NATE BREATHED IN THE ROSES and citrus scent of Becca’s perfume and fought to get his hammering heartbeat under control. They were so close; he could feel every inch of her body against his. So close that if he didn’t move soon, everyone in the room—including his boss and Becca’s brothers—would know he wanted more from her than just one dance.

All the awkwardness they’d felt in the beginning of the dance vanished when she surrendered control and let him lead. By the time the song ended, Nate knew one thing for certain: nothing had ever felt as good as having Becca Southerland trust him to guide her across the dance floor. He wanted more, which meant he couldn’t stand there in front of Emerson and the rest of her family, holding onto her like he had a right he hadn’t earned yet. But he would.

The thought shocked him, but as he let it sink in, he realized it was true. She surprised him at every turn, shifting from ice to warmth with her family, to heat in his arms. She challenged him all the time, something he found intoxicating.

Nate was very good at working hard to get what he wanted. He’d been doing it since he moved in with his grandma and tried to grow up as fast as he could. He wanted a chance to get to know Becca better and to see if the charge he got from holding her on the dance floor extended to other things. He intended to work to find out.

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” He forced himself to take a step back and Becca turned to face him.

“It was great and you know it,” she said, her gaze pinning him in place. “False modesty doesn’t suit you.”

He chuckled. She wouldn’t let him get away with anything. He had a feeling from their few brief encounters that Becca held everyone close to her to the same exacting standards she held for herself, and they were all better for it because she loved with the same kind of fierceness. He wanted a chance to be on the other side of that equation.

“One of my earliest memories is watching my momma and daddy dance. I don’t get to do it nearly as often as I’d like but I enjoy it. With the right partner,” he added, pushing his luck on purpose. Sitting back and waiting for Becca to come to him would have him waiting until he was old and gray.

“Shameless,” she said with mock indignation, but the smile she gave him was a lot closer to the one she shared with her family.

“Auntie Becca.”

A teenaged girl rushed up to them, tugging Travis Southerland behind her. He’d only met the other man once and he’d been doing security for another Southerland wedding at the time—Taylor and Matt’s—so they hadn’t had much of a chance to talk but ex-soldiers remembered each other. It was one of the side effects of a shared limited experience. Even after years out, it sometimes felt like they spoke a language the others didn’t. Travis walked with a distinct limp, but his expression was a lot lighter than his experience could have warranted. A lot of the soldiers who came back didn’t get a chance at the kind of happiness Travis seemed to have found. Liam and Andy’s work was a clear example of the need for support for long-term healing.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Becca gathered the girl in a hug. “You look beautiful. I saw you dancing with your daddy.”

Both the girl and the man wore the same sheepishly happy expression. It tugged hard at Nate’s slightly jaded heart.

“You were right about the shoes,” said the girl. Abby? There were too many Southerlands for Nate to keep track of them. “I wore them in my room this week, and they didn’t trip me up at all today.”

“Told you. Confidence is key, baby girl.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The teenager thrust out her hip and struck a pose.

“Who are you calling ma’am?” Becca raised herself up to her full height, pulling her shoulders back and raising her chin, every inch of her five-foot-and-change frame looking like a queen overseeing her court. It was the reason he’d started calling her Duchess.

God bless. He was in trouble.

“You called me baby girl.”

“I did, but it was with love,” she said, smiling at the girl. “Have you met my friend Nate?”

Becca turned her smile on him, and the tugging on his heart got stronger. She called him friend twice. It was a big step up from the guy I got out of jail or the guy who did me a favor.

“Hey, Nate.” She flashed him a quick polite smile before turning her attention toward the dessert table. “I think I’m going to get one or ten of those tiny cupcakes. Would you all like anything?” She added the offer almost as an afterthought, but she was still light-years away from the sullen teenager in his recent experience. Some of it, he knew, was the difference between boys and girls. He suspected much more of it had to do with growing up in a big loving family with lots of adults looking out for you.

“No thank-you, sweetheart,” said Becca.

“Get me some of the chocolate ones and find us seats,” said Travis. “I’ll be there in just a minute.”

They watched her head to the tower of cupcakes, careful but steady on her heels.

“It won’t be long before she’s too grown up to want to do anything with me,” said Travis, looking wistful. “I didn’t think I’d be lucky enough to have a daughter or her momma and our babies. I’ll take as much of this kind of time as I can get.” There was no posturing in the other man’s statement, just a clear gratitude for the love he’d found.

If Nate hung around with the Southerland family much longer, he’d start to believe in second chances and true love and all kinds of shit.

That wasn’t exactly right. He already believed in love. He’d seen it between his parents. He’d just also seen a lot of pain and heartache and loss. Love and happily ever after was a complicated proposition for him, but it was one he wanted a chance at.

“Maybe for a short while.” Becca rested a hand on her cousin’s arm. “But it won’t last. I’m a grown woman and I still think my daddy knows almost everything. Abby will feel the same way about you.”

Travis leaned into press a kiss to Becca’s cheek. “I hope you’re right.”

“I am.”

“Do you guys want to join us for cupcakes?”

“Actually, I think I’d like to dance again. If you’re willing to risk it.” Becca looked at him like she was trying to work something out, and Nate had a whiplash moment between knowing she wanted to dance with him again and worrying about what was going on in that gorgeous head of hers. He might have a temporary advantage, but it was only because she gave it to him, and it didn’t extend beyond the edges of the dance floor.

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,” said Nate, taking her hand and leaving Travis to follow his daughter. “You’re going to let me lead?”

“For another four or five minutes,” said Becca, grinning up at him. “I’m not committing to anything beyond that.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” Nate spun her under his arm and pulled her close as the opening notes of “Home” started to play.

––––––––

“CAN I CUT in?” Gabe phrased it like a question but said it like a command.

Nate’s shoulders tensed under her hand. It was the closest he’d come to stumbling.

“Good grief.” Becca shot daggers at her brother.

“I tried to stop him.” Berlin stood beside Gabe, looking like she was witnessing a wreck she couldn’t avert. “Would you please dance with me and save us both from the brother-sister throwdown about to happen? Don’t worry. My money is on Becca,” said Berlin, following Nate’s troubled gaze to her.

Becca fought the urge to pummel her brother—first for making Nate look like a man who’d ended up on the wrong side of his boss and then for cockblocking her. Which, honestly, was two halves of the same coin and more than enough reason to exact vengeance on the nosy dumbass.

She wanted a chance to see where things with Nate would go. Maybe not on the dance floor at her sister’s wedding, but later in private with the world on silent for four or five hours. She felt something in Nate’s arms. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time—if ever. She had no intention of letting him know or making a habit of it, but she wanted to give him a chance to lead somewhere other than the dance floor. It was an equally terrifying and delicious feeling and one she wasn’t about to let her brother wreck for her with his overzealous protective instincts.

“I thought Emerson was supposed to be the one with the stick up his ass.”

“You should say that louder so Momma can hear you.” Gabe put his hands on her waist like they were at a bad replay of every middle school dance she ever went to. “What’s going on between you and Nate? I didn’t think you guys knew each other. Beyond the jail thing.”

“None of your damn business. I don’t need you to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

Gabe shuffle-stepped them around so they could see Berlin and Nate out on the dance floor. Berlin’s dancing skills definitely surpassed Becca’s, and she had a moment of envy as she watched Nate spin the smiling woman around the floor. They looked good together. Like they both knew what they were doing.

“Well, this is just embarrassing. I had no idea she could dance like that. Probably because she can’t with me. I am going to have to up my game.”

Becca snorted. “Dude, I don’t think what we have can even be called game. I never did understand what she sees in you, but...” She added when he squeezed her so hard it was almost a pinch, “I’m glad she does. I really like her. She’s good for you.”

“Too good sometimes. I’m going to fix that, starting with dance lessons.”

“For real?” Becca smacked her brother’s arm. Gabe had always been the Southerland least inclined to take anything seriously. It was kind of his thing and charming, if infuriating. He was serious about Berlin and the thought made her heart soften. Not that it would save him from the verbal pummeling she’d give him if he didn’t stay in his own lane.

“I am a lucky man. I know that. And if I’m lucky enough to convince her to agree, I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it to her.”

His expression softened as he spoke, and Becca saw the truth of her brother’s words shining in his eyes.

“You know, she’s lucky too. You’re not so bad.”

“Of course. That’s kind of the point, right? To lift each other up.”

Wisdom from her screwball brother was almost as unexpected a turn to this day as her feelings dancing with Nate. Dancing that she could clearly do better at. He’d carried them both. Maybe she ought to offer to take lessons with Gabe. “They look good together,” she said as the last notes of the song played.

“Yeah, they do.” Gabe shuffle-stepped them in place until the last bar. “It honestly never occurred to you that it might not be you I’m worried about? Not everyone is as impenetrable as you, Becca. Be careful.” Gabe left her standing there, grasping for a reply as he crossed the dance floor and wrapped Berlin in his arms.

“I don’t see blood,” said Nate.

Instead of pulling her into his arms for another dance, he stayed a step away. She wanted to tell him to ignore her dumbass brother, but she couldn’t seem to ignore his words. Nate didn’t look like the kind of guy who needed protecting. He looked like the protector, but she wasn’t naïve enough to think all threats were physical. Hell, her days were consumed with defending clients from the gut-wrenching consequences of other people’s choices. Still, it wasn’t like Nate was falling in love with her or something equally insane. They had chemistry she still wanted to explore, but they didn’t know each other. Until a few hours earlier, she couldn’t be sure they even liked each other.

“I let him live. For now,” she said, catching his hand in hers. Maybe rushing headlong into dance floor groping wasn’t the best plan, but she didn’t like the distance between them. “Let’s go see if there are any of those cupcakes left.”

––––––––

“THESE ARE MY favorite.” Nate held a tiny lemon cupcake just out of Becca’s reach. When he was feeling generous, he was grateful to Gabe for the cold-water pause on the dance floor. He should never have let things go so far so quickly, but there was something about the woman eyeing his cupcake that made it clear he was going to have to work overtime to maintain boundaries where she was concerned.

“I refuse to pick just one favorite,” said Becca, plucking the treat from his fingers.

While he was busy thinking about stupid shit like boundaries, she was getting what she wanted. It was one of the many things that intrigued him about her. “Of course you do, Duchess.” He peeled the paper off one of the small chocolate cakes and popped it in his mouth so he could avoid watching her lick icing off her fingers.

She was quiet for so long, he risked glancing in her direction and found her watching him like she was trying to work something out in that gorgeous head of hers. He grabbed for another of the tiny cakes—strawberry cream this time. He’d have to put in extra time at the gym, but the sugar helped keep him from racing across boundaries he needed to keep in place. For the time being. He fully intended to cross every damn one of them eventually, but not before he was sure they were both on the same page. Nate wanted a hell of a lot more than a one-night stand with Becca and he wanted that a hell of a lot. Enough to make the diabetes risk worth it.

“Any idea why my brother might be worried I’d break your heart?”

“What?” He choked around a mouthful of cake, barely managing to avoid inhaling crumbs.

“I thought Gabe’s overprotective brother routine was to save me, but it’s you he’s worried about.”

“Why?” Apparently, he’d been reduced to single-syllable questions.

“That’s what I asked you. We just met. Beyond one night at the county jail—and who’s counting that—this is the only real time we’ve spent together. Why would my brother assume I’m a danger to you?”

Nate didn’t know what Gabe was playing at. The other man had no way of knowing something he’d only just now decided. Or not decided, exactly. More left himself open to the idea of pursuing something with Becca. There was no way he was telling her anything about that. He had an idea leading with feelings was the fastest way to get her to run in the other direction. Not that he had feelings. Not yet; he wasn’t moving that fast. It was more the possibility of everything he’d ever wanted. Like he could see an ideal shimmering in front of him like heat off asphalt. He wasn’t saying that to her either.

“Did it occur to you that maybe he’s just messing with you?” She scowled at him and he resisted the urge to smooth the wrinkle on her forehead with his finger. “What would you have done if he said he was just looking out for you?”

“Eaten him alive and made jewelry from his bones. Before I told him to mind his own damn business.”

“Remind me to stay on your good side.” He had a feeling that was a next to impossible goal, but he was putting it out there and praying she took pity on him when he inevitably fucked up.

“Crafty little weasel,” she said, racing to the conclusion he’d hoped for. “He knows I wouldn’t pay any attention to him worrying about me, but I’d at least pause to question things where you were concerned. Damn. I didn’t think he had it in him.” She peeled the wrapper off a tiny cupcake and bit it in half while he tried to look everywhere but at her lips. “So I don’t have to worry about your emotional involvement?” she asked, licking pink icing from her fingers in a way that threatened what was left of his already frayed concentration.

It was a minefield of a question, and he needed every bit of cognitive energy he had to get out alive. He didn’t want to come across as a player, and he sure as hell didn’t want to allude to possibilities more likely to scare her off than draw her closer. He relaxed back in his chair, feigning an ease he didn’t feel.

“I can take care of myself, Duchess. You’re safe with me.” He prayed she’d see the intentions behind his words without spooking.

“Good to know.” Her lips parted as if she were about to say something else, but the DJ cut in with a call for all the single women to make their way to the dance floor for the bouquet toss.

The expression on Becca’s face held just enough deer in the headlights to make him bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

“You don’t have to go, you know.”

“I do. There aren’t that many of us left. Damn. I can’t even hide in the second row,” she said, sounding resigned. “Maybe Amanda’s friend Elizabeth wants it. She’s still single. I’ll stand near her and hope for the best.”

“Atta girl.” The words were out of his mouth before he thought them through, but instead of giving him grief about it, she tipped her head to the side as if she were trying to decide between eviscerating him for calling her a girl or smiling at him the way she had earlier. He held his breath, waiting to see which way the pendulum would swing.

In the end she did neither, but as she walked past him, she let her hand rest on his shoulder for a second, her touch too deliberate to be casual.

He watched Becca laugh and take her place with her female relatives. He was probably the only one who noticed her slight flinch as her sister tossed the bouquet over her shoulder. Abby caught it, blushing as the room cheered.

Nate could have sworn he heard Travis mutter “not until you’re thirty-five” under his breath, but he didn’t have time to think about it because Becca was smiling at him. Walking toward him as if she’d dodged a bullet and wanted to celebrate. With him.

The DJ announced the departure of the new Mr. and Mrs. Dean and the guests stood to give them a proper send-off. Becca reached for his hand, her fingers strong and sure in his, and he reminded himself that he had to thread this needle very carefully if he wanted a chance to see her again. She was clearly used to driving and he doubted she’d take kindly to him putting on the brakes. He had to find a way to make sure she stayed just curious enough to want to see him again.

“What do you need to do before you can be finished? Extra set of hands, remember?” He reluctantly untangled his fingers from hers so he could hold his hands up in offering.

Between Becca’s immediate family and all the cousins, there were more than enough Southerlands around to make light work of anything that needed to be done. But the littlest Southerlands, including fierce little Matilda, were flagging, along with their parents. Helping with the wrap-up would give him a way to continue to spend time with Becca without having to deal with the I’d really like to see you again. What do you say? question he was determined to avoid. It was also the reason Gabe asked him to the wedding in the first place. He was supposed to be pitching in, not making time with the maid of honor. If it was a two-birds-one-stone thing, so much the better.