Page 55 of Rebel Secrets
Now I could barely breathe, and goosebumps covered my arms.Something had changed between us in the last couple of weeks.I wasn’t sure what had happened or why, but my body had decided to throw rationality overboard, while my brain started to whisper ridiculous things.
I looked up at him and found his lips closer than expected.Just for a second, I wondered what he’d do if I kissed him.
Somewhere inside my brain, I realized I wanted to.
Oh my god.That wassonot going to happen.
His eyes narrowed, almost as if he was reading my mind.Or maybe it was just written all over my face.I directed my gaze to a point on his shoulder.
“Thank you.”I cleared my throat.“You look very handsome.”
His head retreated, giving me more room, and I barely heard his huff of laughter.
“Damned by faint praise.”
My gaze shot to his again, and I had the urge to stick my tongue out at him.But the photographer was lurking on the dance floor and that would probably be the shot she took of me.
“You look amazing, and you know it.”
He looked like he was going to smile but didn’t want to give me the satisfaction.
“You should, too.”
Heat drenched me from head to toe.It literally started at my scalp and made its way down my body like a wave.A tsunami.Or the blast from a preheated oven.
He watched me so intensely, I swore I could feel his gaze on my skin.I swallowed hard as we moved around the floor.Time to change the subject.
“The wedding was perfect.”
For a few, long seconds, I wasn’t sure he was going to let me off the hook.I didn’t have a clue what was going on in his head.He’d never been the kind of guy who teased or made fun of anyone.Hell, he barely spoke.To anyone, but least of all to me.And now he said I was beautiful.
My brain was definitely not cut out to handle him like this.Like he was a normal guy.
“It was.I swear my mom decided it was going to be a beautiful day, and Mother Nature got right on that for her.”
I grinned and glanced back up at him.“I can’t imagine anyone telling your mother no.”
“Not when it comes to her kids.”
“She loves you all very much.”
I found Miss Raffi on the floor, dancing in the Colonel’s arms, smiling up at him like they were teenagers in love.And while the Colonel’s smile wasn’t as noticeable, you could tell it was there.He looked at her with so much adoration.I looked at Rowdy and Tressy, Rowdy wearing the same smile as his mother.I saw Rain and Brian on the other side of the dance floor, smiling at each other like they were in their own little world and there was no one else in the room.
It was sweet, but honestly, it made me a little sad.And I hated that.I hated being sad at a wedding.Especially for such good friends who deserved all the happiness in the world.
“What’s wrong?”
Rebel’s quiet question made my smile automatically reappear.When I glanced up at him, he scowled down at me.Hell, even that made me hot.How long was this song anyway?
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Hmm.”
I wonder if he did that deliberately.Made me want to step on his toes with my four-inch heels.And even with the heels, I still wasn’t eye-to-eye with him.
Before I could say anything else, though, the music stopped.But Rebel didn’t release me immediately, like I thought he would.He held on, just a second longer than I expected him to.He looked into my eyes until there was no one else around us and then he blinked and released me, before sticking out his elbow for me to take so we could leave the floor.
Walking back to the table, I smiled at everyone and waved to Granddad, who was sitting at a table with several of the older members of the community.But when Rebel returned me to the table where the bridal party was sitting, I felt like I could finally breathe again.
