Page 104 of One and Only

Music swelled in the reception hall, filtering through the doors, and I sank against the wall, head resting against the hard surface.

The doors pushed open.

“I need a smoke, man,” one of the men said. The other one was already pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pants pocket. They didn’t look down the hall to where I stood.

They were the same guys from the church, who’d ogled Greer so shamelessly, and I took a slow deep breath, hoping they’d move outside quickly.

One of them nodded toward the doors, tilting his head so he could see through the small windows that looked into the reception hall. “Red dress incoming,” he murmured. “Fuckin’ A, she’s hot.”

I clenched my jaw.

“She’s with Josie’s ex,” the other one said. “Micah seems to like him.”

The other guy snorted. “Like that matters. I bet if you got a couple of drinks in her, she’d be open to some fun.”

I pushed off the wall, fire in my chest roaring hot and quick when the door pushed open into the hallway. Greer stopped short when she saw them, offering a tight-lipped smile.

“Excuse me,” she said, eyes moving down the hallway until she saw me.

One guy held out his hand. “Don’t be in a rush. We didn’t get to introduce ourselves earlier—”

She interrupted him before he could continue, hand raised. “I’msonot interested. You can save it for someone else.”

He made an affronted noise. I approached behind them, but neither noticed.

“I’m just being friendly,” he said.

“No, you’re not,” I spoke from behind them.

Greer smiled, slipping between them to approach me. “There you are,” she said quietly. “I was looking for you.”

The dickhead stared at her ass, even after his friend nudged him with his elbow. “Dude,” the friend whispered.

“What? She’s just … there. I can’t help it.”

I opened my mouth to … I wasn’t sure what, but Greer settled a soft hand on my chest, then wheeled slowly, a serene smile on her face.

“Pro tip,” she said silkily, “don’t be a giant greasy douchebag, and you’ll have a much higher chance of getting laid in any given situation.”

“Not with you, though,” he said. “Which is a damn shame because you are the hottest woman in that room.”

I started to push past Greer, and she snagged my arm. Her grip was shockingly strong.

“No, sweet child, not with me.” At her tone, I bit back a smile. It was the verbal equivalent of a condescending pat on the head. She curled her hand around my bicep and started walking backward, pulling me with her. “Myhusband, however, is about to get very lucky. I truly hope you don’t stick around, but if you do, you might want to take notes because I have a feeling you need them.”

Greer pulled open the closest door and tugged me inside.

It was an empty conference room, the lights from outside making it glow a dim blue-ish color. She sagged against the door with a wide grin on her face. Her chest heaved on a short burst of laughter, and my hands curled into fists at my side.

My heart banged against my ribs, and something hot kindled low in my stomach.

“What,” I whispered, “was that?”

She had no idea what she did to me. Absolutely none.

Her smile merely spread further, her eyes glowing in the low light of the room. We were so very alone, and I was feeling so very out of control.

“Sorry,” she said. “I can’t help myself when guys act like that. He wouldn’t know what to do with a woman, even if she came with a color-coded map to the clit.”

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