Page 57 of Third Chances (Men of Manhattan 2)

His hand slid slightly up my thigh, higher and higher. His fingers paused right before they reached where he wanted to be. There was a low groaning noise in his throat and he immediately moved his hand off my thigh. So fast that you would have thought something had shocked him. He picked up his menu and leaned back in his chair without another word.

What? Apparently it was not where he wanted to be. Just where I wanted him to be. I crossed my legs again and gripped the sides of my chair. I couldn't have something more with Rob Hunter. This whole thing was just a power game to him. One that he was clearly winning. He just wanted to see if I wanted him. And I spread my thighs. Who does that after knowing someone for less than 24 hours? I could feel my cheeks turning red. That wasn't me. I wasn't that type of girl. I wanted love. I stared down at my menu. The buzz of conversation was all around me, but I couldn't really hear any of it. And the words on the menu didn't seem cohesive. I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"So, I know you like younger woman," I heard Kristen say from across the table. "Tell me more about that."

My eyes snapped open. Was she seriously going to hit on a man who was about to get married?

I looked over at James, who seemed to be looking everywhere but at Kristen. I could feel how uncomfortable he was. Why couldn't Kristen see that?

"I don't like younger women," he said, more to Mason who was beside him then to Kristen.

"Yeah he does," Mason said with a wink.

Kristen laughed. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Attraction is a natural thing. I don't think anyone should apologize for who they find alluring." She leaned forward, clearly trying to expose more of her breasts which were already barely covered.

James didn't even look at her. Instead he lifted up his menu, like he was studying it. "But an apology may be due when the attraction is not reciprocated," he said slowly.

I pressed my lips together. I almost wanted to laugh. If that didn't shut Kristen up, I didn't know what would.

"I don't know," Kristen continued. "Sometimes people just need a little persuading. Don't you find me alluring, Professor Hunter?"

Oh my God. It was easier to focus on this than my own turmoil. I turned to James. "Tell me about Penny."

James smiled and set down his menu. "She's the love of my life."

I swallowed hard. I wanted someone to feel that way about me. Which is exactly why I should have trusted my gut around Rob. I needed to run away from him and this uneasy feeling in my stomach. I needed to find something real, not fleeting. "How did you know that you loved her? I mean, did you know right away? Did it take awhile?"

James glanced at his brother for a second and then back at me. "I think I knew right away."

"You think?" I smiled.

"I wasn't really in a good place when I met Penny. My divorce wasn't final yet. My whole life was just kind of up in the air. But when I met her, I felt this peace that I had never felt before. She just has this way of making me only see her. Like nothing else in the world matters. She grounded me. I guess you could say she's my balance. I'm better because of her. And she loves me despite all my flaws."

I always thought that you needed to be content with yourself before you found your partner. That's what I was lead to believe. But it was almost the opposite for James. It almost seemed like he found himself in Penny. That thought was even more romantic. "And do you love her despite all her flaws?"

"I love her flaws, I don't just love her in spite of them." He smiled again. "They're part of why I was drawn to her in the first place. She's stubborn and she challenges me. She never cared about who I was. And maybe that makes her naive, but it makes her her. And I love her."

"Such a sap," Matt said. "Alina, you should tell us all about your time in Brazil."

Alina laughed one of her uncomfortable laughs. If there was one thing she hated, it was talking about Brazil. Unless the question was about her future hubby. And then she could go on and on about it. Just like clockwork, Alina said, "It was wonderful. I actually met the guy I'm going to marry in a few weeks there."

"Wow," Matt said. "That's a little shocking. Was he one of the guys in the performance?"

Alina cleared her throat.

"Matt, come get a drink with me," James said and stood up. He seemed to share my thoughts on how inappropriate it was to flirt with someone who was about to get married. And if he couldn't get Kristen to understand, maybe he could get Matt to.

"We just ordered drinks, man."

"Come on, it's my bachelor party."

Matt pointed at him. "Finally ready to have fun? There's the James I know." He stood up and followed James to the bar. Alina couldn't have looked more relieved.

I had no idea why the four of us were hanging out with these four guys. Mason was in a serious relationship and James was getting married soon. I was the only one in my group that was single. This whole night was just a terrible idea. I wanted what Alina and Bryce, James and Penny, and Layla and Ethan all had. God, maybe even Kristen and Tim. I didn't understand their relationship but I could tell they were in love. What the hell was I doing here? Putting my list aside and trying to find love in paradise? What the fuck am I doing? I made that list for a reason.

I was just about to excuse myself to go to the bathroom when I felt something on my thigh. I looked down at the card that had just landed there. Rob was right that some of the cards were x-rated. This one said, "Get fingered."

"You have no idea how badly I want to do that to you. But I made you a promise. I intend to keep it."

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