Page 35 of Second Chance for Mr. Alden

I needed to distract myself.

The lights were low, making the gold accents on the walls glitter. This was my first time at this location, and I made a mental note that it would be a lovely place to have a corporate party. I’d call the HR coordinator of my grandmother’s company and let him know I’d host the holiday party here in the winter. My parents didn’t like me involved in the day-to-day operations of the business, but they never turned me down when I decided to pay for a work event for the employees. Someone needed to show them the appreciation they deserved.

A server offered us champagne.

“Thank you,” I said. With a smile and a nod, my fingers grasped the delicate stem, and I brought the glass to my lips. In one long gulp, I finished the expensive liquid. The cool bubbly did nothing to calm my insides.

Why didn’t I grab two glasses?

It had taken everything in me not to run from Alden. My plan to get a rise out of him had backfired. Instead of him being turned on when I admitted who I’d been thinking of, it had only fucked withmyhead. I pretended to walk calmly away, knowing he would have no choice but to follow me.

Now I was trying to calm myself the fuck down.

Nothing was going to happen between us, but dammit, my body wanted him more than my next breath. And my heart... my heart ached with what could have been.

Every time I turned around, he was there. His job was to protect me and because of that he made sure to always be within two feet of me. And not just tonight. For the last four months.

“Do you need to stand so close?” I grumbled.

He leaned close and his warm breath stroked across my ear. “Yes, it’s my job.”

Out of habit, my hand reached up for the familiar, soothing feel of the jasmine charm at my neck. Instead, my fingertips bumped against the large circular necklace that matched my dress. Disappointment skittered through me, and I irrationally wanted to rip the necklace off and throw it across the room. To resist the urge, I clenched my fist and lowered it to my side.

What was wrong with me? This event was important and here I was acting like a teenager with a crush.

“Jessamine, can you give me a smile?” Professional photographers moved about the room, taking pictures of guests who were wearing the Tesoro Mio Couture line.

“Absolutely.” I rested my hand on my hip and flashed him a dazzling smile.

If I didn’t put some distance between Alden and me, there was a very good chance I’d make a fool out of myself by begging him for another chance. I searched the space for the people I typically hung out with at these events and noticed other influencers moving into the next room. I navigated through the crowd and jerked to a stop when a familiar body eased into the room.

Jareth.

“Dance with me,” I pleaded and tugged Alden toward the dance floor, casting a quick glance at the door to ensure Jareth hadn’t followed.

Alden immediately wrapped his broad arms around my waist, engulfing me in his embrace. Was it the surprise of my request or was he was feeling nostalgic from what transpired earlier? He tugged me closer, and his hand settled on my lower back, just above the dip of my ass. I so badly wanted to slide his hand lower.

In his arms I felt safe, like the world and the last few months melted away. This close, his heartbeat thundered in my ear. His muscles shifted and bunched as we swayed together, neither of us bothering to stay in time to the music.

I made sure my hands laid flat against his chest to resist the temptation to ease them up higher, to run them up his neck, and tangle my fingers in his hair. Before, whenever he needed to relax, we would lay on the couch together, and for hours I would drag my fingers through his soft hair, massaging his scalp and releasing the tensions of his day. Things were different now and my fear of rejection was strong, so I resisted the impulse.

I bit down on my lip at the unbidden memory. I focused on the pinch of pain and used it to distract me from acting out on my thoughts. What we had was in the past.

The melody floated around us, keeping us enclosed in our private cocoon. His chin rested on the top of my head, and I wanted to sigh in contentment. Everywhere we touched sparked in awareness, and I remembered how easy it was to be with him.

Then I made the mistake of looking up. With his face this close, I desperately wanted to feel his lips on mine, even though I knew it’s not what he wanted. He’d made that abundantly clear the night we broke up.

His eyes darkened and flicked to my lips. As his arms tightened around me, I was left questioning my last thought.

Panic gripped me and my pulse pounded in my ears.

What am I doing?

The song ended and I jerked from his embrace.

Dancing with him had been a mistake.

A huge mistake.

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