Hallie wasn’t laughing anymore. She texted: Did I tell you that?
Jack: Chuck did, but he was drunk and it was a slip. Please don’t get mad at him. But here’s the thing, Hal. It’s fine if it wasn’t meant to be for you and Ben, but you have to know that you are more than enough. You’re perfect, and if he was too fucking stupid to see that, it’s on him.
Hallie could no longer read the text in front of her as tears blurred her eyes. She blinked fast to clear her vision before texting: You’re not allowed to be this nice. You’re screwing up my makeup.
Jack: So how should we kill him?
Hallie shook her head, and at that moment the crowds cleared just enough for her to see Jack’s face as he smiled at her. She texted: I think death by poison is a very humane way to put Scarf out of his misery.
The toasts finally ended, and Hallie and Chuck bailed on the wedding party and went to sit by Jamie and Jack. As they approached the table, Hallie took a minute to admire Jack while he wasn’t looking.
His suit and tie were black, and something about the whole look was ridiculously sexy. He looked like a cologne ad. He looked like the guy who’d be on the cover of a romance novel about billionaires. He was dashing and gorgeous, and her heart stuttered a little when he looked up at her from his chair.
“So,” he said, his eyes crinkling around the corners. “Those hiccups.”
“Why didn’t you scare me or something?” She grabbed the chair next to him and scooted it closer, pushing back the warmth she felt for him over what he’d said about Ben. “I thought you were my friend.”
“What exactly should I have done—shouted?”
“Sure.” She grabbed his hand in both of hers and started playing with his fingers while she leaned in close. “Anything would’ve helped.”
A tiny wrinkle formed in between his eyebrows as he looked down at their hands.
She said, “I don’t want to sound like a creep, but you look incredibly hot.”
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Are you hitting on me, TB?”
“Little bit. By the way, Chuck and I decided that we’re not going to dance together for the bridal party dance—he’s going to dance with Jamie and I’m dancing with you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Do I have to?”
“Oh, my God, you don’t know how to dance, do you?”
He smirked and said, “Actually, my nana made me take ballroom dancing.”
“Shut up.”
“Seriously.” He picked up his glass and said, “For three years.”
“So you can, like, waltz?”
He raised his drink to his mouth. “So hard.”
“You can waltz the crap out of me?” she asked, laughing.
“And then you’ll beg me for more, honey.”
As it turned out, he wasn’t lying.
When the DJ finally called for the wedding party to hit the dance floor, Jack led her around like he was Fitzwilliam Darcy at a Netherfield soiree.
“Dear God, are you literally Prince Charming?” Hallie said.
Jack put his mouth to her ear and said, “Yes, but don’t tell anyone. People lose their shit over royals.”
“My lips are sealed.” She laughed, squeezing the warm hand that held hers. “By the way, I love the feel of your mouth on my ear, in case you’re wondering.”
“Is that right?” he asked, his lips moving over the shell of her ear, clearly on purpose.
She shivered as he took his time to pull back his mouth from her skin. “Maybe I’m just sensitive, though. Tell me, does it do anything for you?”
She raised her head and brushed her lips against his earlobe, then nuzzled his neck with her nose, wanting to bury her whole self in him.
“Quit it.” He looked at her hotly, his eyes intense. “You know it does.”
“I can’t help myself.” She laughed again, thinking the couples of yesteryear might’ve been onto something with this whole dancing thing. “Making you look at me like that is downright intoxicating.”
“You enjoy making me weak?” he asked as he guided her around the dance floor.
“I enjoy making you feel.”
“Sadist.”
The shots were kicking in. She didn’t feel fuzzy, or anywhere close to drunk. Just relaxed enough to say, “If I tell you something about feels on our last night of fake dating, do you promise to forget it later?”
He didn’t answer but just looked at her, and the heat of his hand on her lower back teased her skin through the dress.
She said, “It’s not going to change anything, and it’s not like I’m falling for you so don’t get all weirded out. But I’m pretty sure I feel something.”
“What?”
“It won’t affect our friendship, and I don’t want—”
“Say it again.”
“Jack—”
“All of it, Hal.” He pulled up and stopped so they were just standing on the dance floor. His eyes were unreadable. “Tell me.”
She regretted opening her big, fat mouth, because she had a feeling he was freaking out. Still, she said, “It’s not a big thing. I just think I might have some feelings for you that I can easily forget tomor—”
He kissed her.
Right there on the dance floor, as the wedding party moved to a sweet song about forever, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the hell out of her. Her arms slid around his neck and she angled her head just a little, absolutely fine with letting him devour her mouth in the middle of her sister’s wedding reception.
She didn’t want him to ever stop.
“Hal,” he said against her lips, not even attempting to stop kissing her to speak.
“Hmmmm,” she sighed.
“You are so getting railed tonight,” he growled.
That made her start laughing, and when she opened her eyes, he was squinting down at her in that way she adored.
The rest of the reception went by in a blur because she couldn’t focus on anything but Jack. She suddenly had this greater awareness of him, this buzzing electrical connection, and she had no interest in anything but him.
Cake cutting, “Electric Slide,” chocolate fountain—they were all just white noise in the background as Jack grinned at her in a way she felt down to her toes.
Jack
“Hey, Jack, can you do me a favor?”
Jack, who’d been standing next to the bar, watching Hallie do a stupid line dance with Chuck and her sister, looked at Hallie’s mom and said, “Of course.”
“Since food service is done, the caterers left, but I want to make sure this cake topper gets put in the freezer so Riley and Lillie can have it for their anniversary. Here’s the kitchen key—can you put it in the freezer for me?”
“No problem.” Jack set down his glass, took the key, grabbed the section of the cake she wanted to save, and took it into the kitchen. He found a shelf for it in the back of the freezer and was closing the cooler door behind him when Hal walked in.
“Hey.” She grinned at him like he was exactly what she’d been looking for. “You.”
She pushed his chest, giving him a little shove so his back was pressed against the freezer door.