Page 10 of Hooked on Lane (Hooked #1)

Chapter Ten

Jennifer

A s I finished my last karaoke song, Lane walked toward me, making my heart sink.

He held out his hand, and I took it. We started dancing together, and I felt as if we were the only two people in the room, moving to the music.

When we made our way back to the table, Lane undid his tie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt…

he was getting comfortable, which meant he wasn't going anywhere.

Laura was eyeing me, and I knew exactly what was running through her mind… she better not.

“Can you believe the jerk had the audacity to break up with her on their six-month anniversary and say that he wasn't ready for a commitment? I mean, look at her. He’s an idiot.” Laura's hands waved in the air.

I thought we were done talking about Peyton. Wasn’t tonight supposed to be about fun?

He nodded. “Some men don't know what they have until it's gone. Looks like that's the case with… what was his name again?”

I laughed. “Peyton.” Surely it was wrong to be sitting here next to my boss, looking this good while he was in such an intoxicated state. His eyes had been drinking me in since he had sat down, and my whole body was on fire.

“You look stunning tonight.”

“So, Lane, where are you from anyway?” Laura asked.

I swatted at her under the table. Right now wasn’t the time to be asking personal questions.

“I’m from a small town in Montana called Amesbury.”

He didn’t look like a guy who grew up in a small town, especially looking so scrumptious in that suit and tie.

“It's the perfect place to be during the holidays. Everyone says Times Square is awesome, but nothing beats our Christmas Square.”

The way he talked about his hometown made it sound like a place I wanted to visit someday.

“Laura, it’s your turn for the mic.”

She jumped up. “I’ll be back.”

Lane and I locked eyes. “So, what are you doing here, anyway?”

“Mr. Longford gave me the name of this place as a recommendation. My mom had a fall today and after getting the news, I thought I could use a beer.”

He seemed too good to be true—too perfect. Everyone had flaws, so where were Lane’s? I took a sip of my beer to give myself time to think.

“I don't talk about it often, but sometimes I can be a bit of a workaholic. I get wrapped up in my job and forget what's important in life.”

It was the flaw that I needed to see in him—that humanizing element that made him real instead of just some perfect Prince Charming who had just stumbled into my life.

Suddenly all the walls that I built around my heart came crashing down for this man who was looking at me with such depth and sincerity that no other person had done before.

I’m falling… and I don’t even know that much about him.