Page 11 of Twenty Years Later

"Maybe." I took a drink of my wine. "Just needed a breather."

The closer he walked, the faster my breaths came until he was right in front of me. The music spilled out from the open door, serenading us with a sexy, slow song.

He took my glass out of my hand and put it on a nearby table. "Dance with me?" he asked.

Looking into those sensual eyes, there was no way I could say no. "Sure."

I hesitated, not sure how to even dance with a man anymore. It had been so long. So incredibly long. But Alex held out his hands to me, and I stepped forward into him. As his arms came around me, a million sensations washed through me.

He smelled amazing, his grip strong on my hips the way I liked it, sending sparks through my body. I didn't dare look at him because I just couldn't handle it. So I kept my eyes on his shoulders and leaned into him a little. Our bodies barely touched, but I still felt the heat. The sensational heat. Holy crap.

When he drew me in closer, I thought I might die, and now we were flush together. I almost laughed as I remembered that church phrase for teen dances—leave room for the Holy Spirit.

But the urge to giggle quickly faded as he pulled me in even tighter until I couldn't feel where my body ended and his started. His warmth poured into me, flooding me with a hunger... a hunger I hadn't felt in a very long time. If ever.

That was a terrible thing to think! I closed my eyes against the guilt, confusion whirling through me about what I was feeling.

"Just let go, Jayda," Alex whispered against the top of my head. "Let go."

How had he known?

His hands on my hips guided me with his body as we moved together to the slow beat of the music whirling around us. I looked up at him, and that was my first mistake, because those kissable lips were the first thing I saw, those seductive eyes staring down at me.

I swallowed hard as the unbelievable thought entered my mind that Alex was going to kiss me. And then he did—hesitant at first, his lips barely touching me, like he wasn't sure how I'd react. But God, those lips felt incredible. More than incredible. Sublime.

Stretching myself up as high as I could, my arms tightened against the back of his neck, hoping for more pressure. And he didn't disappoint. His lips pressed into mine, and thank goodness he was holding me so tight because my knees nearly gave out.

"Jayda?" a slurred voice called out. "Are you out here?"

"Feels like high school again." Alex laughed as he gently released me.

Still stunned, I watched as Melanie wound her way through the maze of oversized tropical plants and cushy chairs to where we stood.

"There you are," she said, her eyes glancing between Alex and me, taking in my now flushed face. "Oh, whoops, I'm so sorry if I interrupted anything."

"No. It's fine. Really," I assured her.

"I just—I just was scared you had snuck out like you used to do in high school all the time." She narrowed her eyes at me. "And I didn't want you to leave until I had your number."

"Shewasabout to sneak out I think," Alex said, grinning.

I elbowed him. "Shh."

"Hmm, okay," she said, eyeing Alex as she grabbed her phone.

We exchanged numbers quickly, and after she gave me another hug, she took both of my hands in hers. "Listen, I want to say something to you."

Alex edged away from us, which she immediately spotted.

"No, Alex," she said. "Please stay." Her eyes turned to me again as she took a heavy breath. "Look, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for being such a bitch in high school."

I gulped, shocked by her words.

"You were the best friend I ever had," she continued. "And sometimes... well, sometimes I really treated you like crap."

She looked down, unable to meet my eyes, and all those long-ago feelings of resentment I'd kept in some hidden part of my heart just flitted away. Gone. After so much time.

I squeezed her hands, making her glance up at me. "You know what? That really means a lot to me. Thank you for saying that. That couldn't have been easy."

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