Page 3

JEN

TWELVE HOURS EARLIER

MY BEST FRIENDwas finally married. It had been a beautiful ceremony. Alex’s eyes lit up when Kayla walked down the aisle, his voice strong and sure as he promised to love and cherish her for the rest of their lives. Kayla’s voice, though soft and gentle, was also full of love and promises of forever. And Aiden, Alex’s orphaned nephew, had almost stolen their moment after the service when he asked Kayla and Alex if it would be all right to call them ‘mom’ and ‘dad.’

I wasn’t jealous of my friend, but if I was honest, I was envious of her situation. All of my life I had envisioned someone looking at me the way Alex looked at Kayla. I always wanted to have a bunch of kids of my own. I was an only child, but not by my parent’s choice. The one time I asked why I didn’t have any brothers or sisters my mom had explained that she wasn’t able to have other children. I still didn’t understand why not, but I didn’t question her further because her eyes had grown so sad.

The wedding reception was wonderful. I laughed, lifted my glass to many toasts, and danced until I thought my feet might break. I had many willing dance partners, but none affected me as much as Alex’s best man, Tyler. There was something about the way we fit together as he held me close during the traditional wedding party dance that made feel like I could let my ever-present guard down. I felt warm and secure within the circle of his arms, which was an unusual occurrence for me. I couldn’t deny Tyler was an extremely attractive man, always drawing the attention of women around us. Even now I felt the envious stares of other female guests watching him hold me, which he seemed to enjoy. However, I knew better than to fall victim to those looks and subsequent heartbreak.

We started off making idle conversation about how wonderful everything had turned out, but then grew quiet. His thumb rubbed tiny circles on my skin where his hand rested at the opening of the back of my dress. His other hand engulfed mine while he held them close to our swaying bodies.

It wasn’t until I relaxed in his embrace that I realized my relationship with Kayla was going to be completely different. I’d thrown myself into the role of supporting her through a broken heart, encouraging her to connect with Alex, and then helping her plan her wedding. Now that role was complete. Oh, I knew we’d still be best friends. But Alex and Aiden were her priorities now, which meant I was going to have extra time on my hands; time I needed to fill with something so I could continue to hide from my own issues.

Tyler hugged me closer and kissed the top of my head.

What? I tilted my head to look up at him. “Shhh,” he whispered. “It will be fine.”

My brow furrowed. Could he read my mind? How the hell had he known what to say just now? But he just smiled and tucked my head back against his chest and began to hum along with the song being played. So lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized the song had changed, and we’d been joined by several other couples. I gave our entwined fingers a little squeeze and turned my face into his chest, embarrassed and nervous he’d been able to read me like he had.

For the next few hours, I danced on and off with several other men, many of whom tried to make me their partner for the rest of the evening by offering to get me a drink. I always politely declined; I didn’t want to encourage any of them that I might be interested in more. I almost always limited my alcohol consumption; I hated the sense of losing control that drunkenness brought on. The only men I allowed to get drinks for me were Chris, Kayla’s older brother whom I looked up to as a hero of sorts, and Tyler. It puzzled me why I felt like I could trust Tyler; probably because we knew we couldn’t cross the line of friendship, or whatever you might call what we had, because of the potential hardship it might have on our best friends.

After the celebration was over, Tyler generously offered to drive me home after he learned I was trying to call a cab. I didn’t have my car because I had traveled to the wedding and reception in a limo hired for the bridal party earlier in the day. The other girls in the party had met their dates at the reception and had their own way home. I had attended as a party of one, and my parents had left long ago. I figured he was helping me out as a favor to Kayla, but just for a minute, I wanted to feel like he was there just because he wanted to be.

He escorted me down the hallway to my apartment door, keeping one hand on my back. Once again, I noted how good it felt to have his warm hand touching me. “Do you have your key?” His voice sounded huskier than usual, or maybe it was just my repressed libido making a surprise appearance that was playing tricks on my ears.

He let go of me as I fumbled around looking for my purse until I remembered I hadn’t bothered with one. Winking at him, I reached inside the bodice of my dress and withdrew the key from my secret hiding place. I thought I heard Tyler suck in his breath as I pushed the lacy material of my bra aside, exposing more of my curves. But when I glanced discretely at him, he had taken a step closer to the door and was holding his hand out. I placed the warm key into his palm. Or at least I thought I did. Instead, it appeared to fall right through his hand and onto the floor.

“Oops!” I giggled nervously. I bent down and heard Tyler groan softly as my backside bumped into the front of his thighs. I felt his hands grab at my waist and hold me steady as I swept up the key and held it up to him triumphantly. “Got it!”

“Mmmhmm,” he mumbled and took the key from me. He unlocked the door, pushed it open, and gestured for me enter the apartment ahead of him.

After he closed the door, I gracefully swept my arms out. “Welcome to my humble home, Dr. Cranston.” A fold in a throw rug caused me to stumble. For a big guy, Tyler sure moved quickly. He caught me with one arm and pulled me safely to him. I was just the right height to snuggle into his neck.

Damn! He smelled so amazing! I rooted a little closer, trying to figure out just what the scent was. It smelled sort of citrusy. Who knew oranges could be so sexy? I breathed a little deeper, completely cozy in this warm spot.

“Are you sniffing me?” Tyler’s voice sounded amused.

“What? No!” I pulled back to look at him, irritated at being caught. My focus was drawn to his full lips as his teeth bit his lower lip like he was trying not to laugh. Something like warm bubbles started to flow in my veins as I stared at his mouth. I bet they would be great kissing lips. Not too wide, not too narrow. Smooth and full, but not slobbery. Oh, yes. Very kissable.

“Jen?” Those lips moved, and his voice sounded closer than it had a moment ago.

“Hmm?” As if in a trance, my face turned upward to find his brown eyes staring down at me. Holy shit! Those eyes. They had been the first thing I’d ever noticed about him. They were framed with such long, dark lashes, the kind to make any woman jealous. I had always figured his eye color was brown, but now that I could see them up close, I recognized that those lashes concealed the most beautiful shade, almost the color of whiskey. Near the pupil was a darker brown that radiated outward, like a sunburst. My pulse quickened as those eyes and mouth moved closer to mine as if pulled by an invisible thread. I wanted to pull harder on that thread until those lips connected to mine. My mouth parted . . .

Suddenly, those eyes disappeared as those amazing lashes pulled their curtain down. I felt Tyler suck in a deep breath and slowly release it near my cheek.

“All right, you little temptress. Let’s get you tucked in safe and sound.” He took a step back from me, releasing me from the hypnotic effect in which he had unknowingly captivated me.

Startled, I realized I had been on my toes, my hands creeping around to the back of his head. Shit. What the hell was I doing? It wasn’t like me to be such a tease, especially not with Tyler. I deliberately kept him at a distance, not wanting to upset the delicate balance of being his friend while knowing his reputation around the hospital. Anything more than friendship with Tyler was a line I couldn’t cross. I didn’t want to make anything uncomfortable for Alex, Kayla, or Aiden, so I worked to keep things carefree whenever the five of us spent time together. It wasn’t fair to suddenly want to use him to replace the empty space Kayla was leaving.

I stuttered, “Oh, that’s okay. I . . . I’m good from here. Thanks for the ride home.” I jerked away from him, tripping in my heels and landing on the floor. Embarrassed, unwanted tears came to my eyes as I tried to stand, my feet getting caught in the hem of my long dress, causing me to fall again. I hated for anyone to see a weakness in me. And Tyler was seeing way too many of them. A hand stretched toward me. I refused to look at Tyler’s face as I grudgingly accepted his help. He almost lifted me off of my feet with his strong tug. As I regained my balance, I couldn’t stop the groan as my left foot rejected my weight.

“Are you alright?”

“I think so.” I hesitantly took a step and my knee buckled.

Tyler swore slightly under his breath. Strong arms swept me up and cradled me against a broad chest and started down the hallway. “Which is your bedroom?”

Now I’d angered him. I was certainly screwing everything up tonight. “On the left,” I murmured.