Page 60 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

His big hand slid down to cup her butt and he said against her temple, “Yeah, but I want everyone to know where I’m spending the night.”

She swallowed.“Won’t they just assume?”

“I want them to be sure.”

He pulled her to the door and swept it open before she could protest further.Okay, fine, but these people didn’t really like her anyway, so she didn’t have to be overly friendly.

She’d forgotten who she was with though.And it only took about one minute back in the ballroom for her to remember.As much as she loved animals and couldn’t walk past one without stopping, Josh loved people.He grinned and said hello to several people standing just inside the doors.He clapped one man on his back as if they were long-lost friends.He tipped his head with his Southern-boy grin to several ladies old enough they could have been his mother.He stuck his hand out to one of the groomsmen with a, “Hey, man,” and gave Courtney, one of the bridesmaids, a big wink when she caught his eye from where she was dancing with another of the groomsmen.

“Do youknowpeople here?”Tori asked, almost not noticing that Josh had stopped on the dance floor and had turned to pull her into his arms.

“Not really.But they all know who I am,” he told her with a conspiratorial smile.

She realized that they were dancing.She narrowed her eyes.“You intended to stop in here to dance.”

“I did.”

“But…bedroom,” she said.Dammit, maybe he really didn’t want to go up.

“You need to be here in the middle of everything, showing everyone that you’re completely comfortable and happy with everything as it is.”

He had a point.To convince Paisley that Tori wasnottrying to ruin her wedding, Tori needed to play the part of a happy bridesmaid.

But…Josh and the bedroom…

“I’ll dance for a while if you promise to eventually throw me over your shoulder like you did earlier today and carry me up to bed,” she said.

Josh tripped over his next step and came to a complete stop, gripping her tightly.

“I can probably handle that,” he said gruffly.

She smiled at him.“Okay, then.”

It maybe wasn’t a sign of maturity and self-confidence, but the idea of having Josh sweep her out of this room, knowing they were headed upstairs, because he justhadto have her, while everyone looked on, was appealing.

And yeah, she was glad her parents weren’t here to see it.She also kind of hoped Andrew’s parents wouldn’t tell them.She was twenty-eight and her parents didn’t get a vote in who she spent her nights with, of course.Still, she wasn’t a scene-causer.Not these kinds of scenes, anyway.There was that one time that she’d thrown a fit about her biology teacher wanting to feed mice to a snake in class.Yes, she’d let the mice loose, but she’d also let the snake loose.And of course the time she’d punched the Nelson boys over those kittens.And she could never forget her dad’s birthday when she was ten, or her grand gesture to Marcus Turner on Valentine’s Day her freshman year.But generally she didn’t stir things up and almost never in any kind of human relationship.

Josh wanted to make her the center of attention?She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.But she let him lead her around the dance floor.In her bright red, sparkly dress.

Hey…he could dance?“You dance,” she said out loud.Stupidly.

His lips quirked.“I do.”

She understood immediately.“Because girls like guys who can dance.”

“Same reason I know how to cook,” he agreed, spinning her before pulling her back against his chest.

“You do?”

“I don’t have to do it often at all.Between Ellie, Cora, and Kennedy, we’re all very well fed, but I can.And do…when the occasion calls for it.”

“You mean when it will help you get a woman out of her panties faster,” Tori said.

He laughed.“Um… yeah.”

“Kennedy cooks?”Tori asked.His sister hadn’t really struck her as domestic in any way, though she’d only been around the other woman for a few short minutes.

“She’s amazing.She learned from Ellie.I think Ellie and Cora are hoping she’ll take over the bar, or at least the kitchen.”

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