Page 46 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

“Why not? It’ll be like a reunion.”

“Yeah.” She met his gaze head on. “Exactly why I don’t want to go.”

He drummed his fingers on his knee, staring out into space. “Okay. Well, what if we skip that shindig at the school, but go to Al’s. I’m sure everyone will be there.”

Al’s was an Italian restaurant with two floors, the bottom acting more like a recreation area with a bar and tables scattered around. The place was packed every weekend. It was the hangout for Redeemer kids. If they weren’t sharing a basket of breadsticks, then they were downstairs, playing foosball or darts. Al’s two children had gone to Redeemer, a while before Laney and Ethan graduated, and he often turned a blind eye to kids stealing a sip of beer from their parents when they ordered a pitcher. Or even grabbing a pitcher by themselves.

“I don’t know,” Laney said, pulling his attention back to her pursed lips.

He stood but stayed crouched down so they were nose to nose. “It’ll be fun.”

“I very much doubt that.”

“Wecan have fun.”

She scrunched up her nose.

“Delaney Hargrove doesn’t hide.”

She leaned back on her hands, brows arched. “Don’t be a jerk. I haven’t been hiding. I’ve been working. For you.”

“And you’ve been running everything like a boss.” He stood and skimmed his fingertip across her cheek. “Don’t back down now.”

She turned her face away from him, evidently really mad at him.

“I’m sorry.” When she didn’t acknowledge his apology, he stepped over into her view. “Lane, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. That’s clearly—” he gestured to the bed, where he’d brought her to orgasm a few minutes ago “—not what I wanted to do.”

Her shoulders slumped, and he bent over her again, forcing her to meet his eyes once more. “I know you said you lost your confidence, but those people are the last ones you should be afraid of. Come on, Laney.” He curved his palms around her cheeks and gave her one chaste kiss. “Say yes.” Then another one. “Yes.”

“Fine,” she mumbled against his mouth. “You owe me for this.”

“I owe you for a lot of things.” He stood up and backed away to the door. “I can’t wait to see what you ordered from the party.”

That earned him the hint of a smile. But with her hair askew and the shadow of red along her throat and chin from his scruff, he didn’t believe she was even really angry with him. Then again, maybe he’d have to work his way back into her good graces, and he looked forward to it. “Night, Lane.”

She lifted her hand. “Night, Ethan.”

14

Laney had kept in touch with who she wanted to from high school, which was to say, not very many people. There were, of course, her brother and his friends, plus a couple of girls from her sports teams, but other than that, she didn’t care to talk to anyone. Heavy was the head that wore the homecoming queen crown, and most of the people who were her “friends” back then didn’t sincerely care about her. The girls wanted to be around her for attention from guys, and the guys wanted to be around her because they were always trying to get in her pants.

Since sixth grade, when her father ran his stupid campaign with her face on poster boards and city buses, she’d earned a little local celebrity in school. That same year, she’d also sprouted huge boobs, and high school boys had been suddenly staring at her. Even grown men.

That was why she’d learned to be the center of attention, at a distance. To smile and wave like some pageant contestant, give of herself without giving everything. She locked up her true self for the people she loved. So, she really wasn’t looking forward to going to Al’s tonight, but she’d promised Ethan she’d go.

Although, really, after that orgasm, she didn’t think it was fair. Underneath him and his eyes that burned gold with craving and his steady hands and mouth torturing her, he could have asked her for a kidney, and she would have said yes.

Dean agreed to go with Laney, and by the time they got to Al’s, people spilled out onto the small porch on the side and every table was taken, bodies jammed in next to one another. Clutching Laney’s arm, Dean led her through the crowd, down to the basement, where lots of familiar faces roamed.

“You want something to drink?” Dean asked her, over the noise of the crowd.

“Yeah, grab me a red wine. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.”

He nodded and squeezed his way to the bar, leaving her in the middle of the floor with a group of guys not too far away. They were a bunch of football and basketball players, some of them more familiar than others. When JT Monaghan spotted her, he walked away from the group and opened his arms for a hug. “Holy shit! Delaney Hargrove!”

She wrapped her arms around him, and he bear-hugged her.

“It’s been forever,” he said with a laugh and turned over his shoulder, pointing at the group of men with his beer. “Hey, yo, it’s Laney!”

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