Page 101 of Decidedly Off Limits

Owen chuckled. “So am I,” he called out. “I guess I got caught up in my friend’s excitement. But the bid still stands at one thousand and fifty dollars.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I told him.

“Yes, I do. Besides, you don’t want her”—he indicated to Miss Eager with a brief nod—“to end up on a date with him, do you?”

His boss laughed. “I think the poor man onstage feels the same way.” Everyone else at the table chuckled in agreement.

“Okay, we have one thousand and fifty dollars,” the auctioneer said. “Do we have one thousand and sixty dollars?”

Again, Miss Eager’s hand shot up.

“Does someone have a belt we can tie her hands to the chair with, so she’ll quit bidding?” Alice joked. Or at least I thought she was joking.

“Do we have one thousand and seventy dollars?”

Trent’s gaze remained locked on me, as if to tell me how he felt about me. As if willing me to keep bidding and win the prize—him.

“We have one thousand and seventy dollars.”

This time it was Owen’s boss who had raised his hand. Everyone at the table discreetly pulled money out of their wallets, ready to chip in if the bidding continued.

“Do we have one thousand and eighty?”

Miss Eager was busy conferring with her friends, but none appeared as willing to help her.

“Do we have one thousand and eighty dollars?” the auctioneer asked. “Going once. Going twice. Gone to the…well, gone to table number twenty. Would someone like to come up and claim the prize?”

Laughter filled the ballroom as Owen nudged me to stand. Somehow I managed to walk, legs shaking from the adrenaline rush. Shaking because everyone was watching me again, only this time no bumping into waiters had been involved. Shaking because soon I’d be in Trent’s arms—and I didn’t think I could wait another second for it to happen.

Before I got past our table, Alice gently grabbed my hand and smiled deviously. “Make sure you kiss that young man when you go onstage. That should infuse some more excitement into this show.” She winked at me.

Without glancing back, I made my way past the tables to the stage, silently thanking the fountain—you know, in case it had something to do with this.

At the bottom of the stairs, I lifted my skirt slightly, so not to risk the hem getting caught on my stilettos. With my legs still shaking, I carefully walked up the steps.

Trent was waiting for me at the top, a huge grin on his face. My heart stumbled over itself at the sight of him.

“Hi,” was all I managed to say.

His warm green eyes remained on me and my heart practically leapt out of my chest.

“Christ, you’re gorgeous, Kels. I’d forgotten just how beautiful you are.”

“So are you…I mean you look great.”

Trent stepped closer to me, our bodies almost touching. Nothing else but this moment existed. “I’m pretty sure your brother’s going to kill me when he returns home, but I love you, Kelsey.” His voice was low. The only person who could hear him was me—just the way it should be. “I love everything about you. Your love for your job and the kids you help. Your love of life. Your love of those funny little owls. Your amazing photographs. Your heart. I love it all.

“I know I’m a workaholic, but I promise that will change. I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to prove to you how important you are to me. To prove to you how you mean everything to me.”

“I love you too—”

I didn’t get a chance to say anything else. Someone repeatedly tapped their wine glass with a fork. The sound of more and more clinking glasses joined the first one, until the room was filled with the musical symphony.

“I think they want us to kiss,” I said.

Trent’s grin was back. “We probably shouldn’t disappoint them.”

He cupped my cheek with his hand, his touch igniting a sweet warmth that spread through my body. Then his lips brushed against mine—and I could barely breathe.