. Very naked plans.”

I liked the sound of that, and the way she looked at me—hungry for much more than wedding cake—had me tugging her off the dance floor without giving a damn about making excuses.

“When do you think you’ll be back?” I asked Cora as she darted around my bedroom, getting dressed. It was the morning after the wedding, and my head was fuzzy from all the drinks lastnight, but Cora was unfazed. All those long nights she spent bartending must have given her hangover immunity. I slumped back against my pillow because watching her was making me dizzy.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “The show’s a few hours, and then Jennifer’s got this new restaurant she wants to try. Says the menu looks interesting, and she’s hardly ever excited about food lately. So I really want to make an effort.”

I would have much preferred for Cora to come back to bed, but she’d made plans to catch the Saturday matinee of a Broadway show she didn’t want to break. I was certain I could have gotten her tickets for another day, but Cora was excited, and I planned to lounge around in a heap for most of the day anyway.

Cora leaned over and pecked me on the lips. “I’ll see you later?”

“Text me and let me know your plans. Maybe I can meet you somewhere.” If I could manage to drag myself out of bed.

“Sounds good.”

I rolled over as I heard the front door close, intending to go back to sleep for another hour, but my phone started buzzing. I groaned, wondering if Cora had forgotten something, but when I glanced at the caller ID, the number was unfamiliar.

I answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Boss,” a voice said. It took me a second, but then recognition kicked in. It was Carlos. The doorman from Cora’s building.

“Carlos.” I sat up, instantly on high alert. “What’s up?”

“You said you wanted to know if Levi showed up or sent any more unwanted gifts. Well, he’s here right now with a giant teddy bear and banner that says, ‘Let’s Start Over.’”

“You’re kidding me.” I massaged the hangover ache from my eyes.

“Wish I was, Boss. It’s the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

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