Page 12 of Had to Be You

His seductive gaze trapped her in place as he asked, "I was wondering if you’d like to dance?"

"No, I was actuall—"

"She’d love to!" Mrs. D loudly proclaimed as she pushed Laura’s back, causing her to trip and fall into...wait for it... Knox Savage’s arms.

One second, she was making her Great Escape; the next, her hands were splayed on Knox Savage’s muscular chest, and his arms were wrapped around her. The heat of his body combined with the musky masculine scent wrapped around her like a heated blanket in a snowstorm.

She felt safe. She felt protected. She felt cared for.

The Taylor Swift song that had played in her head had been right about one thing. Trouble. That’s exactly what she was in.

4

In all ofhis thirty-eight years, Knox had never had a physical reaction to someone like he was having to the woman he was leading to the dance floor. The moment he laid eyes on her had felt like a punch in the gut. It had knocked the wind out of him, and he was still having a difficult time breathing, much less thinking, speaking, or walking.

For the first time in his life, he felt clumsy and awkward as he guided Laura across the reception. His stomach felt like he was strapped into a rollercoaster ride, and the cart he was seated in was climbing up a steep incline. Each step they took that brought them closer to the dance floor was one more foot he climbed in the air.

When they finally reached the center of the wooden platform, Knox settled his hands on Laura’s hips as she lifted her arms and rested her hands on his shoulders. Just like when she’d fallen into his arms, the moment they touched, the ride he was strapped to descended in a hundred-foot freefall.

As they swayed to the music, the only place they were touching was on their shoulders and waists. There was approximately two inches of air between their bodies, and it was filled with tension. He was sure that the electric currents he felt zipping and zapping between them must be visible to the naked eye.

Knox had never had an issue talking to women or men, for that matter. Or children, senior citizens, dogs, cats, horses, you name it. If it had a pulse, he could charm it. He’d oozed charisma since his birth. His mom teased him that the nurses in the ward had called him a flirt because he’d flashed his dimples and winked at them.

So it stood to reason that he was baffled as to why his tongue suddenly felt too big for his mouth. Or why beads of sweat were forming at the base of his neck. Or why his brain was foggier than a fall morning in San Francisco and he couldn’t think of anything to say.

If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear that he was having some sort of allergic reaction. Like the time Seb ate lobster when he was ten and they had to rush him to the emergency room. His little brother’s throat had closed, his eyes had swollen shut, he’d broken out in hives, and he’d been unable to speak.

Turned out that Seb had a seafood allergy. From that day forward, his younger brother carried an EpiPen everywhere he went. Knox didn’t think they had an EpiPen for being attracted to someone.

He did his best to shake off his uncharacteristic nervousness and forced himself to do what he did best: talk to Laura. He’d always had the gift of gab, and now that he needed it the most, he was not about to let it fail him. Mind over matter had always been the name of his game, and he enlisted the technique now.

"So, how do you know the happy couple?" Knox fully owned that it wasn’t his best opening line, but hell, he was glad he got out more than grunting, "You pretty. I like," which was about all he’d come up with in his current primitive state of mind.

Laura’s lips curled at the corners. "I don’t really know them that well. I’m, um, here with my friend Kennedy. She got stood up."

"Stood up, that totally sucks."

That totally sucks?!Why was he talking like a valley girl?

Laura’s only response was a dip of her chin in a nod.

Knox felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. Like he was looking at himself helplessly as he was crashing and burning. He did his best to right the plane.

"I’m here as a plus one, too. My cousin. Keaton. He’s more like a brother than a cousin, though." Knox heard the words coming out of his mouth but still couldn’t believe how badly he was bombing.

She grinned tightly and then turned her head, looking away from him.

Was she bored? He sure as hell wouldn’t blame her.

Fuck.

What was going on with him? Why had his charm chosen this time to go on vacation? He was sinking fast, and he had no idea how to pull himself out of this.

"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" she asked before he could think of something witty or engaging to say.

"Two. Both brothers. There’s Ford; he’s my older brother, and then I have a younger brother, Sebastian. And then Keaton came and lived with us when we were eight; he’s just a few months younger than me. So, he’s like a brother too."

"Ahh, so you’re the middle child. That makes sense."

---