ZANE HAD NEVER felt less like partying than he did right at that moment. But obligations were like duty. You reported whether you wanted to or not.
So, wearing slacks and a black shirt, no tie—because, dammit, he refused to wear his uniform—Zane strode into the country club to the blast of “Fergalicious.” It was like stepping back in time to the prom. The gilt and marble ballroom was filled with balloons, streamers, paper panthers and overdressed people fighting to impress each other.
Thankfully, this was the final reunion event. The luncheons and ceremonies and parades were over. After tonight’s reunion dance, it was all finished.
Once, he’d have seen this as his duty to liven the party up, to make an impression. Now? He glanced at his watch, gauging how much time he had to put in before he could try to reach Vivian again.
He’d gone by her apartment, he’d stopped in at the bakery, he’d even checked with Mike. Unless a bizarre lecture on the importance of traditions counted for anything, it’d been a total bust.
Zane made his way through the dancing crowd, a handful of chatting groups, a few people passing a flask and the half-dozen couples making out in the corners.
It really was like prom.
Which, if he remembered correctly, had included a group skinny-dipping dare that had gotten half the graduating class put into detention.
Who’d have thought that he’d be here, ten years older and a decorated Navy SEAL, and just as stupid. More than ready to have this evening and the reminder of his mistakes finished, Zane looked around for his buddies.
He spotted his brother first, standing by the piano watching the entrance.
“Yo,” he greeted when he reached Xander. “Great party, right?”
Xander nodded in greeting, a troubled expression in his eyes. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks, man. Glad to know you’ve always got my back.”
“Always.”
They stood there in silence for a few minutes, watching their past dancing around to Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” Which was fine until Mrs. Marshall, their old algebra teacher, started gyrating against the gym teacher, Mr. Bridges.
“Oh, man,” Zane breathed in horror.
“So wrong,” Xander agreed.
“We’re supposed to find Kyle,” Zane said when they tore their eyes away.
“Right.” Xander sighed. “Challenge time, and all that.”
“Yeah. All that.” Zane frowned as he studied his brother. He hadn’t seen much of him the last few days, but it didn’t take that mythical twin thing to know there was something wrong. “You okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Zane could think of dozens of reasons, none of which Xander seemed open to hearing. Since he recognized that closed look on his brother’s face, he went the opposite direction.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You want advice? Did you bump your head?”
Before Zane could respond, they were descended upon by a loud, rowdy group of locusts better known as their buddies. Only Mike appeared less than jubilant. Instead, he stood off to the side with a closed expression on his face.
“Challenge time,” Kyle called out again, raising his hand in the air for a high five. Zane exchanged looks with Xander, and taking comfort from knowing someone else was hating this as much as he was, let someone else step up to return the hand slap.
“So which one of you are here with Quinn?” Lenny asked. “I’ve got twenty riding on this. If I can collect before the next song, I can snag a date for the rest of the party.”
“Who scored?” Kyle demanded.
“Not me.” Zane lifted one hand, fingers curved to reflect that zero.
“I’m here alone,” Xander said with a shrug.
You’d think they’d told the gang they’d decided to leave the Navy to join an all-male pink-tutu-wearing burlesque troupe. All of their faces drooped, their jaws dropped, their collective gasp blew through the room like a hurricane.
Kyle grabbed a chair.
Lenny grabbed a beer.
Mike glared while Joe started babbling about failure, bubbles bursting and panther pride.
“Okay, so neither of you could bring in the win,” Kyle finally managed. “But we have to declare a winner. So who was closest to a date tonight?”
“Cupcake,” Lenny burst out. “Zane scored a cupcake.”
Cupcake and coffee, actually.
A challenge was on the line. His honor. His rep.
A movement across the room caught his eye. A flash of red satin, black leather and a very tall cake shaped like a panther.
Vivian.
“Gotta go,” he said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. “I’ve got a lady to see about a cake.”
* * *
VIVIAN SKIMMED ONE hand down her hip, smoothing the satin. She was slightly overdressed for a class reunion, but she was okay with that.
Because she was a woman on a mission.
And her mission was standing over there with his crew, looking about as hot as hot could get.
Vivian took one second to revel in the awe and admiration of the crowd as they gathered around the cake, everyone blown away by the awesomeness that was a four-foot-tall glittering black panther wearing a Pikes Peak High letterman’s jacket.
“It’s perfect.”
“It’s too perfect.”
Zane caught her eye, his expression intense enough to give her shivers all the way across the room. But when he started walking her way, a part of her wanted to run in the other direction. Maybe she shouldn’t be here.
“We can’t cut unto that.”
“Of course you can cut into it.” Vivian grabbed the cake knife, whapping off the foot. “There, see.”
Ignoring the shocked faces, she scooted out from behind the dessert table. She was tempted to wipe her damp palms on her dress, but it was satin. Which, she reminded herself, was why she’d worn it. Well, that and because it did a great job of highlighting her figure.
Something she was pleased to see Zane was taking note of.
Still, not even the heated appreciation in his eyes was enough to assuage her nerves.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” Vivian said, just a little breathless. Not out of desire this time, although she was trembling a little being this close to him.
Or was it her dream, standing right there in front of her looking so damned fine?
“Do you mind?” Zane asked, one second before he slid his arms around her waist. Before Vivian could ask, “Mind what,” he leaned down to take her mouth in a kiss that made her toes curl. Her fingers dug into his shoulders for balance, but just as she was sinking into the kiss, he pulled away.
“Hi,” she murmured again, making him smile.
“Yo, everyone,” Zane called out to the room in general. He gave it long enough for a handful of people to look over. “Have you met Vivian? My date for the evening?”
“What?”
“Dammit.”
“But, dude, the challenge?”
Ignoring the complaints and comments of his friends, Zane led Vivian out to the relative privacy of outdoors. Hands entwined, they walked along a rose-scented balcony gleaming with fairy lights.
Now that she had him alone, though, Vivian wasn’t sure what to say. She’d planned the evening so carefully. The dress, the shoes, her hair and makeup. She’d rehearsed her hello, she’d practiced the walk across the room a half-dozen times.
But now? Standing there staring at the man of her dreams? She realized that she had no clue what to do next.
Should she say she’d overreacted to a simple cupcake situation, blowing it all out of proportion because she was scared of her own feelings?
Did she tell him she’d quit her job at the bakery and accepted the internship in San Diego at the Culinary Institute?
Did she vow undying love?
“I walked away from the challenge,” Zane said.
“Oh.” Vivian bit her lip. “Is it crazy to say that’s one of the most romantic things I’ve ever heard?”
Zane laughed.
“No crazier than it was for me to keep trying to prove a pointless point.” He gave a head shake and a self-derisive grimace. “It was ridiculous of me to put something that didn’t matter to me over someone who does.”
Oh. Vivian’s heart finished the fall, tumbling right there at his feet. She wanted to grab on to now and run with it, but she had to put the truth out there.
“I don’t want you to think I’m chasing after you or anything. But I am moving to California. I was offered the internship—”
Before she could finish what was feeling like a confession, Zane had let out a loud whoop. He grabbed her waist and swung her around in a circle.
“I knew you could do it. I told you could kick sexy cake butt.”
“You did say that. And you were right. I was afraid to take that final step,” she admitted. “As much as I talk a good game, a part of me is still the shy little girl who wants to hide in the corner because she’s afraid someone is going to point out that she doesn’t belong at the party with the cool kids.”
“I guess that means I’m one of the cool kids?”
“As one of the Bad Boy Bennett brothers, you are the king of the cool kids.” To back up her point, she gestured to one of the poster-sized framed portraits propped on a tripod just inside the glass doors. “Look at you. All sexy and heroic in your uniform.”
Zane glanced over, grimaced and shook his head.
“That’s Xander.”
“What?” Horrified, Vivian started over to take a closer look. She only needed one step and a glance at the grin on Zane’s face to know he was teasing.
“Kidding. That’s me,” he said, laughing. “You know, it’s crazy. Xander and I aren’t identical, but half the people out there can’t tell us apart.”
“Is Xander as addicted to challenges as you are?” she wondered as she saw Quinn step into the ballroom looking like a prom queen.
“I wouldn’t say addicted.”
Uh-huh. Vivian’s mouth pursed in a surprised O before she pressed her lips together to hide her smile.
“What would you say if he won the latest one?”
After giving her one long, narrow look, Zane glanced over his shoulder just in time to see his brother kissing Quinn. His grin was all the answer Vivian needed.
“I’d say go, Xander,” he said, turning back to give Vivian an intense look. “But I’m not a sore loser. It’s not the winning that really matters. It’s just that I thrive on challenges. On pushing myself and striving to be stronger. That’s part of what’s made me a SEAL.”
“No.” Vivian shook her head. “What makes you a SEAL is your dedication. Your talent. Your determination and your skill. That’s who you are, Zane. It’s who you’ve always been.”
“So no more challenges?”
“Well, no more that involve other women,” she said with a look that said that should be obvious. “But if the intense demands of being a SEAL aren’t enough for you, I wrote down a few dozen ideas to challenge you with. Some involve frosting, two involve ice and there might be a few that require special toys.”
Vivian felt all her nerves disappear as Zane’s laughter washed over her.
“So about that fall you mentioned the other night,” he murmured.
Uh-oh, here comes the nerves again. Vivian tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry.
“About that. I know it’s too soon. I know it’s crazy.”
“I love you, Vivian.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “Oh, man. I so love you, too.”
Sliding his hands into her hair, he took her mouth in a kiss hot enough to turn her knees into mush. Vivian had to grab on to his shoulders to keep from sinking to the ground. And, better yet, to keep from pulling him down on top of her.
“You’re sure about moving to California?” he asked quietly, his fingers sliding through her hair, soothing her with each caress. “It’s going to be a big change.”
“It’ll be a big change and there will be big risks,” Vivian acknowledged, laying her head on his shoulder as she glanced back into the ballroom. “There’s so much that I’ll miss. The people. The comfort of working in a place I really like and know I’m good at. And, I suppose, the safety of it all.”
Nerves danced in her belly, gyrating back and forth between excitement and terror. She gave it a second to decide which was stronger, then lifted her head to meet Zane’s eyes.
“But you know what? Whatever happens, I’m ready for it. I’m excited to dive in and do the work to make my dreams come true.”
“And me?”
“I’m even more excited to dive in and do you,” she teased, her fingers twining together behind his neck as Zane took her mouth in a kiss made for a romance novel.
* * * * *