Joan Hohl - A Man Apart

The streets had been cleared of snow and the short jaunt to the church took only minutes. That parking lot, also cleared, already contained several vehicles.

“It looks like we’re the last to arrive,” Maggie said, her voice quavery with tension.

“Yes, it does,” Hannah agreed, tossing her friend an exasperated look. “And will you calm down, for pity’s sake? It is only the rehearsal.”

“I know…but…”

“No buts.” She pushed open the door. “Let’s go and get this show on the road, so we can get to dinner.” She grinned at Maggie, hoping to ease her nerves. “I’m starving.”

The rehearsal went off without a hitch…for everyone except Hannah. She was fine at the beginning. Maggie introduced her to more of Mitch’s family including his brother Adam. Hannah had immediately liked him.

Adam was just as tall and handsome as his brothers, a little older, but pleasant and charming. His eyes, unlike Justin’s, were warm, friendly. So she was feeling good, relaxed, until she began leading the procession. The sight of Justin, standing beside Mitch at the end of the aisle, had the strangest effect on her.

In direct contrast to Mitch, who was wearing a dark suit, white shirt and striped tie, Justin was dressed in a soft brown pullover sweater, tan casual pants and the same black boots he’d worn at Maggie’s that first night.

Hannah couldn’t help but wonder if he were planning to wear the boots for the wedding. The errant thought flittered through her mind that at least the boots were shined.

But his footwear or clothes weren’t the cause of her weird reaction. It was his eyes, his laser-sharp eyes. After slowly raking the length of her body, they seemed to bore right through her, to her every thought, every emotion. And Hannah’s range of emotions were running wild, shaking up every particle of her being.

She suddenly felt nervy, excited and vaguely frightened, chilled and hot all over, as if in anticipation of something earth-shattering about to happen.

Weird hardly described it.

It seemed to take forever for her to traverse the relatively short aisle, and yet she reached the end way too soon. And there he was, his piercing gray gaze glittering with a sometime-soon promise of that anticipated, dreaded, earth-shattering event. The heat causing the glitter left little doubt in her mind what he intended that event to be.

Hannah’s breathing was labored, uneven. Relief rushed through her when she stepped to the side, out of his direct line of vision. Hannah rigidly avoided his eyes through the rest of the proceedings.

After that, everything went off without a hitch…until they arrived at the hotel.

Dinner itself was fine. The food served was excellent, Mitch’s family friendly, easy to talk to…that is, except Justin. He had waited until Hannah was seated, then, deliberately, she felt certain, seated himself directly opposite her. At once he proceeded to renew sending his silent, visual messages to her. Hard as she tried-and she gave it her best shot-Hannah couldn’t misinterpret his intent.

She was not without experience in the nuances of eye conduct and body language. He had plans, for her and him together, those silent messages promised. And, as she had suspected in the church, every one of those plans were sexual in nature.

While Justin’s hot-eyed gaze revealed his carnal thoughts to Hannah, his occasional and brief comments were bland, almost banal.

Hannah didn’t know whether to be amused or run for her life.

She attempted to assure herself her feelings were caused by revulsion, but she knew she was lying. The truth, which she would fiercely deny if questioned, was that her feelings stemmed from excitement.

Hannah was fearful her feelings, the heat steadily building inside, were clearly revealed on her face, in her eyes. She hoped the picture she presented to the company, even the most keen of observers, was that of cool, controlled composure.

Especially to Justin.

Justin could read Hannah like an open book. Far from being repelled by his stare of unconcealed desire, Hannah was receptive, her own needs and desires revealed in the depths of her so-cool eyes.

He couldn’t wait to get her alone, feel her mouth yielding to his kiss, her naked body sliding against his, her long legs curling around his waist.

Stop it, Justin ordered his wayward thoughts. Damned if he wasn’t getting hard, right there under the table. He drew a mental image of himself, trudging across the frozen tundra, chilled to the bone.

Moments later he was surprised by the strains of music from a group positioned in front of a small dance floor at the end of the private dining room. Leave it to Mitch to have arranged for dancing after dinner.

In a flash, Justin was on his feet, circling the table to Hannah. “I suppose we’re expected to rehearse the wedding party reception dance, too,” he said, holding out his hand in invitation.

“Ahh…” she responded, her voice laced with uncertainty and a strong hint of reluctance.

“That’s right,” Maggie said, laughing-bless her heart. “We want everything perfect.”

Hannah sighed, but complied, placing her hand in his as she rose from her chair.

Justin’s own heart was starting to speed up as he led Hannah to the dance floor. While he wouldn’t be able to feel her satiny skin sliding against him, or her tempting mouth pressed to his, or the embrace of her slender legs, he was determined to feel the thrill of her supple body held close to his in the dance.

Not exactly the dance Justin would have preferred, but it would have to do…for now.

Fortunately, the group was playing his kind of music, a ballad, allowing for only slow dancing. At the edge of the dance floor, Justin drew Hannah to him, circling her waist with his arms, leaving her little choice but to circle his neck with her own. The sensation created by the feel of her tall body held closely against his was thrilling beyond anything he had ever felt while fully clothed.

Scratch that last thought, he corrected himself, drawing in a quick breath at the sensations sent skittering through him at the touch of her hand sliding from the back of his neck to the center of his chest. Though he knew her movement was intended to keep some distance between them, Justin was forced to suppress an involuntary shiver at the scorching feel of her palm against him, right through his shirt.

“What are you afraid of?” he asked, his voice pitched low for her ears only. “You don’t like dancing?”

Hannah lifted her head to gaze at him, a wry curve on her maddeningly tempting lips. “Not particularly,” she drawled. “And I don’t need my suit pressed, thank you.”

He laughed, refraining himself from telling her he intended to press a lot more than her clothes. He held himself in check for one reason; he had heard the slight breathy catch in her voice underlying her dry tones.

Deciding to play it cool, he made a half step back, feeling a chill, even from that tiny span between them.

“I’m glad you find me so amusing,” she said, keeping her hand solidly pressed to his chest.

“Oh, I find you a lot more than amusing,” he said, fighting an urge to be explicit, and a bigger urge to show her, right there on the dance floor.

But no, the room was full of people, most of whom were family members. If he gave in to the urge, Mitch and Adam would be all over him like a bad rash in no time. He’d hate like hell to have to deck the two of them in front of the family. The thought made him smile.

Hannah felt…bedazzled. Where the heck had that almost boyish, impish smile come from? she wondered, feeling an unfamiliar warmth around her heart. What in the world was Justin thinking about to cause that smile?