Page 76 of Best Man
26
Paulina
Thirty minutes later, Paulina and Sasha finally managed to peel themselves off each other, threw back on their wedding clothes, and headed back to the barn. The crowd had thinned as the clock ticked past three in the morning, but there was still a good-sized group tearing up the dance floor.
Sasha was right—his friends partied hard. And no one suspected a thing when Paulina and Sasha rolled up together, even though Paulina’s hair was a mess and their outfits were a lot more disheveled and wrinkly than the last time they were seen together. Thanks to lots of booze and hours of dancing, everyoneelsewas looking a little rough around the edges, too. Paulina and Sasha blended right in on the dance floor.
Just a few minutes ago, when they were back in her steamy little yurt, it was easy to feel like their time together would never, ever end. It was easy to get swept away in the moment when Sasha held her hand, stared into her eyes and made love to her. Of course, that was a foolish delusion, fueled by the messy emotions that sex too often led to. Those emotions were especially powerful, Paulina had learned, when you let a man finish inside you.
But now, every song they danced to brought her closer to an undeniable fact: at four in the morning, the very last party shuttle would leave the farm, and with it, Sasha would head back to his hotel. Their whirlwind romancehadto end. They always did, or they wouldn’t be a whirlwind romance.
Paulina tried to focus on the positives to cheer herself up. On the bright side? Yeah, people had their suspicions about her and Sasha—and they weren’t exactly stealthy—but they’d gotten away with it. Sasha was the best sex of her life, too. She already knew she’d compare every future lover to Sasha—unfavorably, no doubt, because she couldn’t imagine anyone possibly being a better lover. He scratched every itch she never knew she had. Even if someone else managed a copycat performance? It wouldn’t be the same, because Sasha was the one who opened her eyes. Everyone in the future wouldalwaysfall short.
Wait,she thought.That doesn’t sound good at all. I’m supposed to be focusing on the positives, here!
“You’re so quiet,” Sasha said while they danced.
“So are you.”
“Yes. I have a lot on my mind.”
She sighed. “Same.”
This was how she knew it was ending—words were harder to come by. They might have only known each other for a day, but the process was familiar. Because this was how every breakup always went. Walls were thrown up. Lines of communication severed. Hearts toughened.
An hour of dancing went by in a blink of an eye. With ten minutes until four, the DJ came on the mic. After thanking everyone for coming and sending his best to the bride and groom, who had retired to their marital bedroom hours ago, he slowed the beat.
“Grab someone you love, folks,” he said as Paulina recognized the song; it wasWhen a Man Loves a Woman.“Because this is the last song of the night.”
Paulina hesitantly glanced at Sasha. It would’ve been easy for him to slink away from the slow dance. She wouldn’t have blamed him. The L-word scared a lot of men away, after all, and maybe he didn’t want to risk giving Paulina any ideas about his level of commitment, which was ending in, oh, ten minutes or less.
Yet, when she looked at him, she found he was already waiting for her, his hand extended.
“Last dance?” he asked.
She took his hand and stepped closer, into his warmth, into his scent for the last time. He put his hand around the small of her back. She felt so safe in his arms, following his lead as he moved her about the dance floor. She wished this moment could last forever—and yet she knew, in just a few minutes, she’d be torn away from him forever.
How was this the end? Their storycouldn’tend like this, could it? It didn’t seem right.
On the other hand, how could it continue? It simply couldn’t. She knew that. He was a big time pro athlete. A womanizer. A guy who had flings with famous models. She knew that before she’d even met him! Everyone had warned her—Piper and all her friends, heck, even Sasha’s own sister. The only way she let herself get wrapped into this to begin with was by promising herself she wouldn’t catch feelings. That only led to heartbreak.
And yet, she knew she had. Her heart wouldn’t feel nearly so open and swollen and vulnerable if she hadn’t.
Fool,she thought, reprimanding herself.Damned fool.
Because this was the part of the night where, once the song ended, Sasha was going to let her down easy. He simplyhadto. There was no other option.
Nice meeting you. Thanks for the sex,he might say, if he were a little more crude.Can’t believe you let me come inside you! Wow, that was hot!
If that was how things had to be—fine. She couldn’t bear the dreadful wait for him to rip her heart out of her chest any longer. Just put her out of her misery already.
“So you’re going home tomorrow morning, huh?” she asked, opening the door for Sasha to escape through.
He took a deep breath before her answered. “Yes. Nine o’clock flight to Dallas.” He wore a grimace for her benefit. She knew he wasn’t nearly as broken up about it as he showed.
“Bet you’re looking forward to flying home in your fancy jet, though,” she said, forcing a cheerful note.
“Ugh. I wish.”
