Page 2 of Exposed
Her gaze sharpened. “I didn’t see him give you his number.”
Damn. He had to be fast on his feet with Haven. Kace pulled his most pathetic face. “I hoped you’d give it to me.”
She studied him for a second before brightening. “Sure. I know you’re a good one. You won’t use it to stalk him or anything. Isn’t he gorgeous, though? He’s my brother-in-law’s son. The Drake gene pool is strong as hell. Every one of them ended up with those light blue eyes. Of course, Jamison took after his mom’s dad with that cuddly build.”
“I always thought Joesph looks a lot like you.”
Haven beamed. “That’s sweet since I raised a gorgeous son. You never met his father, though. He’d already passed before you dated Joesph.”
“That was a long time ago. You’re a beautiful woman. I’m sure you have tons of men beating down your door.”
Haven’s smile turned sad. “Some people can’t be replaced. I’ll never let some mediocre man destroy my image of a goodmarriage. I got lucky the first time around. The odds of lightning striking twice are pretty damn slim.”
Somehow, Kace kept nodding and listening while his entire brain screamed. What were the odds lightning would strike twice? He was at the wedding of the man who Kace had been certain was the one for him. Now what? He was doomed to die alone.
Songs changed.
“Oh, do you mind if I steal a dance with my new son-in-law?”
Kace pasted on the same smile he used when dealing with patients. “Sure.” This actually gave him the perfect opportunity to sneak out without being noticed.
“Great. We’ll talk again later.”
Kace kept smiling and nodding. Relief poured through him as he walked away. He didn’t make it far before a strong arm encircled his waist.
“Dr. Brightley.”
He blinked as he found himself pulled into a slow dance. “Lucas. Hey.” Kace was more than a little surprised to see the red-haired eyeful. It had been months. “What an odd place to run into you.”
A bright smile lit his sexy face. His amber eyes sparkled with mischief. “It’s a small world.”
It seemed so. Lucas was the first and last one-night stand Kace had ever had. He didn’t know what to talk about. They hadn’t talked much the last time they saw each other. A smile exploded across Kace’s face. He fought a laugh. “This is uncomfortable.”
“What? You haven’t seen everyone here naked?”
Kace’s shoulders relaxed. “At least two.”
Lucas shook his head. His smile didn’t dim. “I’m relieved to see someone I half-ass know.”
The comment caught him off guard. “Why are you at the wedding reception of someone you don’t know?”
“I know the grooms.” He glanced around. “Actually, I know quite a few people, but they’re all from work.”
Kace nodded. “Have you had dinner? I mean, other than the typical reception food?”
“No. We should definitely remedy that, though.”
“Agreed.”
Maybe he wouldn’t drown tonight after all. He had gone into that one night with Lucas fully understanding it was no morethan sex. They had simply been two people looking for the same thing. He didn’t need Jamison. Kace had options. He would explore them.
Chapter Two
AsmuchasJamisonloved these types of jobs, he had too much time to think. Angie only hired him to help her fall asleep. Then he would place pillows in his place and go. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop thinking about his encounter with Kace.
Angie’s husband had passed away a little over a year ago. She had spent months unable to sleep properly after his death. For fifteen years, she had slept in his arms. While Angie could tell her girlfriends about how hard it was to sleep, there was less than zero chance she would find a man who would cuddle with her without the expectation of sex. She wasn’t ready for that. In fact, she wasn’t sure she would ever be. All of that circled right back to Kace. Fuck that guy. This job mattered. It left him fulfilled. Each time he left Angie with her peacefully sleeping, he felt good about himself. Just because he hadn’t needed ten years of college or whatever, that didn’t make his job any less important. People died of broken hearts too.
Jamison had spent twenty years in the Army, from the age of eighteen. He had been deployed eight times in those years before he retired. He knew all about stress, feeling helpless, and generally living at his breaking point. Jamison didn’t want that any longer. This was a peaceful career. He had been at it for two years and it made him feel good. Sometimes, people wanted to talk. Others just wanted to be held for the sake of human contact. Then there were people like Angie. No matter the client, his life was better now, and he genuinely believed he made other people’s lives better too. Fuck. He couldn’t stop harping on it.
