For some reason, her thoughts refused to move beyond his clothes. Okay, he wore them well; she would give him that. Each and every time she saw him; he looked like he’d stepped off the pages of some fashion magazine. But then, she had to grudgingly admit, it was more than the clothes. A lot more. For starters, he had the looks—chiseled features that were handsome beyond reason, eyes that could draw you in, a pair of fascinating brows...and lips that promised more sin than anyone could possibly indulge. Those things alone should have been enough. But unfortunately, they weren’t. He’d found favor in someone’s eyes, because on top of all that, he was so arrestingly male, so strikingly masculine with muscles in all the right places, broad shoulders and perfect abs—and he was tall, at least six-two. He had the ability to take any woman’s breath away and increase her pulse rate just by walking into a room.
He’d gotten a lot of feminine attention last night at the wedding rehearsal and was getting a lot of attention now. She noticed several women hovering on the sidelines, waiting for his conversation with Gloria to end so they could take their turn. Honestly, did they have no shame? Apparently not, she thought, noticing that as soon as Gloria moved away, another woman had taken her place.
This time it was Rosa Larimore. The divorcée was one of Shana’s friends from college and someone Jules had never cared for. She liked her even less now. The woman had been married twice already, and after eyeing the Granger wealth, was probably contemplating Dalton as a third prospect. Since Rosa was a known man-eater and Dalton a woman-lover, they should be great together. But Jules didn’t like the thought of that for some reason.
She frowned. Was that a twinge of jealousy she was feeling? No, it couldn’t be. There was no way she would ever succumb to such an emotion for Dalton Granger. The bottom line was that it bothered her when women acted so desperate for a man, wealthy or otherwise. There was absolutely no way she would sink that low. No man was worth it.
Deciding she had been standing in the same spot too long, she was about to turn to go find her father when Dalton suddenly leveled his gaze at her over Rosa’s head.
Jules drew in a slow breath. She couldn’t stand him, so why did just looking at him make her feel all hot inside? Why had her throat suddenly gone dry? It was as if his gaze were a heated caress, some kind of physical connection that was drawing her to him. She fought the sensations consuming her, sucking her into a sensual abyss. She shouldn’t be reacting to him, or any man, this way. It had to do with control, something she liked having; and she refused to let any man take it away from her. Especially a man like Dalton Granger. She knew all about him, including the fact he’d been a cub to numerous cougars while living in Europe. Yet, at the moment, her body didn’t care what she knew. It was operating on hormones and a need long overdue. And it was that need that had heat sliding up her spine, making it difficult for her to draw a full breath.
What finally broke the spell was the conceited gleam in the depths of his eyes along with a smirk. The arrogant bastard thought he had her, but she intended to prove otherwise. No man had her, now or ever. She was a woman who didn’t tolerate bullshit and, as far as she was concerned, he was full of it.
“You and young Granger are trying to stare each other down again, I see.”
Jules blinked and quickly broke eye contact with Dalton to glance up at her father. “Again?”
Ben Bradford smiled down at his youngest daughter. “Yes, I noticed you and him doing the same thing during the wedding ceremony.”
Jules wondered if the others had noticed, as well. “The man is simply horrid. Totally despicable. I hope Shana knows what she’s doing by marrying into that family.”
Ben took a sip of his champagne. “I think your sister knows exactly what she’s doing. She loves Jace. He loves her. I’ll be a grandpa come spring. I think you’re the only one not happy with the match.”
Jules moved quickly to correct her father’s assumption. “I am happy with the match, Dad. I like Jace. He’s wonderful and a dream come true for Shana. They were meant for each other.”
“Oh. Then it’s Jace’s brothers you don’t like.”
She knew her father was toying with her. “Of course I like Caden. Who wouldn’t? He’s a sweetie pie.”
“That leaves Dalton, and I know the whole story involving the two of you.”
She didn’t say anything, although she was tempted to tell her father he was wrong. He didn’t know the whole story, not even half. He only knew what she’d told him, and she had left out a few details he didn’t need to know about.
“So where’s Mona?” she asked, deciding to change the subject.