“This wasn’t the first time I tried to propose to Faith,” he said. “Clearly I didn’t try very hard. Hot-air balloons aren’t great for proposals. But then, I thought New Year’s Eve was a good idea.” He shrugged. Took a drink.
Jenna’s throat tightened as she stared at the small diamond ring on her left hand. She and Payton were nothing like Rick and Faith. Well, they were convenient, she supposed. He didn’t live in California or work the night shift. But they had talked about their relationship. Each step had been carefully thought out. She’d been the one to decide that they wouldn’t live together until they were married, but Payton had supported her fully. She loved him. He’d been exactly the kind of man she’d always wanted.
Though right now she had no idea what she wanted.
“That first kiss,” Rick said, his smile so nice, she let go of the breath she’d been holding. “I mean us. That was unexpected.”
“It was,” she agreed. “Completely. To be honest, you literally took my breath away.”
He was back to looking pensive. It was a damn good look on him. She imagined half the women in the room were undressing him in their thoughts.
But she worried she’d said the wrong thing. “Do you suppose payback somehow makes kissing more thrilling?”
“Thrilling, huh?” He didn’t actually puff up like a sage grouse in heat, but his faint smile did look awfully smug. “Probably. Yeah. You think if I kissed you right now, it would be payback again?”
She finished her White Russian, feeling that buzz she’d been chasing. “Yeah. I think payback’s going to be a big part of everything for a while.”
“I’ve got no problem with that.”
Jenna laughed, grateful she’d already swallowed. “You know what? I don’t, either.”
“Then we better get some food.”
“I’m sorry, what? You’re hungry? Now?”
“Not especially,” he said. “But you just polished off a lot of booze. Have you had anything else to eat besides chocolate?”
How did he know about that? Had he been watching her earlier? God, she hoped not. She picked up her drink, remembering too late that she’d finished it. “You’re probably right about eating,” she said, gently putting the empty glass down. “Because I’m a little drunk.”
He helped her up and they went to scope out their second buffet of the night. It was a very good buffet, especially when they zeroed in on the amazingly fresh crab and lobster. Just as Jenna was heading around the table to the oysters, an inebriated man in a beautiful suit stopped right in front of her, although he was looking over her shoulder.
“Rick? Is that you?”
“Hey, Paul. How you doing?”
Obviously, Rick wasn’t especially happy to see Paul. The man was nice-looking, if you were into three-piece suits with just a hint of pocket square showing.
“Great,” Paul said, his voice oily with booze and self-pity. “Just great. My wife left me last week. I thought it would be a good idea to come here instead of sitting home alone. Stupid. All I can think about is her and Dennis.”
“I’m sorry to hear it, Paul.” Rick slipped his arm around her so smoothly, she would have bet money that Paul hadn’t even noticed. “Maybe this is just a separation—”
“Maybe nothing. She wants out. All she cares about now is my money and her dermatologist.”
“Man, that sucks.” Rick put a hand on Paul’s shoulder. Steadied him a bit, and took him a few steps away from the food. “You have a place to stay tonight?”
“Got a room. Don’t want to go until I know I’ll crash until tomorrow. Why I came. Being alone is what sucks. The quiet. The...everything.”
“I think you’re gonna sleep just fine if you go up soon,” Rick said. “Real soon. Okay?”
Paul nodded, but not at Rick. There was an older man heading for them. He appeared to be someone connected to the group, or the hotel, she wasn’t sure which. But when he arrived, he smiled at Rick and then took over watcher’s duty. “Real soon, it is,” Paul mumbled.
“You think he’ll be all right?” Jenna asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “He knows a lot of people here, and he’s a big donor. They’re not gonna let him get into too much trouble.”
“Does that mean you know a lot of people here, too?”
“Not necessarily. I’m trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. You about ready to go sit down?”
She put several oysters on her plate and nodded.
Rick shook his head and put some on his, as well.
They found another table. They were both drinking water and the food was delicious. Jenna liked that he wasn’t hesitant to make yummy noises. It said a lot about him. He was comfortable in his own skin. She’d seen that all night, and she admired it a great deal.
Even though there wasn’t a bite of chocolate on her plate, she enjoyed every last bit of her food. After quickly washing up in the ladies’ room, she waited for Rick, who took her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
She didn’t know the song. Or care. They didn’t even dance, not for real. They just swayed back and forth, hardly moving their feet. She let her head rest on his shoulder. No, his chest. Rick was taller than Payton, and God, he smelled good.
“Payton loved me more,” she said.
He stopped swaying. “What?”
She pulled back, far enough to look at him. “I always thought he loved me more. I wanted it that way. I never told anyone. But I wanted to have the upper hand.”
“Because of your parents’ relationship?”
“Yes,” she said, surprised he’d made the connection so quickly. Obvious as the correlation seemed, it had taken her a while. She went back to swaying, and smelling his spicy cologne. It made her think of fall. Of leaves and grass and a storm brewing.
“I’m not in love with Faith,” Rick said.
Jenna didn’t lean back this time. She let him lead.
“I love her. Although I’m very disappointed and angry about what she did.” His body had tensed, and Jenna gave his shoulder a light squeeze. He tightened his arm around her, bringing her breasts flush against his chest. “I guess I thought the more passionate, long-haul kind of love would happen eventually. And being friends wasn’t a bad basis for a marriage.”
“Fair enough,” Jenna said, raising her voice, not her head. “But only if both parties agree.” She felt a bit drowsy...from the music, she supposed, and Rick’s warm body. “They both threw us under a bus tonight.”
They kept on dancing their own slow way when the music changed and Katrina and the Waves started singing “Walking on Sunshine.”
“Maybe you can salvage this thing,” she said, tilting her head back to look at him. “You might want to check your messages. I mean, you’re in Boston. You’re probably going to be sleeping in the same hotel bed. Eventually.”
“Well, that’s one way of looking at things.”
“And the other?”
He smiled his Danger Bond smile. “You and I go back to the apartment together.”
* * *
RICK WAS ALMOST sorry they’d left the MIT suite. It was too easy to think without constant distractions. But he knew Jenna had to be exhausted, and not just because it was 2:00 a.m.
The