Chapter Three

Jade took another bracing sip from her exotic drink. After letting the bartender know her favorite animal and favorite place, he concocted this ambrosia especially for her. The crazy part was, she loved it. Though tonight, as long as it had plenty of alcohol, she probably wouldn’t care what it tasted like. Still a bit rattled, though she’d handled things with Alejandro Rivera better than she thought she could with any man, she didn’t want Lexi to know how the—incident—affected her. It was Lexi’s night, and Jade would not detract from it.

Good lord, she’d kissed Alejandro Rivera. And thoroughly enjoyed it. She didn’t know if she should rejoice at a normal reaction she hadn’t felt since high school or cringe at her stupidity. A celebrity of all people. Really? Maybe another sip would help.

Lexi looked at her in concern. “Glad you like the drink there, Jay-Jay, but maybe you should take it easy on an empty stomach.”

Geez…What was going on with her sister tonight? Since their mother died, Jade had gladly accepted the role of taking care of Lexi. Was the responsibility of getting married making her feel like their roles were reversed?

“You weren’t the one stuck in an elevator for half an hour.”

“If you need it, feel free to order another,” Beck offered. “I’m paying, and money is no object tonight.”

“Thanks. I’m pretty sure I’ll be taking you up on that. So what’s the deal with the best man? I thought he’d be here by the time I returned from getting my purse out of the car.”

Lexi put an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “I can’t imagine what’s taking Han so long. He’s seriously late now. At least forty-five minutes.” She turned her worried gaze to her fiancé. “He hasn’t texted you yet?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I’m starting to get worried. He could’ve been stuck in the lobby while the elevator was down, I suppose, and he can be late when he’s working, but I’ve never known him to be this late without letting me know what’s going on.” Suddenly he sat up in his seat, and a relieved look flitted across his face before he smiled and stood. “Han. Glad you made it. Everything all right?”

As Beck shook hands with his friend, Jade saw a flash of diamond and platinum in her peripheral vision. You’ve got to be kidding me! As the best man took the vacant seat next to hers, she kept her eyes glued to her glass. His hand rested on the tablecloth next to her arm, in her personal space. There was no mistaking that ring or that brand of invasion.

Han was Alejandro Rivera?

Just shoot me now…

She’d played dueling tongues, not only with a celebrity, but with Beck’s best man.

“Running late,” he murmured in that luscious, accented voice. “Then unexpected problems on top of it. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know. I have no idea what I did with my phone. I hope you weren’t too worried.”

“We were getting there, but it’s all good now,” Beck said. “Lexi’s sister, Jade, actually got stuck in the elevator on her way up and only joined us a little while ago. I think we’re all starving at this point.”

She sensed him shift in his seat but still couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Not yet. She focused on the bird’s eye view of Los Angeles afforded by the restaurant’s wall of windows. Mountains in the distance, twinkling lights barely visible in the twilight. She looked around the room, appreciating the calming aspect of the décor. Muted golds and creamy yellows contrasted pleasantly with the dark wood of the round tables and the upholstery of the chairs. Strategically placed pillars and the whole less-is-more style that focused on the view of the city. She returned her attention to her drink and looked at her glass for several long, drawn out moments before she decided she really needed another sip. Maybe she should drain the thing and get another. She watched the ice clinking in her glass as she swallowed the liquid courage, praying it kicked in ASAP.

“So this is your sister, Lexi? I finally get to meet the maid of honor.”

There was nothing for it now. She was going to have to look at him. On the upside, he hadn’t mentioned their adventure in the elevator. Was he afraid she’d let on about his claustrophobia? She sat up straighter in her chair and clenched her teeth as she turned her head in his direction.

Whatever he’d done in the bathroom for the last fifteen minutes, it had worked wonders. The disheveled mess was completely gone. He had everything under control now, and when her eyes met those simmering topaz depths, she just knew he was thinking about their kiss. She ground her teeth together before making a deliberate effort to relax her jaw.

“Hello, Han. It’s nice to finally meet you. Lexi never mentioned you were the famous Alejandro Rivera.”

She fingered her locket for a moment. It was a relief when Lexi spoke up, giving her a reason to tear her gaze away from a man she liked looking at more than was good for her.

“I was worried it would freak you out too much,” Lexi admitted. “I didn’t want to scare you away from being in the wedding. You’re committed now, Jay-Jay. No backing out allowed.”

“Lexi, I’m happy to do whatever you want me to, you know that.”

With a nod, her sister smiled slightly. “I do. I don’t know that it’s always a good thing. But I thought I’d save you some stress and worry, leaving it until just before the wedding to tell you. You’re not mad, I hope.”

“No. I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Maybe she was just saving the best for last.” Han’s bright gaze never left her face as he took her hand and raised it to his lips. “Hoye, chica. The pleasure is mine, Jade.”

Seriously? She was actually on the receiving end of his signature gesture. The one he gave his dance partner at the end of every performance. She let her hand lie limp in his grasp. No mean feat, but she wasn’t about to become one more female who fell under his spell. She fluctuated between longing to keep her hand in his forever and the auto-pilot reaction to avoid all human contact. Somewhere in between was the response she wanted, but at this exact moment had a hard time determining what that was.

When his lips touched her knuckles, the jolt that ran up her arm had part of her wanting to run screaming from the room. The other part wanted him to kiss more than just her hand as she remembered what those very same lips felt like when they caressed her mouth. She stiffened, stifled a moan, and in an effort to ignore both impulses, attempted to glare at him. Big mistake. His eyes crinkled at the corners; the topaz color turned fiery yellow. Rather than end the salute to her hand, he opened his mouth and gave it a quick taste with his tongue.

She sucked in a hissing breath, sat up straighter, and willed her hand to remain limp with all she had. Her other hand fisted in her lap as she fought the desire to beg him to taste more of her, for his lips to travel up her arm until they were on her mouth, as they’d been less than an hour ago. It was imperative she stifled this unfamiliar longing to touch and be touched by him, and her fingernails digging into her palm did help.

“At least one of us is getting something out of it then. Can I have my hand back now?”

“Of course. The contrast between your skin and mine had me fascinated for a moment. Forgive me.” As he let it go, finally, his gaze lowered and lingered a tad too long, before taking in the rest of her. He raised one brow then turned his attention back to Lexi and Beck.

She looked down to fiddle with the napkin in her lap. Arrogantly sure of himself, the Devil of the Dance Floor was out in full force. Of all the men out there, why did he have to be the one to bring an attraction to the male species roaring to life inside her? Her therapist had told her all along what she needed was for the right man to show up. It looked like that was money well-spent, but at the moment she wasn’t as glad about it as she should be. She reached for her glass, hoping the alcohol would calm the maelstrom inside her.

In her frantic effort to recover from her latest encounter with Han, she had no clue what the conversation was about when she tuned in, but realized she missed something big when Lexi looked at her with eyes full of regret before returning her attention to Han.

“That’s an awesome offer. We really appreciate it, but I’m not sure Jade wants to do something like that. Maybe just the wedding couple dance?”

“Wait a minute, Lexi,” Jade said. “I missed something. What is it I don’t want to do?”

“Good grief, Jay-Jay, I think you’ve had more than enough to drink.” She let out a little laugh at her own joke. “Han offered us dance lessons as a wedding gift. He’s going to choreograph our wedding dance and teach it to us, as well as do one for the wedding party. I know dancing isn’t your thing, so I was telling him we don’t have to do a special wedding party dance.”

Once more, Jade looked down at her lap. Her hands were clenched into fists. Again. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished away the next two months.

“Ahh…Sí.” Han looked at Jade with a raised brow. “You don’t like to—dance.”

He knew she didn’t like having her personal space invaded, but she didn’t want him to know the extent of her problem. Much less that he was the first one to be an exception.

Past problem. Hadn’t the elevator ride proved how far she’d come since she was seventeen?

Pasting a smile on her face, she looked at her sister. She didn’t want to think about the consequences, but he was not going to get the better of her. “Lexi, I want your wedding to be perfect, you know that. If it means choreographed wedding dances, I want to make it happen. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine but—” She attempted a smile. “—if we find out I have two left feet, it may not be as great as you’d like.”

She buried her face in her drink, hoping the attention would shift from her while she got used to the idea. She loved dancing. She loved the idea of having special dances as part of the wedding. It would make her sister’s day even more special. It was generous of Han to make the offer.

Next thing she knew, an arm draped across the back of her chair. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “No one has two left feet when I’m done with them. Rest assured, our dance will be perfection, chica. To start with, the personal space bubble has got to go.”

She turned her head; their noses almost touched. She so wanted to lean as far away as possible, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. She may not like the reason she didn’t run screaming from the room at his proximity, but she was grateful for it in that moment.

Instead, she said, just loud enough for him to hear, “I like my personal space, and there’s no reason for you to be in it right now. You need to remove your arm.”

He traced a finger along her arm near where his hand rested on the back of her chair and laughed softly in her ear. “Remember, I know how much you enjoy having me invade your personal space, though I have a feeling you don’t want your sister to know about that. I think we’re keeping secrets for each other, aren’t we?”

So they each had something on the other. Impasse. Still, she didn’t need him in her personal space right now. “Han, none of this is about us. It’s about Lexi and Beck. Let’s keep it that way.”

After he removed his arm, it took all her concentration to release her breath slowly rather than in a sigh of relief. Any kind of relationship with the man which didn’t revolve around the wedding was out of the question. She had no interest in being one of his here-today-gone-tomorrow girlfriends, no matter how much she liked having him up close and personal. For all she knew, he could be acting interested right now as part of his Devil of the Dance Floor persona. She certainly wouldn’t take the way he’d acted towards her in the elevator seriously. He probably would’ve done anything he could to cope with his claustrophobia. Including climb through the ceiling of the elevator.

Or kiss a woman he wasn’t attracted to.

****

What was it about Jade Nichols that made him desperate for her attention, no matter how he got it? She knew his deep, dark secret. If he was smart, he’d be more careful. One word from her and it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. Of course, it helped that she didn’t want her sister to know they’d been stuck in the elevator together. Otherwise, that would’ve been the topic of conversation when he arrived at the table. The loss of control he felt in the elevator no longer plagued him. Her silence on the matter was evidence he could trust her with his secret. Which gave him back the control he craved. His life revolved around control, and he had every intention of keeping it that way. Control over his body, control over his dance partner, control over his future, control over his emotions. It served him well when he was young and got him where he was today. Light years away from the homeless boy who grew up on the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Every time he looked at her his head filled with a vision of those long, creamy, exquisitely shaped legs. He actually tried to look down her dress before he realized he was doing it. The back of his neck heated at the thought, and he pulled at his collar. He was hard-pressed to remember the last time he’d been so rude and disrespectful. Like his eyes had a mind of their own and were desperate to see every inch of her. He felt the same in the elevator when she pulled her legs to her chest and gave him a tantalizing view of delectable skin. It took everything he had to look away and act like he didn’t want to strip off that ugly black dress of hers and see what she really looked like. Granted, he was totally a leg man; they’d held a fascination for him since he started noticing the opposite sex. So it didn’t help that Jade Nichols had perfect dance legs. Hell. His breath quickened when he realized he’d be spending the next several weeks watching those legs, teaching them to dance, touching them.

He shifted in his seat. Not his first uncomfortable moment since Jade Nichols entered his orbit. Undoubtedly not the last either. Her obsession with keeping her personal space intact only made him want to invade it at every opportunity.

But why, for god’s sake? What was so different about her? Normally a woman with…quirks, or for that matter one who wanted more than a good time, had him running a mile, because he didn’t do emotional involvement. It wasn’t worth the pain.

Was it because she wasn’t enamored by him like most of the women he encountered? Or that she had no problem giving him what for? Was it the challenge of winning her over? For all of five seconds he settled on that one. Until it hit him straight between the eyes it was way more than that. He had no idea what her real issues were, but no doubt they revolved around her vigilant defense of her personal space. He’d done a good job of helping her with it in the elevator, too. She’d taken his hands; she’d kissed him. Which didn’t explain why she was now playing the ice queen and didn’t want him near her. The contradictions intrigued him. He was in big trouble.

As they waited for their meals to arrive, she talked to her sister, and he couldn’t stop his gaze from roaming her face, fascinated despite himself. For all her lack of color and style, there was something about her that attracted him. A unique beauty he’d never encountered before. Personally, he loved color, which was why blondes never did it for him. After meeting Jade, he decided he might’ve been overlooking something amazing.

She wore no makeup, so the lack of color in her skin and hair made the color of her eyes and lips all the more vibrant. Having grown up around the theater business, he knew adding some color with makeup could be stunningly effective. She glanced down for a moment; her eyelashes were incredibly thick and long. He just hadn’t noticed them before because of their pale color. If fate hadn’t forced him to take a second look at this fascinating creature, he realized he would have missed out on something quite amazing.

Her fingers fiddled with her silverware and it drew his gaze as she returned her attention to her sister. He had no clue what they were talking about nor any interest in taking part in the conversation. At the moment, he had an overwhelming need to touch. To still the restless movements of those fingers. Even better, to feel them fiddling with him. Hell…

He brushed his fingers across the rich linen of the tablecloth, savoring the feel of it for a moment, but it failed to curb his desire to feel her skin, so he covered her hand with his. Instantly it stilled. Impressive. She did the same thing the last time he held her hand. Every other part of her went rigid, but the hand, completely limp. The muscle control it took to do something like that…He could hardly wait to see what she could do with that control on the dance floor.

He knew it was merely an excuse to touch her, but he justified it by telling himself she needed to get used to being close to him. The sooner that happened the better. He picked up her hand and cradled it between his. Hers fingered fluttered for a moment to get free, then stilled when her eyes met his.

“Relax and enjoy the evening, Jade,” he said, soft enough the murmur of the surrounding diners kept Lexi and Beck from hearing him. “I’m happy for the opportunity to get to know you better; I hope we can be friends. When these two important people in our lives get married, we’re going to be spending some time in each other’s company. It’s in everyone’s best interests that we get along. I promise to do my best to make the dance lessons enjoyable.”

He flashed her a charming smile and let go of her hand, not liking the odd little ache it left in his chest. Draping an arm along the back of her chair, he reclined in his seat as a waiter set his main course in front of him.

Once everyone was served, and the waiter disappeared, Han removed his arm, forcing his body to listen to his brain, and dug into his food. With his arm gone, he noticed her relax and eat her steak. After several sideways glances as he ate his salmon, which he didn’t really taste he was so focused on her, he fought the desire to stop eating altogether and just watch. The way she closed her eyes and chewed slowly made his heart pound in his chest for a few beats. Once she swallowed the bite, she quickly took another and savored the taste again. He’d never seen a woman eat with such enjoyment. Or realized it could be so sexy when someone wasn’t deliberately trying to make it so.

She set down her knife and fork on her plate with a clatter, turned towards him and demanded under her breath, “What?”

“My apologies, Jade. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

He longed to run a finger down her cheek, hardly able to resist the need to feel her skin. She glanced at him quickly, and her cheeks turned pink. Her lashes fluttered for a moment before she returned her attention to her food. Was she as affected by him as he was by her? Or was it merely the effect he had on most women because he was a celebrity? Damn, he hoped not. For some reason he wanted more than something so superficial from her. No, he didn’t. This was just a weird physical thing. That was all. She was a woman he was going to be around for years to come as his buddy’s sister-in-law. Involvement with her, either emotionally or physically, could really screw things up.

“I am fascinated with how much you are enjoying your meal. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman get such a thrill from eating.”

“Then I guess the evening is filled with novel experiences for both of us.”

He fought another smile as he impaled a piece of fish with his fork. He enjoyed how she treated him like a regular guy. Had he ever been treated that way?

He swallowed his bite. “Indeed…So Jade, what do you do for a living?”

As she savored a morsel of loaded baked potato, he momentarily forgot his question. His throat suddenly dry, he took a drink of water and ended up choking on it when she replied.

“I own an accounting firm.” As she watched him recover, she continued, “Does that surprise you?”

He cleared his throat one last time. “No. You’re definitely the accountant type. Plenty uptight enough, and I’m sure your numbers add up every time. Just swallowed wrong.” Could he make more of a fool of himself? “Your name is rather descriptive. Did you come up with it yourself?”

She looked annoyed. No doubt he wasn’t the first one to remark on it. “You mean ‘Nichols’ because I’m an accountant or ‘Jade’ because of my eyes? No. All mine from birth.”

“Jade matches the color of your eyes perfectly, so what a nice coincidence. It makes it easy for people to remember.”

The look in her eyes might have felled a lesser man, but he expected it. Even enjoyed it. He did wince when she threw her napkin on the table, stood and grabbed her purse, and bit the inside of his cheek so he didn’t say something to make her feel worse. He should’ve left her alone to enjoy her meal and the time with her sister.

So why hadn’t he? Because she didn’t throw herself at him like most women? Because he wanted to make her forget how needy he was in the elevator? Grow up, Rivera. She deserves better. He bit back a sigh. The way he fell apart in the elevator was so humiliating. He squirmed in his seat as he thought about it. Still, no excuse.

“I’m going to the restroom,” she said in a frosty tone. “If you’ll excuse me?”

Once she was out of earshot, Beck said, “Good God, Han, what is wrong with you? I’ve never seen you act like such an ass before. I don’t want problems between you and Jade ruining our wedding.”

Lexi laid a hand on Beck’s arm. “I wouldn’t worry too much, sweetheart. Jade wants our wedding to be perfect more than I do, I think. Like I said before, we don’t need to have a wedding party dance if it causes too many problems.”

“No, Lexi,” Han said. “Beck’s right. I’m being an ass. Since Beck has been like family to me and I think of him as a brother, I feel like you and Jade will be my in-laws. I want us to spend many happy years together; so far, I’m not doing a good job of it. Suffice to say, my head is a mess right now and it has nothing to do with Jade. Just some personal stuff I’m not handling very well at the moment.”

Beck smiled and shrugged. “Hell, man, it’s okay. Is that why you were so late tonight?”

Han cleared his throat and again shifted in his seat. “Basically. Which means I’d already started the evening off on a bad note. I’m sorry, ese. Hopefully I can do better now I’ve got some food in my stomach.”

Beck chuckled. “A man with an empty stomach is never a good thing, and speaking from experience, I know how grouchy you can be when you’re hungry. It probably has something to do with all the calories you burn off on the dance floor.”

“Si. And lunch was a long time ago.”

Was his hunger combined with being trapped in the elevator why he wasn’t himself tonight?

****

Jade knew she’d been in the ladies’ room too long, but each time she started to leave, she lost her nerve. Just the thought of going back to the table made her quiver. She feared Han would put his hands on her again and wasn’t sure how much longer she could pretend she didn’t care. Since she knew he was doing it deliberately, she was all the more determined not to react. At this point, though, it had taken its toll, and all the relaxing techniques in the world weren’t going to fix her problem.

Eventually, she accepted she couldn’t put off her return any longer. Only to fight the urge to turn right back around and run away. The table was empty but for…Alejandro Rivera.

The man was put on this planet for the specific purpose of torturing her, she just knew it. Where were Lexi and Beck? Since her sister hadn’t joined her in the restroom, she had a sinking feeling they’d abandoned her to the Devil of the Dance Floor. She threw back her shoulders, clenched her jaw and marched over to the table. Time for her to go home.

Oh God, no! She came with her sister. Who wouldn’t leave without her, so they had to be around somewhere. She let her breath out slowly in an effort to calm down.

The waiter held out her chair out for her, so she couldn’t scoot it away from Han. Why couldn’t the table be square rather than round? She did manage a bit of a sideways maneuver as she scooted it in, putting a little more room between them, which made her feel a bit better.

She finished off her drink before asking the obvious, “Where are Lexi and Beck?”

Han swallowed the last of the water in his glass and as he set it down, a delicious concoction of a dessert was placed in front of her. Suddenly, the fact she was alone with a man who made her feel all sorts of things she didn’t want to feel was forgotten. Eagerly, she grabbed her fork and dug in.

“She got a migraine and Beck took her home. I said I’d give you a ride to your house, so they could leave right away.” A smile tugged at his lips as he watched her. “I figured you wouldn’t want to miss out on the dessert, considering how much you enjoyed the main course. Lexi ordered it for you. Crème brûlée cheesecake.”

Jade moaned as the heavenly flavors of the gourmet treat exploded on her tongue, and she forgot her issues with Han. “You have got to try this. I’m going to be spoiled for life after eating this epicurean delight.”

With a shrug, he picked up his fork and tasted his. Jade made the mistake of looking over at him just as his tongue darted out to grab a piece stuck to his lip. She was not going to think about what that tongue had done to her, so she frantically shoveled another bite in her mouth. More than anything she wanted to be the one licking the most delicious dessert she’d ever tasted off the most delicious lips she’d ever tasted. Still, as desperate as she was to get away from this guy, there was no way she was leaving before she finished every mouth-watering bite.

It wasn’t until she sat back in her seat with a groan, her stomach so full she was afraid it might burst, that she remembered there was still a ride in the elevator to get through.

“Eat too much?”

She gave him a dirty look, and his amused chuckle shouldn’t have annoyed her. Wiping her lips with her napkin to hide her expression, she told herself she’d be home alone soon. She was just overly stressed from the events of the evening. With sleep and some alone time, she’d be fine. Half hour more, tops, and she was home free. It was herself she was frustrated with more than anything, and it wasn’t fair to take it out on Han. He had no control over how her body was reacting to him. Most likely he was a spoiled celebrity used to getting whatever and whomever he wanted when he wanted it. Her refusal to give him that was probably egging him on. Especially since she’d kissed him in the elevator.

He threw his napkin on the table. “Ready to go then? Beck paid the bill, so we’re free to leave whenever you like.”

“Mostly ready. Just mentally preparing myself to get back in the elevator. It’s not an experience I care to repeat at the moment.”

He stood, and she quickly did the same. Grabbing her purse, she slung it over her shoulder and headed toward the exit. She didn’t realize how closely he was following her until he spoke.

“It’s an experience I have no intention of repeating, and since I have no reason to look like I’m okay with it for you, I’m taking the stairs.”

That stopped her in her tracks, and he slammed into the back of her, his hands descending on her shoulders to steady them both. He remained motionless for a long drawn out moment, then bent his head and whispered in her ear, “Mmmm…Guapa.”

His voice in her ear sent shivers straight to her toes, and her heart started to pound in her chest. “Now this is my kind of dessert. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to our dance lessons.”

She clenched her teeth in order to resist the urge to melt into him and tried to pull away instead. “If you don’t let go now, I’m going to cause a scene the tabloids will love.”

He removed his hands with a chuckle, running a finger down her arm from shoulder to elbow before backing away. “I’ve had enough of those for one evening, even if it was a private one in an elevator. So, are we planning on standing here for a while or what?”

With a shake of her head, she started moving again. “I’m taking the elevator. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“Okay.”

He bobbed his head in acknowledgment and strode to the stairwell while she went to the bank of elevators and pushed the call button. However, when the doors opened, and she was faced with the prospect of being closed in that small space again, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She let out a resigned sigh. The evening had taken its toll, and she didn’t have it in her to face a ride in an elevator right now. She didn’t relish the idea of barfing her delicious dinner all over the elevator and anyone who happened to be in it with her. It would have to be the stairs. She wasn’t sure about walking all the way down on a full stomach, but at least Han had a head start, and she’d have some time to herself.

That dream world lasted all of five seconds. When she turned toward the door to the stairwell, there he stood, holding it open for her with a mocking lift of his brow.

“Bit much at this point, isn’t it?” He swept out a hand dramatically. “After you, chica.”

Flouncing past him, she started the long trek to the first floor.