Page 61 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

“Why do you call your grandma Ellie?”Tori asked.

“Because she’s one of three grandmas I’ve got in Autre,” he said with a crooked smile.“Growing up, there were four women I considered grandmas.Oh, and there was a great-grandma.It was too confusing to call them all grandma and Ellie isn’t really a ‘granny’ or a ‘nanna’ so she was always just Ellie.”

Tori nodded, loving the feel of just relaxing and letting Josh lead her around the floor.“You don’t think Kennedy wants to take over the business?”

Josh laughed.

“What?”

“Your mind works fast and constantly, doesn’t it?”

Tori grimaced.“Yeah.Sorry.”

“Don’t be.I also love that you went right past the part about me getting women out of their panties.”

Tori shrugged.“Well, it’s pretty obvious that I’m not the first girl to develop a crush on you across a bar.”

Josh’s eyes softened.“You have a crush on me?”

She laughed.“You didn’t know?”

He smiled.“I guess it’s just a…sweet…word.Yes, I’ve had hookups, one-night stands, that kind of stuff.But I’ve never had…this.”

She looked up at him.“This?What is this?”

“I’m not entirely sure.”He leaned in, brushing his lips over hers.“But I really like it.”

She did too.She put her mouth against his ear.“I like dancing with you, but I liked sitting on your lap even more.And I’d like to do it without clothes on.”

He coughed and missed a step in the dance.Tori grinned to herself.

“Are you flirting with me, Ms.Kramer?”he asked.

“I’m not sure.I don’t really do that.Am I?”

“I think you are.”

“And is it working?”

“You can’t tell?”

She shrugged.“You don’t have a tail to wag and you haven’t butted your head against me.That’s how the creatures I spend most of my time with tell me they like me.”

He pressed his palm against her lower back, bringing her against his hot, hard body.“I could say something here about your butt and myhead, but I’m just going to say that there are definitely ways to tell if I like you and I promise, the main one is on full display.”

She laughed.“This might require closer examination.”

“Well, here’s one for instance.”He suddenly stopped—in the middle of the dance floor of course—cupped her face, and kissed her.Because he was, obviously, all about the full displays.

And hekissedher.

Full, deep, tongue, the whole thing.She was on tiptoe, his hands were in her hair, their bodies were plastered against one another, and there could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was real.Thiswas the kiss she’d been going for the other night at Bourbon O.

After a few long, delicious moments, Josh pulled back, looked down at her, gave her a little wink, then fulfilled his promise by bending and lifting her over his shoulder before striding toward the grand staircase in the front of the mansion that was line-of-sight for eighty percent of the people at the party.

8

They’d just gotten to the base of the staircase when Josh heard, “Hey!Hang on!”

---