Page 98 of Escape

TWENTY-SIX

Josie

“Wow. You look amazing. That dress looks perfect on you.”

A shy smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. It didn’t seem to matter that Huck offered regular compliments to me—I still felt my face flush now. Would I ever get used to being treated this way?

“You already saw the dress on me when you took me out to buy it,” I reminded him.

“I know, but it’s different seeing it paired with the shoes and you having your hair and makeup all done up. You’re absolutely stunning, Josie.”

My gaze dropped to the ground briefly as I allowed the good feelings Huck left me with to move through me. I wasn’t quite sure they’d fully settled when my attention was pulled to the shoes on his feet. My eyes began to drift up his legs toward his waist and over his torso until they finally settled on his face again.

God, he was handsome.

On any random day, I’d found myself captivated by the way he looked.

Now that he was decked out in a suit, it was safe to say I was exceptionally lucky. He took my breath away.

“You look especially handsome today, so at least we’ll be arriving at the wedding in style,” I said.

His mouth quirked up in a smile as he stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and slid his arm around my waist. He tugged me toward him, my hands flying to his chest, and barely a moment later, his mouth was on mine.

Seeking, tasting.

Huck and I had done a lot of kissing and touching lately, but we hadn’t taken that next step. While there was a part of me that wanted it, was desperate to be with him like that, there was another part of me that was afraid.

I didn’t feel fear about Huck himself. The worry I was experiencing was about how I’d even be able to take that step without losing myself.

As it was, simply kissing him led to me feeling like my entire world stopped. When he touched me while he kissed me, it felt like my entire world had tilted on its axis. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like, how it would feel, if Huck kissed me and touched me while he moved inside me.

But every time he did this, every time we kissed each other, and that kissing led to roaming hands and desperate moans, I inched closer and closer to being ready to take that step.

And why shouldn’t I? Whether I’d known it from the start and ignored it, or I just hadn’t been sure about it, I no longer had any doubt.

I was completely, totally, in love with Huck. I hadn’t had any good examples of what love was supposed to feel like all throughout my life, but I knew now. What I felt for him didn’t compare to anything I’d ever felt before.

So, I knew it was the real deal.

I just had to work up the courage to tell him the truth about what he meant to me, and I believed it was important to do it at a time that didn’t require us needing to leave to go to a wedding. Because with the way he was currently kissing and holding me, I wasn’t entirely sure I’d stop us if he wanted to cross that line. If that happened, missing the wedding would come with a very high probability.

Huck’s arm tightened around my body as he separated his mouth from mine and began kissing along my jaw and toward my ear. “We have to leave.”

His voice was a deep whisper, his breath against my skin sending a shiver down my spine. “Yeah,” I whispered back. My voice came out shaky. “We should go.”

Huck pulled his head back, looked at me adoringly, and smiled. Warmth spread through me, my heart beating a little faster in my chest at the way he was looking at me, and I wondered what thoughts were going through his mind.

Before I knew it, I was the one who likely had an unreadable look on my face. Huck and I, along with quite a few other people, had just sat through Jesse and Sawyer’s wedding ceremony. After the bride and groom, together with their bridal party, walked back down the aisle, everyone followed behind to make their way to the reception.

And it was on the walk into the ballroom, where the reception was being held, when my thoughts had drifted to what I’d just witnessed. When Huck had asked me to attend the wedding with him, I was excited about being here with him. It was never about the wedding for me. How could it be, when I didn’t even know the two people getting married?

But after having watched them exchange vows and commit themselves to one another, there was a part of me that was glad Huck and I hadn’t taken steps to get distracted before leaving his place earlier. I would have missed this, and I was glad I didn’t.

I’d had such a wonderful time with Huck all throughout the cocktail hour and dinner, getting to know some of his friends from work better. We’d done some dancing, consumed cake and other desserts, and just enjoyed our time together.

I truly hadn’t believed the night could get any better, but then Huck stood again after we’d taken a break for some dessert and asked, “Would you like to dance with me?”

How could I turn him down?