“Wow…I don’t…I don’t even know where to start.” I couldn’t look at the guests, so I kept my eyes trained on the table. “When I first arrived on the campus of Charleston, I felt alone, overwhelmed, and petrified. I remember unloading my things and turning around to find this massive guy standing behind me, wearing a wide smile, offering to help a perfect stranger. I didn’t realize it then, but…Terrell turned out to be the brother I never wanted.” The crowd chuckled. “But in all seriousness, Terrell has been a brother, a friend, and a confidant. And if it wasn’t for him, I never would’ve met one of my best friends in the whole world.” Maisha took my hand and didn’t let it go. “It’s like AJ…I mean Anthony said,” I corrected, realizing that he’d been introduced to the room using his full name. “These two are about the most solid couple most of us will ever encounter.” I met Maisha’s and Terrell’s gazes with tears in my eyes. “And they deserve all the happiness in the world.” I paused for a moment to wipe my face and gather myself. “Before the waterworks really start up, I’m gonna end with this,” I said, making sure I had both of their attention. “Hold on to what you have with everything in you. Don’t take each other’s love for granted…ever…because true love only comes along once in a lifetime,” I concluded.
The applause of the crowd around me fell silent as AJ suddenly became the only person in the room. Everything else faded to black as my final words rang in my head. Maybe it was those very words that made him stare, too. Whatever the cause, I felt him all over me even from a distance – his presence, his emotion, all of him.
Eventually, I dropped into my seat in a daze and took a sip of water to wrangle my heartbeat into submission. When the slow melody began to pour from the speakers, Terrell took Maisha by the hand and led her to the dance floor. Cameras flashed and I watched the newlyweds in awe just like everyone else.
“And now, if the rest of the bridal party would join the happy couple out on the dance floor…” the emcee announced.
Wait…what? I didn’t sign up for that.
Our entire table stood to their feet, and from the corner of my eye, I took in AJ’s towering height as he did the same. It felt like led weighed my legs down as I evaluated the situation – AJ and me, face to face, slow dancing while our significant others sat by and observed. Sucking in a breath, I stood and linked arms with him just as the others had done, simply because I didn’t have any other choice.
Not too far from where Terrell twirled a smiling Maisha, AJ and I stopped and he came around to face me. His expression was comforting, but I still felt unsure about being in his arms while Jason, Kira, and everyone else watched. In that moment, my eyes drifted to the side of his neck where my name peeked just above the collar of his white, dress shirt, and for some reason, the sight of it steadied my racing heart. I draped my arms around his neck and didn’t wince when his hands settled at my waist.
I followed his lead and slowly but surely relaxed, letting my body melt against his just a bit more than before. It surprised me when he let out a deep breath and seemed to be struggling to hold his composure.
No more ‘Mr. Cool, Calm, and Collected’…
His hands tightened against my waist and I watched his gaze as it gradually fell to my breasts pressed against his chest, instantly making my nipples harden in my silk, strapless bra.
My palms were hot and sweaty as AJ lifted his eyes to mine again, now holding me close enough that his fingers interlocked at the small of my back. Both of us breathed erratically, stumbling over feelings that seemed to resurface with each passing second, whether we invited them into our atmosphere or not. There was a sense of reckless abandon in AJ’s eyes that left me to wonder what the hell was going through his mind. As if he heard me, he inadvertently revealed one of those thoughts without saying a word.
Right at the meeting of my thighs, I felt his nature begin to rise, and he didn’t shy away or move to conceal it. Trapping me there in his stare, I realized…he wanted me to feel it – wanted me to know that, in that moment, he was turned on. I licked my lips as unfamiliar feelings clawed their way out from behind a door that’d been on lockdown for years. I felt myself getting wet and tingly in hidden places. AJ’s eyes smoldered and I sucked in a breath as his erection grew completely solid. It took everything that I had in me not to run my fingers through his hair, but I was trying to be mindful of two people in particular who were without a doubt watching us closely.
With that in mind, I sobered ever so slightly. “I think I should back up,” I said softly, attempting to do just that.